In Outlook, as you start typing a name in the To box, a drop down list may appear, showing names of people to whom you’ve previously sent an email.
Here’s how you can remove old addresses from Outlook drop down list, in Outlook for Windows or Outlook.com.
Old Email Addresses
Sometimes those names are out of date, and the list includes old email addresses.
In my Outlook drop down lists there are multiple entries for some people – a current address and one or more older addresses.
When sending email to those people, I waste time trying to remember which address is the correct one.
I’d like to get rid of the old items in the list, so the correct addresses are the only ones left.
Remove the Old Addresses — Outlook for Windows
If you’re using Outlook for Windows (not Outlook.com), follow these steps to remove one of the suggested email addresses from the list.
- Create a new email message
- Start typing a name in the To box
- When the drop down list appears, click the down arrow (or up arrow) key on your keyboard, to move to the name that you want to delete.
- On the keyboard, click the Delete key.
Now when you start typing the name, the deleted names don’t appear.
Manage Suggested Addresses — Outlook.com
If you’re using Outlook.com, the above suggestion will not work — you can’t remove individual address in Outlook.com.
However, you can follow these steps to manage the suggested email address list.
With this technique, only names from your contact list appear, instead of everyone you’ve ever communicated with in Outlook.com.
- In Outlook.com, click the Settings icon (a gear wheel), at the top right of the screen.
- In the drop down list, click Options
- In the Customizing Outlook.com section, click Advanced privacy settings.
- In the Auto-complete suggestions section, select “Only suggest people in my contact list” .
- Click Save, then click the Outlook.com link, at the top left of the screen, to return to the main page.
Now when you start typing the name, only the names from your contact list appear.
_________________
I have tried the various suggestions listed and none of them will DELETE the unwanted old addresses……Can you help ?
Stan.
Same here Stan and you fellow frustrated folks. Can’t delete the old and unwanted email addresses from the drop down menu. Call me a paranoid conspiracy nut but I think Microsoft makes it so difficult to delete these addresses because the information is retained as some form of “association file”. I mean, c’mon, these smart programmers and developers surely knew that somebody would want to delete their useless addresses at some point. It’s like an architect forgetting to include a toilet!
Anyway, I’m on the list of those who want instructions to delete.
I tried the suggested method with Microsoft Outlook and it worked:
I typed the first two letters of the customer’s name (which is highlighted in blue), showing his new email address. The name with the old address is immediately below.
I put the cursor on the un-highlighted name, held it there and pressed delete . . . and PRESTO, the unwanted name has gone.
If you’re using Outlook.com, the above suggestion will not work — you can’t remove individual address in Outlook.com.
However, you can follow these steps to manage the suggested email address list, so only names from your contact list appear, instead of everyone you’ve ever communicated with in Outlook.com.
In Outlook.com, click the Settings icon (a gear wheel), at the top right of the screen.
In the drop down list, click Options
In the Customizing Outlook.com section, click Advanced privacy settings.
In the Auto-complete suggestions section, select “Only suggest people in my contact list” .
Click Save, then click the Outlook.com link, at the top left of the screen, to return to the main page.
Now when you start typing the name, only the names from your contact list appear.
_________________
this was the ONLY thing that worked for me !!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
People, I have had stand-alone Outlook 2010 for a few years and it’s recently become even worse than what has been said so far. Deleting an address from the drop-down list does not help, it goes and immediately returns. But worse than that, it won’t accept the new address either from the address book or from actual emails in and out! My daughter got married and it won’t stop using her old surname, and a client closed his business and it refuses to learn his new private address at all! HHHEEELLLPPP!!!
For Mac users. This does not work for Outlook for Mac. Here is how to do it on a Mac.
Make sure that the correct address (and only the correct address) is listed in your Contacts/Address book. Open Outlook. Go to “Preferences.” Go to “Contacts.” Go to “E-mail address verification” and check “Check addresses of recipients before sending…” Now, the drop down pick menu will have an X to the right of addresses that are not in your contacts for that name, as well as beside listings that are not in your contacts at all. If you click on the X, that suggestion will no longer appear in the drop down.