Many users are changing their Windows phone devices to Android devices. The Microsoft platform is beautiful and stable, but closed and not nearly as functional. In addition, the number of smartphones with Windows background is decreasing every year. On the shelves of household appliance stores there are mainly models with a pre-installed Android or iOS system.
It turns out that if you buy a new phone now, you will need to transfer contacts to it. But how to do this if your old device is a smartphone with Windows Phone? There are many ways – we’ll talk about each in detail.
Cloud contact transfer
Since all modern smartphones are designed to constantly interact with cloud services, it would be strange to refuse their capabilities. If you used a phone with Windows Phone, then you simply have to have a Microsoft account. And your contacts are synchronized with the Outlook.com email service. If you are going to use an Android smartphone, then be prepared that it will lose most of its functionality without Google online services.
This leads to two simplest synchronization methods:
Via Outlook
The entire phone book on your Windows smartphone is synchronized with your Outlook.com account by default. To transfer data to an Android smartphone:
- download the Microsoft Outlook application from Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details? > enter your Microsoft account information into the application
- allow the application to access your data when the application starts, tap on the menu icon in the upper left corner and select “People” In principle, you can use the Outlook phone book as your main one. Simply click on the number to start a call.
This method is convenient because Outlook also makes your mail, calendar, and files on OneDrive accessible. However, as a phone book, Outlook is frankly weak. There is not even the ability to send SMS. Therefore, this method is only suitable for those who communicate mostly by email.
Via Gmail
There are several ways to import your phone book into your Google Account. But their essence is the same: to link Microsoft and Google accounts with constant synchronization. This can be done using your phone:
- Open the “Settings” section on your Windows Phone, in it – “Mail + accounts”, select “Add a service”, in the pop-up list, select Google in the window that appears, click “Connect”
- the application will prompt you to log in by entering your Google account login and password. If you don't have one yet, you can create one right here. in the “Windows is asking…” window with a list of access rights, click “Accept” and synchronization will begin automatically. Tap on your account and make sure there is a checkmark next to the “Contacts” field. If you wish, you can synchronize emails and calendar. When you first start your Android smartphone, enter your Google account information. The database of contacts and other synchronized data will be downloaded automatically.
This method is good when you don’t yet have an Android smartphone at hand. But there is a way to link contacts when you don't have either phone handy! For example, your Windows smartphone is out of order (or you have already sold it), but the courier has not yet delivered your Android device to you. The main thing is to remember your Microsoft account access information.
- open Gmail on your computer in the browser (if you don’t have an account yet, create one) go to the “Settings” section, select the “Accounts and Import” tab in the second line “Import mail and contacts” click the “Import mail and contacts” link, enter your email address on Outlook.com (or another Microsoft server) follow the import instructions when you first set up Andro > contacts are imported into your phone book automatically.
Frequently asked questions/answers
Is it possible to synchronize between Google accounts, and if so, how to do this? It is quite possible, but for detailed information, check out our article. Can I use Outlook mail on my Android device? Yes, but your default should still be primarily Gmail if you want to take full advantage of all Google features. Yes, but your default should still be primarily Gmail if you want to take full advantage of all Google features. To do this, use the advice given in the second Gmail method. Using this method, you can transfer not only contacts, but also all necessary messages. And for moving photos there is a special adapted application of the same name. I need to receive the same emails in both Outlook and Gmail. How to set this up? The answer has already been described above.
Local transfer of contacts from Windows Phone to Android
Until recently, this was unthinkable: the file system of Windows Phone was as closed as that of iOS, and it was also not amenable to jailbreak. Luckily, on Windows phones with an SD card, you can now export your contact database without resorting to cloud sharing.
The vast majority of applications for backing up contacts in Windows Phone bear the same name - Contacts Backup (and where are the administration looking?) For us, the most interesting is the application developed by Amaze Pictures Inc. It allows you to save backups in .VCF files even on smartphones that do not have a memory card.
You can download the application at https://www.windowsphone.com/ru-ru/store/app/contacts-backup/8fc95611-fb8a-4483-9277-864fed3fcb5e.
For full operation, it is necessary that the Windows Phone smartphone and the computer be on the same wireless network. After the application creates a copy of the phone book, it will prompt you to type the IP address into the browser line, through which you will download the ZIP archive to your computer. If you wish, you can include photographs corresponding to subscribers in the archive.
Unzip the file and copy the .VCF file it contains to your Android smartphone to import its contents into your phone book there.
If it is important for you that a copy of your contacts does not end up on the Internet, then this application is the best choice. Other similar Windows Phone apps use cloud copying to OneDrive.
In any case, copying contacts from Windows to Android will no longer be a problem for you.
Using Google services
To transfer contacts through synchronization of Google and Microsoft accounts, you just need to log in to them from all devices that participate in the process. Synchronization on smartphones will occur automatically when you log into your accounts after performing actions from your PC.
Procedure from PC:
- you need to go to the Google menu and click on the “Contacts” section;
- then select “Import”;
- click on the Outlook account that was previously registered on the smartphone (synchronization is performed automatically);
- Log in to your Microsoft account to have access to Outlook;
- contacts will appear automatically.
