Why don't my Contacts show up in the Outlook address book?

A Contacts folder only appears as a selectable address book once it is enabled as an email address book. Right-click the Contacts folder, choose Properties, open the Outlook Address Book tab and tick 'Show this folder as an email Address Book'. This is also how you surface a shared or secondary mailbox's contacts.

RESOURCES · MICROSOFT 365 & OUTLOOK

Set the default
address book.

Q: How do I make Outlook default to my Contacts instead of the Global Address List?

On the Home tab, click Address Book. In the Address Book window, choose Tools then Options, and under 'When opening the Address Book, show this address list first' pick your Contacts. Click OK and restart Outlook. Outlook will now open your Contacts first instead of the Global Address List.

You click To… in Outlook and it opens the whole company Global Address List when you just wanted your own Contacts — or the other way around. You can choose which list opens first and the order Outlook searches.

Applies to: Outlook (classic, Windows) Time: ~3 minutes Level: Anyone

Quick answer

On the Home tab, click Address Book. In the Address Book window, go to Tools → Options, and under "When opening the Address Book, show this address list first" pick your preferred list (e.g. your Contacts, or the Global Address List). Click OK, then restart Outlook.

WHY IT HAPPENS

Outlook holds several address lists.

Outlook can juggle several address lists at once — the Global Address List (GAL) pulled from your organisation, your own Contacts, and any shared contact folders. By default it may open the GAL first. You can decide which one opens first and the order Outlook searches when it checks a name.

THE FIX

Choose your default list.

Open the Address BookOn the Home tab, click Address Book.
Open its optionsIn the Address Book window, click Tools → Options.
Set the default listSet "When opening the Address Book, show this address list first" to your choice — for example your Contacts, or the Global Address List.
Set the search orderOptionally set "When sending email, check address lists in this order" and add or reorder the lists so name-checking uses the one you want first.
Apply and restartClick OK and restart Outlook so the new default takes effect.
Enable Contacts as an address bookIf your Contacts don't appear as an address book at all, right-click the Contacts folder → Properties → Outlook Address Book tab → tick "Show this folder as an email Address Book".

Shared and secondary mailbox contacts only appear here once they're enabled as an email address book (step 6). That's handy when staff share a customer or supplier contact list — enable it once and everyone can pick names straight from the address book.

GET MORE FROM MICROSOFT 365

Small settings, big time savings across a team.

Address books, shared contacts, signatures, mail rules — get them set up once and consistently and your team stops fiddling with the same things every week. Our free IT Health Check reviews your Microsoft 365 setup and shows you exactly what to standardise.

Book my free IT Health Check Call 07 5500 0457

KEEP READING

Set the defaultaddress book.

Outlook holds several address lists.

Choose your default list.

Small settings, big time savings across a team.

Related resources

Set the default
address book.