New & improved import contacts feature
June 13, 2008 on 8:58 am | In Features | 42 Comments
With the launch of our new website and the recent update to Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 Beta, we improved the import contacts feature. Now you can add friends to your Yahoo! Messenger contact list from address books you have on other online services like Gmail, AOL, Hotmail, Orkut…22 services in all. You can even import contacts from Outlook. Here’s how it works…
From Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 Beta, go to the Contacts menu and select “Import Contacts…”. A window will appear showing a list of available services from which you can import. Yahoo! Mail / Address Book will automatically be checked and will use your same Yahoo! ID that is signed into Messenger. Just uncheck it if you don’t want to import from your Yahoo! Address Book.
Scroll down in the list to choose one or more services. Click on the bar corresponding to the service and it will expand, giving you fields to fill in your username and password for the service. Repeat that for each service you want to get contacts from. Once you’re done choosing the service(s) and filling out your account info, click the Continue button.
In the next step, we’ll show you which of the friends in your address book(s) are using Yahoo! Messenger already. You can then quickly add them to your contact list and they will in turn receive a prompt from you to confirm the request and add you to their list. If they’re not online at the time, they’ll receive the request the next time they sign in. (Until they approve your request, they’ll remain in your list with an “Add request pending” note next to their name.)
In the final step of the import contacts feature, we’ll show you all the other friends from your address book(s) that are not yet using Yahoo! Messenger. For the friends that you select, we’ll send them an email on your behalf, inviting them to chat with you on Yahoo! Messenger. From the email they receive, they can easily add you to their Messenger contact list, or if they’re new to Messenger, download the program and get started.
The Import Contacts feature is also available on our website at http://messenger.yahoo.com/invite. We hope this helps you find a lot more friends to chat with, play games, share photos and files, watch videos and more.
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
Wow, I actually tried this. I’m impressed, that’s for sure.
Comment by Venom — June 13, 2008 #
[...] 9.0 Beta funciona com Gmail, Hotmail e até Orkut! Ficou bem mais fácil chamar todo mundo. Leia mais… [...]
Pingback by O novo “importador de contatos” do Yah … - Discovery Prologue — June 13, 2008 #
[...] Messenger recently rolled out a new feature to import contacts from various sites including both Windows Live and Google accounts which underlines their strategy of bringing more [...]
Pingback by Google Talk and Yahoo Messenger Interoperability: Is Yahoo Adding Salt to the Microsoft Wounds? — June 13, 2008 #
when i install the beta version i keep losing my archive. why is that? should i try another time and lose it again (whats left of it) has this problem been repaired? please notify. thanks!
Comment by iulian — June 13, 2008 #
I am unable to use PC to PC calls with the beta messenger version 9.0
what is the problem?
Comment by guest — June 14, 2008 #
Does anybody know when the final release/version of 9.0 wil be out
Comment by frndsfrevr — June 14, 2008 #
why am i getting a error message whenever i try to add a contact. keeeps saying try again, well that could go on forever. shes got me added to her contact list.
Comment by terry — June 14, 2008 #
I know that this is a testbut I did not know if anybody knew when the finakl version will be out; I am not going to usethe BETA because of that reason & it can mess up Ur computer
Comment by frndsfrevr — June 14, 2008 #
seems to work fine
Comment by Bo — June 14, 2008 #
great work…guys
Comment by gari — June 15, 2008 #
[...] Yahoo anunta si o imbunatatire a inviter-ului de contacte din Yahoo Messenger beta 9.0 – acum putem aduga contactele de pe Gmail, Myspace si chiar Orkut in lista de YM. – Mai multe pe blog-ul Yahoo Messenger. [...]
Pingback by Zee - Per Aspera Ad Astra » Blog Archive » Parteneriat Google - Yahoo — June 16, 2008 #
Iulian,
You should be able to access your archives by locating the original file/folder where your encrypted archives were stored.
Typically, these logs are saved on your C drive, under the Program Files folder, then the Yahoo! Or Yahoo! Messenger folder. From here, locate the profiles folder, followed by your screen name folder, and then the archive folder. Here, you should see folders with your friend’s screen names, and inside, your archives/conversations. To view these in the new Messenger, you’ll just need to drag and drop this folder into your current Messenger folder.
Let me know if you still have issues.
