How to Delete an Address From the Outlook Autocomplete List

Outlook remembers every address you type in a To, Cc, or Bcc field. This saves time: When you start keying in a name or address, Outlook automatically suggests the contact in its entirety.

Unfortunately, Outlook remembers mistyped and old contacts as well as correct and current ones, and suggests them indiscriminately. Fortunately, getting rid of entries you no longer want to appear in the Outlook autocomplete list is easy.

To remove a name or email address from Outlook's autocomplete list:

1. Create a new email message in Outlook.
2. Start typing the name or address you want to remove.
3. Use the down arrow key to highlight the undesired entry.
4. Press Del.​

For more control over Outlook's email address autocomplete file, try a tool like Ingressor if you use Outlook 2003 or 2007.

To clear your Outlook autocomplete list of all entries with one click:

1. Select File in Outlook.
2. Choose Options.
3. Open the Mail category.
4. Click Send messages > Empty Auto-Complete List.
5. Click Yes.

To stop Outlook from suggesting recipients when you type in an email address field in Outlook 2016:

1. Click File > Options.
2. Go to the Mail category.
3. Make sure Use Auto-Complete List to suggest names when typing in the To, Cc, and Bcc lines is not checked under Send messages.

To stop Outlook from suggesting recipients when you type in an email address field in Outlook 2007:

1. Select Tools > Options.
2. Go to the Preferences tab.
3. Click E-mail Options > Advanced E-mail Options.
4. Make sure Suggest names while completing To, Cc, and Bcc fields is not checked.
5. Click OK.
6. Click OK again.
7. Click OK once more.

Outlook.com draws its autocomplete suggestions from multiple sources. The steps needed to remove the entry depend on its source.

For entries in your People list, it is best to remove the address from the contact entry:

1. Open People.
2. Enter the email address you want to remove over Search People.
3. Select the contact that contains the address.
4. Select Edit in the top toolbar.
5. Highlight and delete the outdated or unwanted address.
6. Click Save.

For addresses drawn from emails you have received or sent:

1. Start a new email.
2. Start typing the address you want to remove in the To field.
3. Move the mouse cursor over the unwanted autocomplete entry.
4. Click the black x that appears to its right.

To delete an email address from the autocomplete list that appears when you start typing in an address field in Outlook for Mac, follow the appropriate series of steps below.

For addresses that appear only in the autocomplete list (and not in your Outlook for Mac address book):

1. Start with a new message in Outlook for Mac. (Shortcut: Press Command-N.)
2. Start typing the email address or name you want to remove from automatic completion.
3. Click the x next to the entry you want to delete. You can also use the arrow keys to highlight the autocomplete entry you want to remove and press Del. Addresses for people that appear in Outlook People do not show the x.

​For addresses that are taken from your Outlook address book (People):

1. Go to People. (Shortcut: ​Press Command-3.)
2. Make sure the Home ribbon is active.
3. Click the Find a Contact field.
4. Type the desired email address or name.
5. Hit Enter.
6. Double-click the contact for whom you want to edit or remove an email address. (You can also just double-click the contact right in People or use the Search This Folder field.)
7. To edit a misspelled address, click the email address that needs to be changed, make the necessary changes, and hit Enter.
8. To remove an obsolete email address, hover over the address you want to remove and click the circled Delete this e-mail or Web address minus sign that appears in front of it.
9. Click Save & Close.

As of late 2018, there is no way to remove addresses from the autocomplete list that appears when you type in an address field using Outlook for iOS and Android. You can delete or edit contacts to have these autocompletions disappear.