Can importing an old PST create repeated Outlook contacts?

[steveenmiller07]

Yes, importing an older PST can sometimes result in duplicate contacts, especially when the current Outlook profile already contains some of the same contact records. The same issue can happen when information is collected from several PST backups and combined into one mailbox.

Before removing anything, it is better to check whether the repeated entries are actually identical. Two contacts may have the same name but different phone numbers or email addresses, so deleting based only on the name could remove useful information.

For a large PST, manually checking every contact is not very practical. A dedicated duplicate-removal utility can compare the mailbox data and help identify repeated items. SysInfo Outlook Duplicate Remover, for example, supports duplicate removal from contacts as well as emails, calendars, and tasks. It can also work with multiple PST files and search for duplicates within folders or across PST files.

Another useful approach is to create a new PST containing the cleaned data instead of modifying the original backup. This gives you a separate copy to review before importing it back into Outlook.

I would also recommend keeping the original PST unchanged until the cleanup has been checked. If the mailbox contains important business contacts, having the original backup available is much safer than immediately deleting repeated records.

 

[iselamarch]

Yes, sometimes importing an old PST file into Outlook will produce duplicate contacts. This is typically the case when identical contacts are already present in the current Outlook profile. If you import the previous PST file, Outlook may add those contacts again, and you may have many entries for the same user.
It might be hard to keep track of an address book when you have recurrent connections. For instance, you may see the same person's name many times with identical email accounts and phone numbers. It can also lead to confusion while looking for contact information or sending emails.
As a best practice to avoid this issue, you should check the contacts in the previous PST file before importing. If you have duplicate data, it's a good idea to remove them to keep your address book neat.
One of the options you might explore is Softaken PST Duplicate Remover Software to manage duplicate data in PST files. It helps to find duplicate items, and users may store unique data in a new PST file. The simple interface also makes the procedure easier for people who do not have much technical understanding.
Always make a copy of your original PST file before deleting duplicates. This is vital to maintain contact information during the clean-up procedure.