Body
Issue
When you send emails to people, you get a bounce back or rejection message. This especially seems to occur when you start typing their name in the To field when sending a new message and then clicking the name that pops up.
Resolution
Microsoft Outlook has a feature that automatically completes email addresses as you type them into the "To" or "CC" fields. This feature doesn't rely on your contacts or address book, so it even remembers addresses you've emailed that aren't saved as contacts. However, this can be a problem if you accidentally enter an incorrect email address, as Outlook will keep suggesting it. Here's how to fix that problem and clear the autocomplete list.
How to Remove an Incorrect Autocomplete Email Address
If you notice that Outlook keeps suggesting a wrong email address, you can easily remove it:
- Start a New Message in Outlook like you're going to send someone an email.
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Start Typing the email address in the "To" or "CC" field where the incorrect suggestion appears.
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Use the Down Arrow Key on your keyboard to highlight the incorrect email address from the suggestions.
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Press the Delete Key. This will remove the incorrect address from the autocomplete list.
By following these steps, you can manually remove any wrong email address suggestions that pop up.
How to Clear the Entire Autocomplete Email Address Cache in Outlook
If you prefer to clear all the autocomplete suggestions in one go, you can do so by following these steps:
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Open Outlook. Look for the blue envelope icon with an "O" on your desktop or in your start menu, and double-click it to open.
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Go to the File Menu. In the top-left corner of the Outlook window, click on "File" to open a new menu on the left side.
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Access Options. In the menu, scroll down and click on "Options," which will open a new window.
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Navigate to the Mail Tab. In the new window, look at the list on the left side and click on "Mail."
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Find the Autocomplete Options. Scroll down the "Mail" settings until you find the section called "Send messages."
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Clear the Autocomplete List.
- Look for the button that says "Empty Auto-Complete List."
- Click on "Empty Auto-Complete List." A message will pop up asking if you're sure.
- Confirm by clicking "Yes." This will clear all autocomplete suggestions.
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Save Your Changes. Click "OK" at the bottom of the Options window to save your changes and close the window.
How to Download a New Offline Global Address List (GAL)
After clearing your autocomplete list, you might want to update your Offline Global Address List to ensure you have the latest contact information. Here’s how to do that:
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Switch to the Send/Receive Tab. At the top of the Outlook window, click on the "Send/Receive" tab.
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Find the Send/Receive Groups Button. In the Send/Receive tab, locate and click on "Send/Receive Groups."
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Choose Download Address Book.
- Click on "Download Address Book" from the dropdown menu.
- A new window will pop up.
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Select Global Address List.
- In the window that appears, select "Global Address List" under the "Information to download" section.
- Ensure the "Download changes since last Send/Receive" box is unchecked to download the full list.
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Start the Download. Click "OK" to start downloading the latest version of the Offline Address Book.
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Wait for the Download to Complete. This may take a few moments, depending on your network speed and the size of your address list.
Conclusion
By following these steps, you can remove incorrect email addresses, clear the autocomplete list, and download the latest Offline Global Address List in Outlook. This ensures that only the correct and up-to-date contact information is suggested in the future. If you encounter any issues, feel free to reach out to IT support for assistance.