Importing Gmail contacts into Mail for mac

Jigsaw

I've had a few problems doing this. When I follow the procedure the contacts are converted into a csv file, whereas I need to get a vcf file afaik.

I might be well wrong because I am no great whizzkid but it seems to me that there is no way around this other than manual entry of contacts in Mail.

Would be grateful for any pointers. Cheers.

440Hz

Welcome to the forum Jigsaw.

Apple Mail uses Address Book for its contacts so its Address Book you need to import the contacts into.

In GMail, go to Contacts and choose 'export' from the top RHS. Save "Gmail.csv" (comma separated value) to the desktop or wherever.

Open Address Book. Now normally for a .csv you would just choose "Import" and then "Textfile..." from the File menu in AB, then select your file but Adress Book does seem to have an issue with the Gmail exported file (so its not just you!!). You choose Textfile because AB does not natively support csv import but it "usually" works.

Anyway the popular solution seems to be this:
http://www.simplehelp.net/2006/08/16/how-to-import-your-gmail-contacts-into-the-os-x-address-book/

Downloading http://homepage.mac.com/sroy/addressbookimporter/which will give you a new step before importing into Address Book and then finding your contacts in Mail. Free for the first few uses but $10 after that but at least it will work.

Course, you could use a free 'middle step' solution and import the gmail.csv into another application only to export it in a format which AB likes, something on another OS at work perhaps (I cant believe im saying that), or Thunderbird imports csv's more reliably, you could try that, you night even get to like it more than Mail (some people do anyway)!

Hope that works/helps.

NullZer0

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Gmail save the contacts that you sent and recieved mail from.... rather than details that you would keep in Mail (Address book)?

440Hz

iRock wrote:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Gmail save the contacts that you sent and recieved mail from.... rather than details that you would keep in Mail (Address book)?

Yeah I think thats the case alright, but it doesnt really make a difference here, does it? The impression I got was that the OP wants to import the gmail exported csv file, regardless of what the content actually constitutes. That was how I read it anyway.

NullZer0

Oh yeah I know....

Me and the pointless responses

Your right, the bottom line is "how to import a CSV file"

440Hz

iRock wrote:

Me and the pointless responses

Well that's what happens when you try to "switch", your brain starts to go to mush. I did warn you. :rolleyes:

Oh and yeah... back on topic! ahem