stop adding addresses to contacts / address book

[Shawn K via OfficeKB.com]

Hello,

I am using Outlook 2003. When I start a new message and add an email address
to the "To..." box, email addresses appear that are not in my Outlook
contacts folder. For example if the email name starts with "c", i get those
contacts beginning with "c" and also other addresses to whom I have sent
emails in the past who I have not added to my address book. i would like to
stop this feature. I want to retain the "auto name checking" and "check
names while completiing To, Cc, Bcc fields", but limit it to the outlook
contact list.

I have both the "auto name checking" and "check names while completing..."
turned on.

I am not added names to the address book when I reply. Apparently there is
some sort of cache of the people I have sent emails to. Is there any way to
turn off the history/cache or stop suggesting those names are not in my
contact list?

Thank you,

Shawn K.

 

[Vince Averello [MVP-Outlook]]

I think the 'suggest' option is in the same place as the other options you
mentioned: Tools menu > Options > Email > Advanced

 

[Shawn K via OfficeKB.com]

I think the 'suggest' option is in the same place as the other options you
mentioned: Tools menu > Options > Email > Advanced

Hello,

[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]

turn off the history/cache or stop suggesting those names are not in my
contact list?

Yes, I have the 'suggest' option tuned on. I want it turned on; however, I
want it to suggest/autocomplete only those names in my contact list.
Currently it is suggesting those names in my contact list and people I have
sent mail to in the past who are not in my contact list. Any ideas?

Shawn

 

[Vince Averello [MVP-Outlook]]

I think the only way to limit things to contacts are to use the AutoComplete
feature without AutoSuggest.

 

[Brian Tillman]

I am using Outlook 2003. When I start a new message and add an email
address to the "To..." box, email addresses appear that are not in my
Outlook contacts folder. For example if the email name starts with
"c", i get those contacts beginning with "c" and also other addresses
to whom I have sent emails in the past who I have not added to my
address book. i would like to stop this feature. I want to retain
the "auto name checking" and "check names while completiing To, Cc,
Bcc fields", but limit it to the outlook contact list.

You can't do this. The autosuggest feature you describe doesn't reference
your contacts in any way and so it can't be "limited" to your contacts. The
addresses that appear are stored in a file in %AppData%\Microsoft\Outlook
whose name matches your mail profile name and whose extension is ".NK2". Is
is built up of the last 1,000 receipient addresses you've resolved from the
recipient fields of the messages you've been sending, so if you've entered
an Internet mail address that isn't in your contacts, that address will be
added to the cache as well and will be available when next you reference it.
Your only choice is to accept the addresses in the cache or stop using the
"Suggest names while completing..." feature completely. The autoresolution
feature "Automatic Name Checking" will continue to function and this will
reference only those addresses in your Contacts folder(s).

 

[Shawn K via OfficeKB.com]

Brian,

Your explanation was very helpful, thank you. Thanks for provinding the file
location as well.

Shawn

I am using Outlook 2003. When I start a new message and add an email
address to the "To..." box, email addresses appear that are not in my

[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]

the "auto name checking" and "check names while completiing To, Cc,
Bcc fields", but limit it to the outlook contact list.

You can't do this. The autosuggest feature you describe doesn't reference
your contacts in any way and so it can't be "limited" to your contacts. The
addresses that appear are stored in a file in %AppData%\Microsoft\Outlook
whose name matches your mail profile name and whose extension is ".NK2". Is
is built up of the last 1,000 receipient addresses you've resolved from the
recipient fields of the messages you've been sending, so if you've entered
an Internet mail address that isn't in your contacts, that address will be
added to the cache as well and will be available when next you reference it.
Your only choice is to accept the addresses in the cache or stop using the
"Suggest names while completing..." feature completely. The autoresolution
feature "Automatic Name Checking" will continue to function and this will
reference only those addresses in your Contacts folder(s).