Address Book 6.x: If you can’t import contacts

If you can’t import contacts

If you have problems importing contacts, you can verify the format of the contact information or check permissions.

  • Make sure the contact information is in a vCard, LDIF (LDAP Data Interchange Format), or tab-delimited or comma-separated value (CSV) text file. To verify the file format, in the Finder, select the file you’re trying to import and choose File > Get Info. The General section displays the kind of file.
  • Review the content of a tab-delimited or CSV file using a text editor, such as TextEdit, for problems that could cause the import to fail (for example, extra line breaks or spaces).

    Import contacts

  • If you can’t import because of permissions errors, in the Finder, select the file you’re trying to import and choose File > Get Info. In the Sharing & Permissions section, choose Read & Write from the Privilege pop-up menu.

LDIF files can be produced by Thunderbird and LDAP servers. vCard files can be produced by Entourage, Outlook, and iPod. Most spreadsheet applications can export tab-delimited or CSV text files.