Outlook Contact list Not Populating | Free Tips to Fix It
AutoComplete feature is a very amazing feature that helps you very well when you start to type into To, Cc, or Bcc fields in any email client. This feature is also available in Outlook and it gives convinces users while adding contacts.
Unfortunately, some users reported that their AutoComplete feature in Outlook is not working and due to that they have to manually enter the contacts which are quite frustrating. Now, to fix this issue here in this blog we are going to fix the Outlook contact list not populating error.
But before going towards the solution part let’s talk about the reason so that you can understand the point that we are going to fix in the solution part.
Reasons For Outlook Contact List Not Populating
The first cause is Outlook data file corruption, which we will discuss later. Yes, Outlook keeps all of its data in PST files (Personal Storage Files). In essence, it keeps all of the data files in Outlook, such as emails, contacts, calendar data, notes, tasks, and journal data. And if this file becomes corrupted, you will be unable to access the Outlook data file and will see these sorts of errors in Outlook.
This problem has also been caused by Outlook Add-ins. Yes, we all know that Outlook has Add-ons that allow us to get some more work done. However, if you have installed any incorrect add-ins, this can cause problems with Outlook.
This issue is also caused by an out-of-date Outlook. To run any application bug-free, each organization rolls out an update to resolve known or reported defects. And if you’re using an older version, there’s a risk you’re using a buggy Outlook.
Now, we know the reason for the Outlook contacts list not working. So let’s move toward the solution part where we deal with all the points one by one.
Troubleshooting Tip o Fix Outlook Contact List Not Populating
Here in this section, we are going to discuss the step-by-step process that will help you in order to fix this issue.
#Tip 1: Check for Update
As we said above every software company rolls out an update so that can fix all the bugs and errors that users are facing in software. So before doing anything else first check for the update, Now if you know the steps then check for that, and if you are not aware of the steps, then simply follow the below steps:
1. Launch Outlook and select the File menu item.
2. Next, select Office Account from the Account drop-down menu.
3. Select the Update option under Product Information and click the Update Now button.
4. If an update is available, your Outlook program will be updated.
Once the update is complete, restart the Outlook application to see if the Outlook contact list not populating issue is resolved or not. And if you are still getting the issue, then move to the next method.
#Tip 2: Repair Outlook Application
There is a possibility that during the installation of the Outlook application something gets wrong and due to this Outlook contacts list not populating. Now to fix the issue you can try the repairing option of the Outlook application and to do this follow the below steps:
1. Search for the Control Panel on the Windows search button.
2. Now, go to the Program menu and choose it.
3. After that, go to the Office icon. Right-click the icon and choose Properties.
4. To begin the Office repair procedure, select the Repair option.
#Tip 3: Repair Outlook Data File
As we said in the reason part that Outlook data file corruption is also the reason for this Outlook contact list not populating issue. Because we know that Outlook stores all its Outlook data in PST file and Outlook.pst is very prone to be corrupted. Now the best part is that Outlook has its own inbuilt inbox repair tool that will help you to fix the corruption of Outlook data files.
Location of Scanpst.exe
For Outlook 2007
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12
For Outlook 2010
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14
For Outlook Outlook 2010 64 bit
C:\Program Files (86)\Microsoft Office\Office14
For Outlook 2013
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 15\root\office15
For Outlook 2016 & 2019
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16
The location of the Scanpst varies according to Outlook versions so to make the task easy we have mentioned all the location paths in the above section. Now once you reached the location click on the icon to open it.
1. Once the utility opens browse the PST file to add.
2. After adding the PST file the tool starts scanning the PST file to find the corruption.
3. Once the tool is able to identify the corruption then it will pop a message with a repair button.
4. After this click on the repair button to fix the corruption.
5. Once the task is over restart the Outlook application to check whether the isseu is resolved or not.
Amazing Tool to Repair Outlook Corruption
The above tool is a nice approach to fix the minor level of corruption of Outlook data files. But in this case of major corruption, this inbuilt inbox repair tool does not do well. So to overcome this situation in this section we have come up with an amazing solution that will easily repair any level of corruption in a few clicks.
Outlook PST Repair Tool is the tool that offers not only repairs teh corrupted PST file but also helps to recover emails from corrupted Outlook PST file. The best aspect is that you may use the tool’s demo version without paying a dime. So, test the demo version and evaluate the use of the tool’s capabilities.
# Tip 4: Remove Unused Add-Ins
Outlook add-ins in lots of manners, like it, help to avail those features that you cannot avail by the default Outlook. But sometimes these Outlook add-ins also create some issues. So, in order to fix this issue, you can try to remove all those add-ins which are not in use or creating issues.
Also Read: How to Fix Access Denied Error in Outlook
Closing Thoughts
Contacts are important and if anything happens that affects users getting their important contacts then they start seeking a solution to help those users here in this blog we have discussed four free approaches to fix the Outlook contact list not populating.