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

Quick Tips

• Ensure the auto-complete feature is enabled in Outlook and that you’ve configured contacts to appear in the address book.
• If the contact list appears when you run Outlook in safe mode, one of your add-ins may be causing the problem.
• Consider clearing the Outlook cache or running the Office repair tool if the issue remains.

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

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

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

Step 2: Select Options from the left sidebar.

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

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

Step 5: Click OK to 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, expand Contacts from the left pane.

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

Step 3: In the Properties window, switch to the Outlook Address Book tab and tick the Show this folder as an email Address Book option.

Step 4: Hit Apply, followed by OK, 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 the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog. Type in outlook.exe/safe and press Enter. 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 to File > Options.

Step 2: In the Outlook Options window, navigate to the Add-ins tab. Use the drop-down menu next to Manage and select COM Add-ins. Then click on the Go button next to it.

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

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 the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type the following path in the Open field and press Enter.

%localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook\RoamCache

Step 2: In the File Explorer window that opens, select all files and click the trash icon at 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 the Start icon and select Installed apps from the list.

Step 2: Scroll down to locate the Microsoft Office product on the list. Click the three-dot menu icon next to it and select Modify.

Step 3: Select Online Repair and click Repair.