Contacts missing from Microsoft Outlook address book
Solved Email & Outlook
RK
Rachel Kim
June 6, 2019
2 replies
7,680 views
Reviewed by moderators

My Contacts folder shows all 600 contacts but hitting To in a new email opens an empty address book, or sometimes shows an old list. How are these two things even different?

Accepted Answer
Verified by David Taylor, Community Expert ยท Reviewed June 2019

The Contacts folder and the Address Book are separate layers. The Address Book only shows contact folders registered with it.

1
Right click your Contacts folder, Properties, Outlook Address Book tab, tick Show this folder as an e-mail Address Book.
2
Empty dropdown in the To dialog: the Outlook Address Book service is missing. Account Settings, Address Books tab, add it, restart Outlook, then do step 1.
3
Wrong list showing: in the address book window just switch the dropdown to your Contacts folder and set it as default under Tools, Options there.

The show-as-address-book box was unticked after a profile rebuild. All 600 visible again. Solved.