lost my contacts in outlook

Question

i purchased Home & Office 2024 in December. I've now lost my contacts in outlook. There is a message telling me Outlook data files require a microsoft 365 subscription.

arent my contacts part of my outlook?

Answer 1

Hi Lisa Bachmeier,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

I understand how alarming this is, especially after purchasing Microsoft 365 and then seeing your contacts disappear with a message indicating that Outlook data files require a subscription.

I reviewed the Q&A Assist answer, and while some parts are accurate in a classic Outlook context, it is not fully applicable to the new Outlook for Windows. I want to clarify this, so you don’t spend time on steps that won’t help. The steps about locating or opening .pst files apply only to classic Outlook for Windows. The new Outlook for Windows does not use local .pst files for contacts. Instead, contacts are stored and accessed through your Microsoft account in the cloud. Because of this, manually searching for or opening .pst files will not restore contacts in the new Outlook.

Here are the additional checks for your situation:

1. Confirm whether your contacts still exist online: Please sign in to Outlook on the web and open the People page.
   • If your contacts appear there, they are still associated with your Microsoft account, and the issue is related to how the new Outlook app is currently displaying or syncing contacts.
   • If they do not appear there either, they may have been removed and could still be recoverable.
2. Check Deleted / Recover deleted (if available): In the new Outlook, go to People > Deleted, and if shown, select Recover deleted to see whether any contacts can be restored.

Regarding expectations, contributors here do not have access to Microsoft’s internal systems and cannot restore account data directly. Our role is to help explain how things work, identify whether data still exists, and guide you to the appropriate next step.

Since this appears to be related to the new Outlook for Windows experience, the most effective action is to submit in‑app feedback so Microsoft can collect diagnostics and investigate:

• Open the new Outlook
• Select Help
• Choose Feedback
• Submit the report with a short description of what happened (screenshots can help)

This sends the information directly to the Outlook product team.

Answer 2

Contacts are Outlook data, but they are stored in Outlook data files (.pst or .ost) or on the mail server (for example, Exchange/Microsoft 365). Installing Office Home & Business 2024 does not automatically remove or delete contacts, but Outlook may no longer be opening the old data file where the contacts were stored, or it may be prompting for a Microsoft 365 subscription if the profile is configured as a Microsoft 365/Exchange account.

To get contacts back, first locate and open the old Outlook data file, then check the Contacts folder:

1. Locate the old Outlook data file (.pst)
   • Open File Explorer.
   • Browse to:
     • C:\Users<YourUserName>\Documents\Outlook Files\ or
     • C:\Users<YourUserName>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\
   • Look for files ending in .pst (for example, Outlook.pst). These files contain email, contacts, calendar, and folders.
2. Copy the PST file to a safe, easy-to-find location (for example, Documents).
3. Open the PST file in Outlook 2024 (classic desktop Outlook)
   • In Outlook, select File > Open & Export > Open Outlook Data File.
   • Select the copied .pst file and choose Open.
   • A new folder tree appears in the left pane; expand it and select Contacts (or People) to see if the missing contacts are there.
4. (Optional) Import the data into the current profile
   • Go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
   • Choose Import from another program or file > Outlook Data File (.pst) and follow the wizard to merge the contacts into the current mailbox.

If the contacts were originally stored in an Exchange/Microsoft 365 mailbox, they may still be on the server and can often be restored like deleted items. In new Outlook for Windows:

1. Go to People in the navigation pane.
2. Open the Deleted folder and look for the missing contacts.
3. Right-click a contact and select Restore.
4. If not found there, in Deleted select Recover deleted (or Recover items deleted from this folder, depending on build) and restore from the Recoverable folder. Restored contacts go back to the default Contacts folder (or original folder when possible).

Contacts are indeed part of Outlook data; the message about Outlook data files requiring a Microsoft 365 subscription indicates the current profile or data file is tied to a Microsoft 365/Exchange configuration. Using a local PST file with classic Outlook (not the new Outlook that is tightly tied to Microsoft 365) allows access to contacts without a Microsoft 365 subscription.

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References:

• Back up your contacts
• Restore or recover a deleted contact in Outlook
• How do I recover my old email messages, my contacts and everything else I had in Outlook? - Microsoft Q&A