In order for this method to work, you need to log in to all accounts on both Windows Phone and Android.
Solution 4. Transfer contacts from Outlook and Gmail
Follow these steps to transfer contacts from Windows Phone to Android phone:
In order to transfer contacts from Windows Phone to Android device, sync contacts from Windows Phone with Outlook. Next, log into your Outlook account, from your desktop or tablet, and click on the "People" Solution button from the drop-down menu.
In the next window, click the "Manage" button and select "Export for Outlook, and other services" from the drop-down menu.
Once you click on this solution, Outlook will automatically download the contacts on your device as a CSV file.
Now open Gmail and click on Contact Gmail Solution.
The next screen will show you several solutions and you should select "import".
Once the pop-up window appears, click on the solution file selection, and select the Outlook Contacts CSV file downloaded from Outlook. Then just click on import.
Within a few seconds, Gmail will sync all the contacts from the file in Outlook and merge them with your existing Google contacts. Start your Android device, and simply sync your Google contacts with your phone's contacts. This is it! This is perhaps the best way to transfer contacts from Windows Phone to Android devices, and it's free too.
If you purchased a new Android smartphone, and previously used a mobile phone running Windows Phone, you will need to transfer contacts from one device to another. The procedure may seem complicated at first glance due to the fact that you have to interact with different operating systems, but in fact, to implement it you only need to do a few simple manipulations. So, we will describe step by step how to transfer contacts from Windows Phone to Android locally and using cloud services.
Using Microsoft Services
All Windows Phone devices allow you to automatically sync your phone book with your Microsoft account in Outlook.com. To transfer contacts in this way, it is enough:
- on a new device, download the application from Google Play and log in using your Microsoft account information;
- allow access to personal data;
- go to the “People” or “Contacts” menu section.
Synchronization is also possible with other Microsoft services. In fact, any one is suitable for the user. The choice depends on convenience and personal preference.
Moving contacts using a vcf file
The first way to copy the entire contents of the address book of your Windows Phone smartphone is to export the data to a special vcf file, transfer it to the Android phone and import it there through standard tools. Thus, by the way, contacts are often transferred from Android to Android, and in general, saving the subscriber directory in the vCard text format (vcf extension) makes it possible to view and edit it on any device, for example, on a regular computer or laptop. True, this need does not arise so often.
To import/export contacts in Windows Phone, there is a standard Data Transfer .
As a rule, it is installed on your smartphone by default and does not require downloading. If for some reason the application is not on your phone, you can find and install it absolutely free through the official Microsoft store.
We launch the program and immediately select the “Export to SD card” item.
After indexing, the application will offer to save three types of data to removable media - Contacts, Messages and MMS. Check the Contacts box only and press the Start button.
After a few seconds, a message will appear indicating that the content was successfully exported from the phone to the SD card. The path where you can find the created VCF file will be indicated here (we got D:/backup/Data/20180109154016/Contact).
Now there are at least two options for transferring a file to an Android device - either remove the memory card and insert it into a new smartphone, or transfer the file from one phone to another via Bluetooth. We chose the second method, the implementation of which requires the presence of any file manager on the smartphone. In our case, we will use the Metro File Manager .
After launching it, go to the SD card section, and then to the /backup/Data/20180109154016/ folder. Here, check the Contact.vcf file, and then click Share – Bluetooth.
Next, simply select the destination phone from the list and confirm acceptance of the file on it.
Of course, Bluetooth must be turned on on both smartphones. If data is transferred between phones for the first time, you must first pair the devices with confirmation of the digital code.
If for some reason you were unable to set up a Bluetooth connection, a computer will help you transfer the vcf file from one mobile phone to another, which will be used as an intermediate link. First, connect the original phone (with Windows Background) to the PC and copy the contacts to any location on the hard drive. Then we connect the second phone and download the previously saved file to it.
Now that the vCard file is on the target smartphone, you need to import contacts. In older versions of Android (4.4.2), go to “Contacts” and select “Import/export” from the menu.
Then, on the “Copy from” page, set the switch to the “Device memory” position, and on the “Copy to” page, select “Phone”.
Click the “Next” button and the device itself will find the vcf file, after which the data is automatically imported into the address book.
On modern smartphones with Android 7.0, everything is done in approximately the same way. Select “Import/export”, and then “Import from drive”.
The following is where to save your contacts.
Another way to add contacts from a vcf file to your address book is to simply try to open it. The phone itself will offer to import data.
Transfer directly via Bluetooth
The latest versions of Android allow you to transfer contacts from devices running Windows Phone directly via Bluetooth. To do this, go to “Import/Export” and select Import from another phone – Supports Bluetooth.
Then click Next, read the short instructions and Next again. In the list of available devices, select the one from which you want to transfer contacts.
Then we confirm the import from vCard and in the “Import contacts to” window click “Phone”.
Subscriber data will be transferred from Windows Phone to Android.
