Unable to remove "From" field from outgoing e-mails in Outlook Classic

Thanks for your reply @Kal-D !

Here are answers to your suggestions:

1. Test Safe Mode (to check if an add-in is involved)- Close Outlook.

• Press Win + R, type outlook.exe /safe, and press Enter.
• Create a new email and check if the From field stays hidden.

If it stays hidden in Safe Mode, an add-in is likely involved.

 ***It did stay hidden.***

To disable add-ins:

• Go to File > Options > Add-ins.
• At the bottom, next to Manage, select COM Add-ins > Go.
• Uncheck any Adobe/Acrobat or non-Microsoft add-ins.
• Restart Outlook and test. I disabled all Add-ins.

2. Check for extra sending identities

Even with a single profile, Outlook may still detect more than one possible sending identity (for example: an added account, a shared mailbox, an alias, or Send As/Send on behalf permissions).

After 24 hours or more of syncing, these identities may load and trigger the From field to reappear.

To check:

• Go to File > Account Settings > Email tab.
• Check how many accounts are listed.
• If you see a shared mailbox or have Send As/Send on behalf permissions, those may be causing the From field to stay visible. There was no additional accounts listed. No shared mailboxes and no other permission for any accounts.

3. Reset ribbon customizations

• Go to File > Options > Customize Ribbon.
• Click Reset > Reset all customizations. All customizations reset.

(Note: This will remove any custom ribbon or Quick Access Toolbar changes you've made.)

Quick questions to help narrow this down:

1. Is this a personal account (Outlook.com/Hotmail/Live) or a work/school account?

Personal

1. When you test Safe Mode, does the issue stop? (Yes/No)

No

1. In Account Settings > Email tab, how many accounts are listed?

Only the one with my e-mail.

1. Do you have any shared mailboxes or Send As/Send on behalf permissions? No. 1. Test Safe Mode (to check if an add-in is involved) All Add-ins disabled.
   • Close Outlook.
   • Press Win + R, type outlook.exe /safe, and press Enter.
     • Create a new email and check if the From field stays hidden. Field stays hidden.
   If it stays hidden in Safe Mode, an add-in is likely involved. To disable add-ins:
   • Go to File > Options > Add-ins.
   • At the bottom, next to Manage, select COM Add-ins > Go.
     • Uncheck any Adobe/Acrobat or non-Microsoft add-ins.

       - Restart Outlook and test.
       

   2. Check for extra sending identities Even with a single profile, Outlook may still detect more than one possible sending identity (for example: an added account, a shared mailbox, an alias, or Send As/Send on behalf permissions). After 24 hours or more of syncing, these identities may load and trigger the From field to reappear. To check:
   • Go to File > Account Settings > Email tab.
   • Check how many accounts are listed.
     • If you see a shared mailbox or have Send As/Send on behalf permissions, those may be causing the From field to stay visible.
   3. Reset ribbon customizations
   • Go to File > Options > Customize Ribbon.
     • Click Reset > Reset all customizations.
   (Note: This will remove any custom ribbon or Quick Access Toolbar changes you've made.) Quick questions to help narrow this down:
   1. Is this a personal account (Outlook.com/Hotmail/Live) or a work/school account? Personal
   2. When you test Safe Mode, does the issue stop? (Yes/No) No.
   3. In Account Settings > Email tab, how many accounts are listed? Just one, my e-mail one.
   4. Do you have any shared mailboxes or Send As/Send on behalf permissions? No

One thing that I did noticed is that when I want to create an e-mail and click on the From drop down, there are 2 accounts :

But when I check for extra sending identities, I only see my main one:

What could be causing that?

Hi Osvaldo E Ibarra,

Thanks for the update and for sharing the screenshots.

What stands out from the new information

Even though Account Settings shows only one Outlook.com account, the From ▼ drop‑down shows two sender addresses. In Classic Outlook, when there’s more than one possible sender address (most commonly an Outlook.com alias), Outlook may keep the From field available and it can reappear later once the account finishes syncing or rebuilding its identity state.

That aligns with what you’re seeing: it works after a reinstall, then the extra address returns later.

