How to Delete an Address From the Outlook Autocomplete List

Clear outdated and incorrect addresses from Outlook's memory

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by Heinz Tschabitscher
An independent writer who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
Updated June 24, 2019

Outlook remembers every address you enter in the To, Cc, and Bcc fields of an email message. Then, when you enter the first few letters of a name or email address, Outlook automatically suggests contacts that match. If Outlook remembers mistyped and old contacts that you don't want to appear in the autocomplete list, get rid of those entries.

Instructions in this article apply to Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007; Outlook for Office 365; Outlook for Mac; and Outlook Online.

Remove a Name or Email Address from the Outlook Autocomplete List

To delete a single contact from the autocomplete list:

  1. Create a new email message.

    Selecting new email in Outlook.

  2. In the To field, enter the name or address you want to remove. As you enter the contact information, the autocomplete list displays the available matches.

  3. Press the Down Arrow key to highlight the entry you want to delete from the list.

    Selecting to delete an email from the autocomplete list in Outlook.

  4. Select Delete (the X to the right of the contact name). Or, press the Delete key.

Delete All the Addresses From the Outlook Autocomplete List

To clear the autocomplete list of all entries in Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, and 2010:

  1. Go to the File tab.

    File menu in Outlook

  2. Select Options.

    Options button in Outlook's Account Information page

  3. In the Outlook Options dialog box, select the Mail category.

    Mail category in Outlook Options

  4. In the Send messages section, select Empty Auto-Complete List.

    Empty Auto-Completion List

  5. In the confirmation dialog box, select Yes.

    Yes button in confirmation dialog to Empty Auto-Complete list

  6. If you want to turn off the autocomplete list and prevent Outlook from suggesting recipients, clear the Use Auto-Complete List to suggest names when typing in the To, Cc, and Bcc lines check box.

    Unchecked Auto-Complete preference in Outlook

  7. Select OK to close the Outlook Options dialog box.

Stop Outlook 2007 from Suggesting Recipients

To turn off the autocomplete list in Outlook 2007:

  1. Select Tools > Options.

  2. Select E-mail options.

  3. Select Advanced E-mail Options.

  4. Clear the Suggest names while completing To, Cc, and Bcc fields check box.

  5. Click OK.

Remove an Address From the Autocomplete List in Outlook.com

Outlook.com draws its autocomplete suggestions from multiple sources. If you don't want to see an entry in the autocomplete list, delete the email address from the contact entry.

  1. Go to the View Switcher and select People.

    People icon in Outlook on the web

  2. Select the contact that contains the email address that you want to delete from the autocomplete list.

    To find a contact quickly, go to the Search box and enter the email address you want to remove from the autocomplete list.

  3. Select Edit.

    Edit button in contact record in Outlook on the web

  4. Delete the outdated or unwanted address.

    Address to delete in Edit contact screen

  5. Select Save.

    Save button in Edit contact pane in Outlook on the web

  6. The contact no longer appears in the Outlook.com autocomplete list.