5 Ways to Fix Outlook Contact List Not Showing Up on Windows

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Fix 1: Enable the Auto-Complete Feature in Outlook Options

The most common reason Outlook may not suggest contactswhile composing a messageis if the Auto-Complete feature is disabled. Hence, this is the first thing you should check.

Step 1:Open the Outlook app and click theFilemenu in the top left corner.

Step 2:SelectOptionsfrom the left sidebar.

Step 3:In the Outlook Options window that opens, switch to theMailtab.

Step 4:Scroll down to the Send messages section and tick the box that readsUse Auto-Complete List to suggest names when typing in the To, Cc, and Bcc lines.

Step 5:ClickOKto save the changes.

Fix 2: Configure the Contacts Folder to Appear in Outlook Address Book

Outlook lets you create contact folders to organize your contacts into different groups. If Outlook isn’t displaying contacts from one of these folders, it may not be set up to appear in your address book. Here’s how you can change that.

Step 1:In the Outlook app, expandContactsfrom the left pane.

Step 2:Right-click on the problematic contact folder and selectProperties.

Step 3:In the Properties window, switch to theOutlook Address Booktab and tick theShow this folder as an email Address Bookoption.

Step 4:HitApply, followed byOK, to save changes.

Fix 3: Use Outlook in Safe Mode

Using third-party add-ins is an excellent way to extend Outlook’s functionality. However, these add-ins can sometimes conflict with the Outlook app and prevent it from working correctly. To see if this is the case, you can launch Outlook in safe mode.

Press theWindows key + Rto open the Run dialog. Type inoutlook.exe/safeand pressEnter. If Outlook displays your contacts in safe mode, the add-in causing the problem was disabled. To find it, you need to disable all your add-ins and re-enable them one by one.

Step 1:Open the Outlook app in normal mode and go toFile > Options.

Step 2:In the Outlook Options window, navigate to theAdd-instab. Use the drop-down menu next to Manage and selectCOM Add-ins. Then click on theGobutton next to it.

Step 3:Uncheck the boxes to disable add-ins and clickOK.

Enable all your add-ins one at a time until the issue occurs again. Once you find the problematic add-in, consider updating or removing it to resolve the issue for good.

Fix 4: Clear Outlook Cache

The more you use Outlook, the more cache data it accumulates. While that’s a good thing, Outlook cache data can also cause problems once it becomes old or corrupted. You can try clearing the Outlook cache to see if that restores its ability to display contacts.

Step 1:Press theWindows key + Rto open the Run dialog box. Type the following path in the Open field and pressEnter.

Step 2:In the File Explorer window that opens, select all files and click thetrash iconat the top to delete them.

Fix 5: Run the Office Repair Tool to Fix Outlook

Microsoft provides a handy repair tool for the Office suite. It can automatically resolve issues with all your Office apps, including Outlook. You can run this tool to fix any issues that may have been preventing Outlook from showing contacts on Windows.

Step 1:Right-click on theStart iconand selectInstalled appsfrom the list.

Step 2:Scroll down to locate the Microsoft Office product on the list. Click thethree-dot menuicon next to it and selectModify.

Step 3:SelectOnline Repairand clickRepair.

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Last updated on 10 July, 2024

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