What to check next

1) Review your Microsoft account aliases

Sign in to your Microsoft account and go to Account aliases. If that second address is listed there, it’s an alias tied to the same mailbox. You can either remove it (if you no longer need it) or set your preferred address as the primary alias.

2) Confirm the default “From” address

For Outlook.com accounts, Microsoft controls the default sender based on the primary alias. Updating the primary alias is how the default From address is defined.

3) About Safe Mode / add‑ins (sanity check)

You already tested this correctly. Safe Mode disables add‑ins, and add‑ins can be turned off in Outlook but since the extra address appears directly in the From list, aliases are the most likely factor here rather than an add‑in.

One thing to confirm

In the From ▼ list, is that second address also shown as an alias on your Microsoft account?

• If it is listed > that’s very likely the source of the behavior; removing it or changing the primary alias usually stabilizes the From field.
• If it’s not listed > let me know what the second entry looks like (you can mask the left side and keep just the domain), and we can focus next on Outlook’s remembered sender / From‑address cache.

Happy to take a closer look once you confirm that part.

I'm looking forward to your answer.

Hi Osvaldo E Ibarra,

I am writing to see how things are going with this issue.

If there’s anything else I can assist you with or if you need further clarification, please don’t hesitate to let me know, I’m here to help.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Hello @Kal-D !
Sorry for the late response, as I was out of town.
Before your comment on March 5th, I decided to do a clean install of all the MS suite. And again, it was good and normal for a few days, then I saw what you noticed: Account Settings shows only one Outlook.com account and the From ▼ drop‑down shows two sender addresses.
1) Review your Microsoft account aliases. Went and assure that there were no other aliases (there were not any on the list. Just my primary one and my cell number.

2) Confirm the default “From” address. I did confirm that my Outlook e-mail is the Primary. In Outlook.com, under Forwarding and IMAP, under Email Aliases, assuring that: 1. The desired account was the Primary one, and 2. That there was no other one in the drop down. And, that in Manage how you sign in to your account, that there are only one Account Username as the primary one.

For your question:
the From ▼ list, is that second address also shown as an alias on your Microsoft account? No. I checked as stated above in point 2.

Even checked the Sign-in Preference and confirmed the other alias was not present.

The one in green is the Primary and Preferred one, the one in red the one that was once used but no longer needed and confirmed not in Outlook.com and Microsoft Account Settings.

So, I guess that we will address the address cache item.

Regards,

Ozzy

Hi Osvaldo E Ibarra,

Thanks for the update and for sharing the screenshots.

Since the “extra” address isn’t an alias on the Microsoft account, the most common explanation is that Outlook is pulling it from a local cache (AutoComplete / recent sender history). This cache can repopulate after a bit of normal sending and receiving, so the timing you noticed over a couple of days is consistent with how Outlook behaves.

Steps to try next

1) Clear Outlook’s AutoComplete cache

This is usually the quickest way to remove an old or incorrect address.

Option A – Using the Outlook UI

1. Go to File > Options > Mail > Under Send messages, select Empty Auto‑Complete List
2. Restart Outlook and test

Option B – Using a Run command

1. Close Outlook
2. Press Win + R > Run: Outlook.exe /CleanAutoCompleteCache
3. Open Outlook and test

Expected result: Once the cache is cleared and rebuilt, the old address should no longer appear in the From ▼ list.

Note: This clears all saved AutoComplete suggestions. You’ll temporarily lose the “type‑a‑few‑letters” address hints until Outlook rebuilds them as you send new emails.

For reference: The Outlook AutoComplete list

2) Make sure the old address isn’t being re‑learned

After clearing the cache:

• Avoid selecting the old entry if it appears anywhere
• Send a few test emails
• Monitor behavior over the next day or two

3) If it still returns, check People / Contacts

In some cases, an old address is stored as a contact or suggested contact.

• Search People / Contacts in Outlook for the old address (or part of it)
• If found and no longer needed, update or remove that entry

Quick questions (only if it keeps coming back)

1. Does the old address also appear as a suggestion when typing in To or Cc?
2. Is that address listed anywhere under People / Contacts?

Please let me know if this proves useful to you, or if you would like further assistance.

I'm looking forward to your answer.