Resolved – How to Fix Contacts Disappeared from Outlook?
The “Contacts disappears from Outlook” problem might cause problems when sending emails since users may not be able to locate their clients’ or colleagues’ email addresses in Outlook. Synchronizing problems or damage to the mail items in your local OST file are typically the culprits. You will discover causes and fixes for the issue in this guide. You can retrieve contacts from the local OST file using CubexSoft OST Converter if the solutions don’t work.
Although Microsoft Outlook is a widely used email and calendaring application, it is also susceptible to faults and errors that could develop as a result of issues with the system, program, or data file (OST). One of these errors is “Contacts disappear from Outlook client” or “Outlook contacts not available in address book”. This problem can stop users from sending emails to clients, customers, and coworkers because they cannot locate their email addresses. Due to the possibility of losing crucial contacts, this can also be frustrating.
Issue with Contacts Disappearing from Outlook
There may be a number of causes or factors contributing to the “Contacts disappear or missing from Outlook” problem. These consist of:
- Incorrect setting of the address book
- Inactive mode
- Deleted data inadvertently
- Issues with synchronisation
- Incorrect Windows updates
- Unreliable or oversized Outlook OST data file
- Ineffective Outlook
Methods to Fix Contacts Disappear from Outlook Problem
To fix the “Contacts disappear or missing from Outlook” problem, implement the methods listed below in the order they are mentioned.
#1. Activate auto-suggest
Many users of Outlook make the false assumption that their contacts are no longer there or have vanished when Outlook stops presenting the email addresses or names of persons in your Outlook contact list. But that is not the case. To start seeing your contacts while writing or reacting to emails, check and enable the auto-complete option.
Follow these steps –
- Select Options from the left sidebar’s File menu.
- Select the Mail tab.
- Use the ‘Use Auto-Complete List to suggest names while entering in the To, Cc, and Bcc lines‘ box or a comparable option (varies depending on the Outlook version) under the Send messages section as you scroll down. To save the changes, click OK.
#2. Verify for any erroneous deletion or filtering
Contacts may mistakenly be removed or filtered from time to time. So, make sure there are no inadvertent deletions or filters. These are the actions:
- Navigate to the Deleted Items folder in the Microsoft Outlook client.
- Look for any lost contacts.
- The missing contacts can be returned to their original position by using the right-click if you discover them in the Deleted Items folder.
Verify any filters that have been put into the contacts folder as well. To make sure that all contacts are displayed, disable any filters.
#3. Verify the synchronisation settings.
You should fix the synchronisation problem, which is another typical reason for such a problem. Verify that you are not disconnected and that the synchronization settings are active.
Make sure Work Offline is disabled in Outlook by going to the Send/Receive tab. Be sure to turn it off if it is currently enabled. You can resolve the Work Offline greyed-out problem if it is currently greyed out.
Also, if you have previously disabled Cached Exchange Mode or haven’t done so, enable it now. due to this
- Locate to File > Info > Account Settings > Account Settings in Outlook.
- Make sure the Cached Exchange mode is selected once you double-click on your email.
- Click Finish > Next.
- After that, restart Microsoft Outlook to make the changes effective.
If you previously disabled this setting, you should be able to see and access your contacts.
#4. New Outlook Profile Creation
Additionally, a damaged profile may cause problems that prohibit you from accessing contacts in Outlook or result in contacts being missing. You can do this by making a new profile. The following are the steps:
- Ensure Outlook is shut down.
- Your computer or laptop’s Control Panel should be opened. Select User Accounts > Mail (32-bit).
- Select Show Profiles.
- Select Add, give the new profile a name, and then click OK.
- Use the same email address and password to sign in by following the on-screen directions.
- Restart Outlook after logging in, then select your new profile from the selection.
- See if you can view every contact right away. Return to the Mail Setup – Outlook window and delete your old profile if the problem has been fixed.
- Once gone, Outlook will load your new profile with all of your accessible contacts when you open it.
#5. Make a new Outlook Data File (OST).
The disappearance of contacts is one of the faults that might result from an inconsistent or large Outlook data file. However, you can create a new OST file, sync your address book from the mailbox server to your Outlook client, and store it in the newly created OST file if your account or email profile is still active.
Use the instructions below to create a new OST file:
- Shut off Outlook.
- Press Windows and R together.
- To open the default OST file location, enter %localappdata%/Microsoft/Outlook and hit Enter or OK.
- Choose the OST file associated with the email account where the contacts are missing, then copy it to a different folder, drive, or volume location to make a backup copy.
- Remove the outdated OST file from its default place after the backup, then launch Outlook normally.
- Your contacts and all other mail items will be synced in a new Outlook OST file that will be created by Outlook.
The contacts from your large, flawed, inconsistent, or partially damaged OST data file can be extracted and saved to CSV or PST format using CubexSoft OST to PST Converter if the OST reproduction fails or the contacts are missing after rebuilding the file. You can import the PST or CSV file into your new Outlook profile or account and restore all contacts after the extraction is complete.
Contacts are restored from a CSV backup.
To fix the “Contacts disappear from Outlook” problem, you can recover your deleted contact list if you have a backup in CSV or PST format. These are the actions:
- Select File > Open & Export > Import/Export to access Outlook. This launches the import/export wizard for Outlook.
- Select “Import from another program or file” in the Outlook Import and Export wizard and then click Next.
- Next, choose the CSV file type to recover contacts from your contacts backup, and click Next. Pick the PST format if you have a PST backup available.
- To select the location of the backup file, click Browse.
- Click Next after choosing your preferred import choices. Choose the appropriate options, please.
- Click Next > Finish after selecting the contacts folder as the destination.
Once the import is finished, verify that the lost contacts have been recovered.
Conclusion
Although it is uncommon, the “Contacts disappear from Outlook” problem can happen in any version of Outlook, including Outlook 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. We discussed the most frequent root causes of the problem in this tutorial, along with useful troubleshooting techniques. You can keep a flawless Outlook experience and avoid losing crucial contacts by using these fixes and safeguards.