Best,
Melissa
Y! Messenger Community Manager
Comment by mdaniels — June 16, 2008 #
[...] servicio permitirá conectarse a los diferentes proveedores de correo o redes sociales y contactar con tus amigos para que se añadan a Yahoo! [...]
Pingback by Yahoo! Messenger mejora el importar contactos — June 16, 2008 #
It won’t let me download it?? I don’t know what to do!
Comment by Summer — June 16, 2008 #
when yahoo messenger can talk with gtalk..now it is possible.. whne in feature is coming ? pls do is fast
Comment by debajyoti — June 17, 2008 #
i seem to be having trouble importing from all the account options you have listed in the import list. they either never import or a error message comes up. saying a error has occur preventing us from importing your contacts please try back in a few hours. im using the lastest version of 9.0. please help
Comment by Brian Thomas — June 17, 2008 #
I know I know pretty about to ramble I go back often
Comment by housebusyman — June 17, 2008 #
When ever i try to contact the information from the outlook express it gives me the error like no contacts in the required mail.
But when i have tried the same with other system it works great can any tell me whats wrong over here ?
Comment by Turnkey Websites — June 26, 2008 #
[...] Import Contacts wizard: Add friends to your Yahoo! Messenger contact list from address books you have on other online services like Gmail, AOL, Hotmail, Orkut…over twenty [...]
Pingback by gaarf.info » Blog Archive » Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 released — September 23, 2008 #
Do you know how to import contacts from other Yahoo messenger account. I’ve changed my account & I want to import the contacts from my old account automatically. It takes time to do that manually. Thanks
Comment by Dyne — October 29, 2008 #
Hi Dyne,
What you’ll need to do is go to http://address.yahoo.com for the original account and EXPORT your contacts to your hard drive. Then sign in to the new account on Yahoo! Adderss Book and IMPORT that contact file to your address book. The Import/Export link can be found in the upper right corner when you’re in Address Book.
Sarah Bacon
Comment by Administrator — October 30, 2008 #
[...] Import Contacts wizard: Add friends to your Yahoo! Messenger contact list from address books you have on other online services like Gmail, AOL, Hotmail, Orkut…over twenty [...]
Pingback by Fayaballz » Yahoo Messenger 9.0 — November 8, 2008 #
[...] Import Contacts wizard: Add friends to your Yahoo! Messenger contact list from address books you have on other online services like Gmail, AOL, Hotmail, Orkut…over twenty [...]
Pingback by Fayaballz » Yahoo Messenger 9.0.0.2034 — December 2, 2008 #
I tried following the steps to import my messenger contacts from one yahoo account to another, but it will not add them to my messenger list. Any suggestions?
Comment by Will — December 3, 2008 #
Hi Will,
There are two steps in the import contacts process. One where you can immediately add friends who are already using Messenger, and a second step where you can choose to email an invitation to friends that aren’t on Messenger.
If you only send email invites, you’ll have to wait for your friends to receive the email and respond. The friends you email aren’t automatically added to your Messenger list.
Hope that helps,
Sarah Bacon
Comment by Administrator — December 3, 2008 #
Sarah,
I understand that, but what I am saying is, when I import from my address book on the new name that I’m using, it doesn’t have anyone listed in the area for users who already use messenger, which is the vast majority of my address book. That’s the problem I’m having.
Comment by Will — December 3, 2008 #
this is NOT GOOD it doesn’t import the contacts . every time i press import contacts it comes up with an error and says check back in a few hours …… so i currently have no contacts in my messenger list , i just want to put all the contacts from my address book into messenger but its not working .
Comment by abbigayle — December 17, 2008 #
this is NOT GOOD it doesn’t import the contacts . every time i press import contacts it comes up with an error and says check back in a few hours …… so i currently have no contacts in my messenger list , i just want to put all the contacts from my address book into messenger but its not working .
SAME HERE… ANY IDEA???
Comment by HELL — January 23, 2009 #
does anyone know how to import contacts from one yahoo account to another?
i just made a new yahoo account, and apparently i have to start from scratch. it’s such a tedious task to add them all again one by one.
is there any way to get my old set of contacts from my old account and transfer them to my new one, all at once?
Comment by holocausticity — January 27, 2009 #
Whenever I try to import my gmail contacts, it says temporary erro, try again after some time. But this error seems to be forever for me. Any fix yet?
