How to Update Contact Folders with Microsoft Graph API

Learn how to use the Microsoft Graph API to update contact folders in Outlook, and how to troubleshoot common errors and issues.

Microsoft Graph API is a powerful tool that allows you to access and manipulate data across Microsoft 365 services, such as Outlook, OneDrive, Teams, and more. One of the scenarios that you can use the Microsoft Graph API for is to update contact folders in Outlook, which are containers for organizing your contacts. In this article, we will show you how to use the Microsoft Graph API to update contact folders in Outlook, and how to troubleshoot common errors and issues that you may encounter.

Table of Contents

What is a Contact Folder in Outlook?
How to Use Microsoft Graph API to Update Contact Folders in Outlook?
How to Troubleshoot Common Errors and Issues when Updating Contact Folders with Microsoft Graph API?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Summary

What is a Contact Folder in Outlook?

A contact folder in Outlook is a folder that contains contacts, which are records of information about people or organizations that you communicate with. You can create, edit, delete, and move contacts within contact folders, and you can also create subfolders to further organize your contacts. By default, Outlook has a contact folder called Contacts, which is the primary folder for storing your contacts. You can also create additional contact folders for different purposes, such as personal, work, or family contacts.

How to Use Microsoft Graph API to Update Contact Folders in Outlook?

To use the Microsoft Graph API to update contact folders in Outlook, you need to use the following HTTP request:

PATCH /me/contactFolders/{id}

PATCH /users/{id | userPrincipalName}/contactFolders/{id}

where {id} is the unique identifier of the contact folder that you want to update, and {userPrincipalName} is the email address of the user that owns the contact folder. You can also use the following aliases for the {id} parameter:

/delta: to get a list of changes to the contact folders since the last request.
/root: to get the root contact folder of the user.

In the request body, you need to supply the values for the properties that you want to update. The properties that you can update for a contact folder are:

displayName: The name of the contact folder.
parentFolderId: The ID of the parent folder of the contact folder.
wellKnownName: The name of the well-known contact folder, such as Contacts, Favorites, or RecipientCache.

For example, if you want to change the name of a contact folder to “Family”, you can use the following request:

PATCH /me/contactFolders/{id} Content-type: application/json

{ “displayName”: “Family” }

If you want to move a contact folder to another parent folder, you can use the following request:

PATCH /me/contactFolders/{id} Content-type: application/json

{ “parentFolderId”: “{new-parent-id}” }

If you want to update a well-known contact folder, such as the Contacts folder, you can use the following request:

PATCH /me/contactFolders/root Content-type: application/json

{ “displayName”: “My Contacts” }

How to Troubleshoot Common Errors and Issues when Updating Contact Folders with Microsoft Graph API?

When you use the Microsoft Graph API to update contact folders in Outlook, you may encounter some common errors and issues, such as:

Invalid ID: This error occurs when you use an invalid or non-existent ID for the contact folder or the parent folder. To fix this error, make sure that you use the correct ID for the contact folder or the parent folder, and that the contact folder or the parent folder exists.
Access denied: This error occurs when you do not have the required permissions to update the contact folder. To fix this error, make sure that you have the appropriate permissions to update the contact folder, such as Contacts.ReadWrite or Contacts.ReadWrite.All.
Conflict: This error occurs when you try to update a contact folder that has been modified by another process or user. To fix this error, you can use the if-match header to specify the eTag or cTag of the contact folder that you want to update, and the request will only succeed if the eTag or cTag matches the current value of the contact folder.
Not supported: This error occurs when you try to update a property that is not supported for the contact folder. To fix this error, make sure that you only update the properties that are supported for the contact folder, such as displayName, parentFolderId, or wellKnownName.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Question: How can I get the ID of a contact folder in Outlook?

Answer: You can use the Microsoft Graph API to get the ID of a contact folder in Outlook, by using the following HTTP request:

GET /me/contactFolders/{id}

GET /users/{id | userPrincipalName}/contactFolders/{id}

where {id} is the unique identifier of the contact folder that you want to get, and {userPrincipalName} is the email address of the user that owns the contact folder. You can also use the following aliases for the {id} parameter:

/delta: to get a list of changes to the contact folders since the last request.
/root: to get the root contact folder of the user.

The response will contain the ID of the contact folder in the id property, as well as other properties of the contact folder, such as displayName, parentFolderId, or wellKnownName.

Question: How can I create a new contact folder in Outlook?

Answer: You can use the Microsoft Graph API to create a new contact folder in Outlook, by using the following HTTP request:

POST /me/contactFolders

POST /users/{id | userPrincipalName}/contactFolders

where {userPrincipalName} is the email address of the user that owns the contact folder. In the request body, you need to supply the values for the properties that you want to set for the new contact folder. The properties that you can set for a new contact folder are:

displayName: The name of the contact folder. This property is required.
parentFolderId: The ID of the parent folder of the contact folder. If this property is not specified, the new contact folder will be created under the root contact folder of the user.

For example, if you want to create a new contact folder called “Friends” under the root contact folder of the user, you can use the following request:

POST /me/contactFolders Content-type: application/json

{ “displayName”: “Friends” }

Question: How can I delete a contact folder in Outlook?

Answer: You can use the Microsoft Graph API to delete a contact folder in Outlook, by using the following HTTP request:

DELETE /me/contactFolders/{id}

DELETE /users/{id | userPrincipalName}/contactFolders/{id}

where {id} is the unique identifier of the contact folder that you want to delete, and {userPrincipalName} is the email address of the user that owns the contact folder. You can also use the following aliases for the {id} parameter:

/delta: to get a list of changes to the contact folders since the last request.
/root: to get the root contact folder of the user.

Note that deleting a contact folder will also delete all the contacts and subfolders within that contact folder.

Summary

In this article, we have shown you how to use the Microsoft Graph API to update contact folders in Outlook, and how to troubleshoot common errors and issues that you may encounter. We hope that this article has helped you to learn how to use the Microsoft Graph API to manage your contact folders in Outlook, and improve your productivity and efficiency. If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment below.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. The author and the website are not liable for any damages or losses that may result from following the instructions or using the tools mentioned in this article. Always back up your data and test your code before making any changes to your system, and use caution when using the Microsoft Graph API.