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Why did the auto populate feature stop working in outlook.com when I start typing a name?

Christina 0 Reputation points
2026-02-08T17:01:09.2666667+00:00

I clicked "new mail" in the upper left corner of outlook.com. When I started to type the person's name, nothing comes up. I tried typing many different names in my contacts from A to Z and nothing came up. This auto populate feature simply stopped working for no reason.

I tried all the suggestions that Francisco and Chloe offered and NOTHING worked.

I need this fixed ASAP and this ridiculous merry go round of not being able to find an actual person to fix this issue is frustrating and unnecessary. Microsoft bills my account annually but when there is a problem, there is not a human being to address it. I NEED HELP. So does every other person who tried Francisco's and Chloe's suggestions with no resolution.

Thank you,

Christina

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Contacts
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  1. Kal-D 4,710 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-02-09T17:24:14.3466667+00:00

    Hi Christina,

    Welcome to Microsoft Q&A.

    In Outlook.com, typing in the To/Cc/Bcc box doesn’t always search your Contacts “live.” It relies heavily on a Suggested recipients / auto-complete cache built from people you’ve emailed and saved suggestions. If that cache gets cleared, corrupted, or blocked by browser site data/extensions, you can type A–Z and still see nothing, even though your contacts are safe in the People tab.

    For reference: Manage suggested recipients in the To, Cc, and Bcc fields in Outlook

    Fix 1: Force-reset Suggested Recipients

    Because the standard steps didn’t help, try a full reset + toggle. Menu wording varies by rollout, so use whichever path you see:

    Path A (common in current Outlook.com rollouts):

    1. Outlook.com > Settings (gear) >General > Privacy and data
    2. Under Suggested people, select Clear data
    3. Toggle “Suggested people” OFF, wait ~10 seconds, then toggle it ON again
    4. Sign out of Outlook.com, close the browser tab, reopen, sign back in, and test.

    Path B (some layouts show it here instead):

    1. Outlook.com > Settings (gear) > Mail > Compose and reply
    2. Look for Suggested recipients / autocomplete and clear/reset options (if shown), then sign out/in and test.

    Note: The OFF/ON toggle isn’t an “officially guaranteed” step, but it’s a practical way to force Outlook.com to rebuild the suggestions connection when clearing alone doesn’t stick.

    Fix 2: Quick workaround to send mail right now

    If suggestions still don’t appear while typing:

    • In the compose window, click the word “To” (it’s clickable)
    • Use Add recipients / People picker to search and select your contact(s)

    This picker is the reliable fallback when a name doesn’t show in suggestions.

    Fix 3: Rule out browser/site-data issues (fast test)

    Try Outlook.com in an InPrivate/Incognito window

    Or test a different browser (Edge/Chrome/Firefox)

    Temporarily disable ad-block/privacy extensions for Outlook.com. If it works in Incognito then it should be site data or an extension.

    Please let me know if this proves useful to you, or if you would like assistance in navigating Microsoft's support channel.

    I'm looking forward to your answer.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment”.   

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