Comment by Rahul Nimawat — January 29, 2009 #
Is there a way for me to export my contacts in Yahoo IM to a csv file. I would like to add them to my email contact list and sync them with my PDA.
Comment by Chris — January 30, 2009 #
Hi Chris,
Your Yahoo! Messenger contact list is also part of your Yahoo! Address Book (http://address.yahoo.com). From your Address Book, you can export your contacts in a variety of formats. Here’s a help article describing the process:
http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/mail/yahoomail/manage/manage-10.html
Sarah Bacon
Comment by Administrator — January 30, 2009 #
yahoo should fix this.
i think messenger cannot handle adding a whole list of contacts simultaneously. maybe 4 or 5 at a time, yes.
there should be a WORKING feature to easily transfer all contacts from one account to another.
Comment by bj — March 5, 2009 #
this is NOT GOOD it doesn’t import the contacts . every time i press import contacts it comes up with an error and says check back in a few hours …… so i currently have no contacts in my messenger list , i just want to put all the contacts from my address book into messenger but its not working .
I’m having the same problem. I get only two options for importing contacts Outlook & Y! Add book (I wonder why?) If I select Y! after selecting the contacts it says to check back in few hours, even though I must have tried this atleast on ten different days.
If I try Outlook,it goes on with the import process. I once left it for 3 hours like that. No result.
Comment by Prax — April 14, 2009 #
Ok using yahoo messenger 9.0.0.1912 I just tried to help a friend import their Windows Live/Hotmail contacts to yahoo messenger, saving them manually entering them one by one, now if you look at the graphic it shoiws a whole host of email sources including HotmailWindows Live. When I first started using yahoo messenger it allowed me to import friends from windows messenger via my hotmail address book, now when I or my friend (located in another country) click “import contacts” option in the contacts menu the panel that opens only shows Yahoo!7 Mail/ Address book, and Microsoft Outlook, an MS program that hasn’t worked with hotmail for quite sometime, what happened to all the other providers that we used to be able to import from, I’m using the localised Aussie version, yet my friend is in the UK, and I assume not using the Aussie one, but we botgh only get Yahoo mail and Outlook as options, unlike the illustration on this page, or I used to be able to? what’s up with that? kind of sucks manually adding 100 people manually 1 by one. What happened to the other options?????
Comment by doomed — April 16, 2009 #
umm..does anyone know how to import all your contacts from your address book online, to yahoo messenger FOR A MAC???
the comments above seem to detail how to do so for messenger 9.0 for pcs, but what about messenger 3.0 for macs??
any ideas??
Comment by avi — July 16, 2009 #
@avi,
If you use the import contacts feature on our website at http://messenger.yahoo.com/invite, whatever friends you add or invite via that process will apply to your usage of the Mac client as well. E.g. if you add a friend in the import contact tool, it will appear in your Mac contact list as well. Hope that helps,
Sarah Bacon
Comment by Administrator — July 16, 2009 #
The Import Contacts window is blank. Sugestions?
Comment by Ken — August 22, 2009 #
@Ken – Sorry you were having problems with it. It’s showing up this morning so give it another try. If you’re still having issues, let me know. http://messenger.yahoo.com/invite
Sarah Bacon
Comment by Administrator — August 24, 2009 #
I don’t like the new mail contacts list. I don’t see well as it is and am somewhat color blind. The new list is smaller and some information is in light blue or green. Can I get the old one back?
Lrry
Comment by Larry — August 27, 2009 #
I have a question concerning Add request pending, I got my friend’s add request and added him, but he can’t find my add request, and it still says “add request pending” on my list. Where can I direct him to go to find my add request? I have deleted and added him twice now, and he still isn’t getting the add request? I am thinking it may have been blocked by a pop up blocker? Can anyone help me???
Comment by Brenda — October 6, 2009 #
@Brenda – Are you adding him with the correct Yahoo! ID? Check with your friend to make sure you have the right one. Then I would recommend removing them from your list and re-adding them. When the “Are you sure you want to remove?” dialog shows up, check the box to remove them from your address book too. If you don’t want to do that, go to http://address.yahoo.com and clear out the messenger ID field for that contact.
Sarah Bacon
Comment by Administrator — October 6, 2009 #