interface or software for comparing duplicate contacts

In Outlook, the duplicate detection feature is designed to alert you when you attempt to create a new contact that may already exist. However, this feature typically only activates during the creation or update of records, and it does not provide a way to invoke the comparison screen manually outside of these scenarios.

For cleaning up duplicate contacts, you may consider using third-party software that specializes in contact management and duplicate detection. Several tools are available that can help you compare and merge duplicate contacts more effectively than the built-in Outlook features. Look for software that offers side-by-side comparison capabilities to help you manage your contacts more efficiently.

References:

• Track Outlook contacts in Dynamics 365 for Outlook
• Merge duplicate rows

Hi @Reid-7439, 

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.   

Thank you for reaching out to us. I truly appreciate your feedback and the details you provided regarding your experience with managing duplicate contacts in Outlook.  Based on your description, I’d like to provide the following information to address your question:   

Currently, Outlook does not offer a manual “compare/merge contacts” button directly within the interface. The side-by-side comparison screen you mentioned typically appears only when you attempt to add a new contact that already exists, allowing you to review and merge details at that moment. Unfortunately, there is no built-in feature to manually invoke this comparison for existing contacts.  For users with multiple duplicate contacts, the recommended approach is to manually merge each duplicate one by one. Alternatively, you can use the export/import method with duplicate checking enabled, which helps identify and consolidate duplicates during the process.   

If you are interested in third-party solutions, there are several contact management tools available that offer advanced comparison and merging features. These tools typically scan your contact list for duplicates and provide a merge interface that displays two or more contacts side by side, allowing you to compare fields and choose which information to keep: 

• Scrubly Removes Duplicate Contacts from Gmail, Outlook, and More | Lifehacker 
• 5 Duplicate Contacts Removers for Contacts Stored Anywhere 
• Remove or Merge Duplicates. Merge Outlook Contacts and Calendar items. 

Note: Microsoft is providing the above information as a convenience to you. Some of the websites are not under Microsoft's control. Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there. Please make sure that you completely understand the risk before retrieving any suggestions from the above link    

As a forum moderator, I hope you understand that I don’t have the ability to modify or escalate product issues directly. However, I strongly recommend submitting your feedback through the Outlook · Community portal. This is the most effective way to ensure your voice reaches the product team and can be considered for future improvements.  

Once you've submitted your feedback, feel free to share the link here in the comments. I’ll be happy to upvote it to help bring more visibility. 

Additionally, since many other users have expressed similar concerns but may not know where to submit feedback, if my response has helped you better understand the situation and guided you toward a possible next step, please mark it as the “Accepted Answer.” Your action will help pin this post to the top, making it easier for others in the community who are experiencing the same issue to find your feedback and support it.  

Thank you again for your time and for raising this important usability concern. 

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