Microsoft Outlook 2019/365 will automatically provide a list of email addresses as you type them in the To: field when composing an email. If you want to clear this list, follow these steps.
Delete Individual Email Addresses
You can delete individual email addresses from the Auto-Complete list by typing the email address into the To: field when composing an email. When the address appears, select the “X” next to it and it will be removed.
Clear Entire Address List
- Select “File“.
- Choose “Options“.
- Select “Mail” on the left pane, then scroll all the way down to the “Send messages” section.
- Select the “Empty Auto-Complete List” button. If you want to turn off the Auto-Complete feature, uncheck the “Use Auto-Complete List to suggest names when typing in the To, CC, and Bcc lines“, then select “OK“.
- Select “Yes” on the dialog box that appears.
Clear Entire List The IT Professional Way
- Close out of Outlook.
- Hold down the Windows Key and press “R“.
- Type “C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\RoamCache” then press “Enter“.
- Delete the “.DAT” file that starts with “Stream_Autocomplete“. The file will recreate later, but shouldn’t have any old stored email address data any longer.
After using the above options, you are now you’re ready to start fresh with a new Auto Complete list in Outlook 2019.
Side Note: The Auto-Complete List gets populated by email addresses you have sent email to from Outlook in the past. It doesn’t look at any Contacts lists for this data.
Mike says
“The professional way” here is not correct. Even if you nuke the entire “Roaming Cache” folder, the next time outlook opens it repopulates the entire directory with the dat file exactly as it was. Outlook is pulling this data from somewhere else and THAT is what needs to be targeted…. unfortunately nobody has posted that information.
richard nyeila says
absolutely no help …MICROSOFT!!!!! this should be a simple fix….without which confidential information can be sent to the wrong party!!!!!
Sharon says
I tried finding the file the professional way and it does not exist. Where is it?
Sharon Redmond says
There is no x. I deleted all the files in roam cache and it is still there. I can delete if on the web but not in outlook 365 for windows 10 or for outlook 365 for android. This needs to be fixed.
Jason says
This, and every other article I’ve found on the internet, is worthless. My assistant’s email from our old business continues to show up as an autocomplete in Outlook over and over, despite doing all of the above. I just love sending emails to a non-existent account over and over. Just, Plain, Stupid.
Some idiot at Outlook should be stuck in one of those dunking booths for a week at the county fair. I hate Microsoft.
John says
Yes this auto screw up to my email address is a real snack! Looks like someone should loose their job over this blunder!
rob sneyd says
did all the things you suggested and none of them works. the x not present and so that option is out.
i did the IT professional way and deleted the .DAT file and that didn’t kill the old bad addresses either! they are gone from my contacts because i deleted them but the autocomplete list lives on like and evil zombie. any more ideas?
outlook 365 version 1910 (build 12130.20344 click-to-run)
Madnezz says
Try right click on the to field (with the email address) and choose clear.
Mauricio says
Same than many previous msgs. I cleared one address by clicking on the X, It continues appearing without the X, So now there is no way to clear it (no that it ever worked anyway). Thanks.
Ken Mollison says
Same as everyone else. Other contacts pop up under suggested contacts
and there is no X so you can’t delete them. Bug in outlook??
Kirsten says
No. I clicked the X and it removed if from the list, but the next time I started to type the same name it was suggested again.
Jon Huber says
No, same as all of the above, no X
Mike says
How do you delete individual autofill addresses on an Android device using Outlook? There is no “x.”
This question keeps being asked, how come no one has an answer?
Laurie Cohen says
That’s great advice, but how do you delete individual autofill addresses on an Android device using Outlook? There is no “x.”
Champika says
That’s correct , How do you clear that without having to click on X. Because it’s not visible.
Paul says
The newest build of Outlook 2019 does not consistently show the ‘x’ when displaying an autocomplete address
Paul Spencer says
No, This is fine for all data except from cached ‘From’ email addresses. How do you clear that without having to click on X