Contact Problems

How to Recover Outlook Contacts and Calendar After Switching to IMAP

Aamir Naveed Akram Oct 1, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to recover contacts and calendar entries in Microsoft Outlook that are no longer visible after configuring their email account using the IMAP protocol.

How to Recover Outlook Contacts and Calendar After Switching to IMAP

Product: Microsoft Outlook
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Switching from a Microsoft 365 or Exchange account (such as GoDaddy Exchange) to an IMAP setup for an existing email address.
Observed behavior: Emails synchronize correctly, but previous contacts and calendar entries do not appear because IMAP does not support syncing these data types.

Before you start

Ensure you still have the login credentials for your old Exchange or Microsoft 365 account, as you will need them to access and export your existing contacts and calendar data.

Solution 1Recommended

Export Data from the Old Exchange Account and Import to Local Folders

Use the Outlook Import/Export wizard to manually migrate your contacts and calendar data from the old Exchange server to your local IMAP data file.

Because the IMAP protocol is designed exclusively for email, it cannot synchronize contacts or calendars. To restore this data, you must export it from your previous Microsoft 365 or Exchange account and import it back into your current Outlook profile.

Access the Old Account

If you removed the old account, temporarily add it back to Outlook by navigating to File > Add Account and entering your old Exchange or Microsoft 365 credentials.

Export Contacts and Calendars

Go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export. Select 'Export to a file' and choose 'Outlook Data File (.pst)'. Select your Contacts folder, complete the export, and repeat the process for your Calendar folder.

Import to Your Current Profile

Return to File > Open & Export > Import/Export. Choose 'Import from another program or file', select the .pst file you just created, and import the items into your current local Outlook data file.

Export Data from the Old Exchange Account and Import to Local Folders

Microsoft Migration Guide: For extensive migrations, follow Microsoft's official guidance on moving old email, calendars, and contacts to Microsoft 365 using their dedicated support resources.

Solution 2

Keep the Exchange Account Connected in Outlook

Maintain your old Exchange account connection within Outlook specifically to access your legacy contacts and calendars without migrating.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my contacts disappear after setting up IMAP?

IMAP is a protocol strictly designed for synchronizing emails across devices. It does not support syncing contacts, calendars, or tasks. When you switch from an Exchange account to IMAP, your contacts remain on the old server and will not automatically appear in your new setup.

Can I sync my Outlook calendar using IMAP?

No, IMAP cannot sync calendar entries natively. To keep your calendars synchronized across multiple devices, you must use an Exchange account (like Outlook.com or Microsoft 365) or rely on a third-party synchronization add-in.

How do I access my old GoDaddy Exchange contacts?

You must log into your old GoDaddy Exchange account either via webmail or by adding the account back into your desktop Outlook application as an Exchange account. Once accessed, you can export the contacts to a PST or CSV file for migration.

Outlook & Email Problems