How to Delete an Address from the Outlook Autocomplete List

You can remove unwanted addresses from the email autocomplete list that appears when you start typing recipients in Outlook.

Outlook Completes an Address That is Old or Mistyped?

Outlook remembers every address you have typed in a To:, Cc: or Bcc: field. This is good: when you start keying in a name or address, Outlook automatically suggest the contact in its entirety.

Unfortunately, Outlook remembers the mistyped and old as well as the correct and current—and suggest it indiscriminately.

Fortunately, getting rid of entries you no longer want to appear in the Outlook autocomplete list is easy.

Delete an Address from the Outlook Autocomplete List

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 desired (undesired) entry.
4. Press Del.​
   
   Tip: ​You can also hover the mouse cursor over the entry you want to remove and click the x (╳) that appears to its right.

Can I Edit the Outlook Autocomplete List?

For more control over Outlook's email address autocomplete file, try a tool like Ingressor.
Note: this only works with the autocomplete list maintained by Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007.

Can I Delete All Addresses from the Outlook Autocomplete List at Once?

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

1. Select File in Outlook.

1. Now choose Options.
2. Open the Mail category.
3. Click Empty Auto-Complete List under Send messages.
4. Now click Yes.

How to Prevent Outlook Address Autocompletion Altogether (Outlook 2016)

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

1. Click File in Outlook.
2. Select Options.
3. Go to the Mail category.

1. Make sure Use Auto-Complete List to suggest names when typing in the To, Cc, and Bcc lines is not checked under Send messages.

How to Prevent Outlook Address Autocompletion Altogether (Outlook 2007)

You can also stop Outlook from suggesting email addresses as you type:

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

Delete an Address from the Autocomplete List in Outlook Mail on the Web

Outlook Mail on the web will draw its autocomplete suggestions from multiple sources; depending on the source, different steps are needed to remove the entry.

For people in your Outlook Mail on the web People list, it is best to remove the address from the contact:

1. Open People.
2. Enter the email address you want to remove over Search People.
3. Select the contact that contains the address.
4. Now 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 in Outlook Mail on the Web.
2. Start typing the address you want to remove in the To field.

1. Move the mouse cursor over the unwanted autocomplete entry.
2. Click the black x (x) that appears to its right.

You can discard the message.

Delete an Address from the Autocomplete List in Outlook for Mac

To delete an email address from the autocomplete list that appears when you start typing in an address field in Outlook for Mac:

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.
   
   ​Press Command-N, for example, while in Outlook for Mac Mail.
2. Start typing the email address or name you want to remove from automatic completion.

1. Click the x (⨂) next to the entry you want to delete.
   
   Tip: You can also use the arrow keys to highlight the autocomplete entry you want to remove and press Del.
   Note: Addresses for people that appear in Outlook People will not show the x (⨂).

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

1. Go to People in Outlook for Mac.
   
   ​Press Command-3, for example.
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. Now double-click the contact for whom you want to edit or remove an email address.
   
   Tip: You can also just double-click the contact right in People, of course, or use the Search This Folder field.
7. To edit a misspelled address:
   
   1. Click the email address that needs to be changed.
   2. Make the necessary changes.
   3. Hit Enter.
8. To remove an obsolete email address:
   
   1. Hover with the mouse cursor over the address you want to remove.
   2. Click the circled Delete this e-mail or Web address minus sign (⊖) that appears in its front.
9. Click Save & Close.

Can I Delete an Address from the Autocomplete List in Outlook for iOS and Android?

No, there is currently 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, of course, to have these autocompletions disappear at least.

(Outlook auto-complete list tested with Outlook 2003, 2007 and Outlook 2016, Outlook for iOS 2 as well as Outlook for Mac 2016)