How to fix Outlook Contacts isses

Question

My contact list vanished and i cannot add new contacts.

I bought new desktop with windows 11 and continue to use MS365. My 250 or so contact list worked fine until 3/19/26 or so, my contacts do not show up; and I am unable to load new contacts into my computer.

It look from the amount of comments this problem is not on "my side"

All the suggested fixes haven't worked for me. I hesitate going to classic Outlook, since I feel sure you'll stop supporting it soon.

When will this issue be fixed. I

Answer 1

Hi John Matlack,

I understand how frustrating this is, especially when your contacts have vanished and you’re unable to add new ones after relying on them for so long.

I’d like to add some important context. Based on your description, this behavior is more likely related to how the new Outlook for Windows currently handles contact creation and display, rather than your contacts being permanently removed. Contributors here don’t have access to Outlook’s internal systems and can’t directly fix sync or rendering behavior. Our role is to help explain expected behavior, suggest available checks, and guide users to the appropriate next steps.

I also understand your hesitation about switching back to classic Outlook. At this time, classic Outlook for Windows is still supported, and there has been no announced end‑of‑support date for personal (For home) users. Using it temporarily does not affect your account or data and can be considered a workaround if needed.

As for when this issue will be fixed, there isn’t a published timeline. We don’t have visibility into Outlook release schedules or when a specific behavior in the new Outlook will be addressed. That’s why the most effective next step is to submit in‑app feedback, which allows the Outlook team to collect diagnostics and investigate.

Please submit feedback directly from the new Outlook:

1. Open Outlook
2. Select Help
3. Choose Feedback
4. Submit the issue with a short description and screenshots if possible

This sends the information directly to the team responsible for the new Outlook experience and helps ensure the issue is reviewed.

Answer 2

@John Matlack said

It look from the amount of comments this problem is not on "my side"

You are correct. This is a Microsoft bug. There is nothing you can do from your Outlook client to fix it.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5837171/contacts-in-outlook-365

I hesitate going to classic Outlook, since I feel sure you'll stop supporting it soon.

Classic Outlook is not going away anytime soon.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5554339/when-will-classic-outlook-end

https://www.slipstick.com/outlook/classic-outlook-2026/

Answer 3

The described symptoms match known Outlook contacts issues that have been fixed in the service, but some profiles remain in a “bad” state and require local repair. The following supported fixes apply to classic Outlook on Windows; if using classic Outlook behind New Outlook, these steps can still repair the contacts store.

1. Check whether contacts are in a different Contacts folder
   • In Outlook, switch to the People/Contacts view.
   • Look for more than one folder named Contacts (or a localized equivalent) in the folder list.
   • If one Contacts folder is empty and another contains all contacts:
     • The folder with the contacts will show a standard folder icon.
     • The new, “valid” Contacts folder will show a contact-card icon.
   • Drag all contacts from the folder that contains them (folder icon) into the Contacts folder that has the contact-card icon. This makes them available again to Outlook and other apps.
2. Refresh Outlook service settings if People/Contacts view is broken
   • If the People view is overlaid or does not show contacts correctly:
     1. Close Outlook.
     2. Start Outlook while holding down Ctrl until the Safe Mode prompt appears.
     3. Let Outlook open fully in Safe Mode, then close it.
     4. Start Outlook again normally.
   • This forces Outlook to pick up the latest service-side fix for People/Contacts view issues.
3. If contacts are present but cannot be edited or new ones cannot be saved
   • There are two common fixed issues that can leave existing contacts or folders in a bad state:
   a) Contacts or folders that became invalid after migration/localization
   • If the Contacts folder itself is invalid (for example, after migration), Outlook/Exchange may have created a new Contacts folder and marked the old one as unusable.
   • Resolution is the same as step 1: move all contacts from the “old” Contacts folder (folder icon) into the new Contacts folder (contact-card icon) and then use only the new folder.
   b) Contacts that are not editable (fields greyed out or changes not saved)
   • To fix in bulk:
     1. Export all contacts to a CSV file.
     2. Create and save a new test contact in the Contacts folder.
     3. Reopen that test contact and try to edit the Notes field:
        • If the Notes field is editable, import the CSV back into the same Contacts folder using Replace duplicates with items imported. This re-creates the contacts without problematic headers so they become editable again.
        • If the Notes field is not editable, create a new Contacts folder, then import the CSV into that new folder and start using it instead of the old one.
4. If the error is “You don’t have permission to create an entry in this folder”
   • After some migrations (for example, GSuite to Microsoft 365), a known service issue caused this error when adding/editing contacts. The service has been fixed, but existing bad folders may remain.
   • The documented workaround is to follow the steps in the article referenced as ["You don't have permission to create an entry in this folder" error when you add contacts to a contacts folder ]. This repairs the affected Contacts folder so new contacts can be added.
5. If contacts with S/MIME certificates cannot be edited and show “Operation Failed”
   • For contacts created from the Global Address List (GAL) that include an X509 S/MIME certificate, a service-side property change could cause an Operation Failed error when editing.
   • The service now prevents new occurrences, but existing broken contacts must be fixed locally:
     • Delete the problematic local contact.
     • Open the Address Book, select the GAL, right-click the user, and choose Add to Contacts to recreate the contact. The new contact will be editable.
     • As a temporary workaround, Outlook on the web can be used to edit such contacts, or the certificate can be removed from the local contact to allow editing in classic Outlook.
6. If Outlook itself is unstable after recent changes
   • If Outlook will not open or behaves inconsistently after recent updates or profile changes, reinstalling Office (Microsoft 365 Apps) has resolved similar issues in other cases. After reinstall, repeat steps 1–3 to repair the Contacts folder and items if needed.

Regarding timing of a full fix: the contacts issues described in the referenced articles are already marked as STATUS: FIXED at the service level. Remaining problems are typically due to existing folders or contacts that are already in a bad state and must be corrected using the steps above (moving contacts to the valid Contacts folder, exporting/importing, or recreating specific contacts).

If, after applying these steps, contacts still do not appear and new contacts still cannot be created, the next step is to open a support case from the Microsoft 365 account so support can inspect the specific mailbox and service version.

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References:

• Contacts folder empty and contacts are in a different folder in Outlook for Microsoft 365
• Outlook cannot display contacts in People View
• Unable to edit Contacts, Appointments, Meetings, or Tasks within Outlook
• Classic Outlook Contacts that have an X509 S/MIME certificate added to the Global Address List can no longer be edited with Operation Failed error
• Error when trying to create or edit contacts in Outlook: You don't have permission to create an entry in this folder