Missing Contacts

Question

Since the last update, all my people contacts are gone. They are not in my deleted folder. Help! I have the "new" Outlook not Classic. I'm so happy because all my contacts returned yesterday! Yay!!

Answer 1

@BigBossMama
You tagged your Question as Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows but the problem you are describing usually only effects New Outlook for Windows users. Could you please use these instruction to verify which Outlook you are using?

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-version-of-outlook-do-i-have-b3a9568c-edb5-42b9-9825-d48d82b2257c

If you are using New Outlook for Windows with a non-Microsoft account (e.g. GMail, Yahoo)

This is a Microsoft bug. There is nothing you can do from your Outlook Client to fix it.

See this Q&A thread on the same problem for more details:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5837171/contacts-in-outlook-365

-- all my people contacts are gone. They are not in my deleted folder

If you are experiencing the New Outlook for Windows problem, your Contacts are still there, you just can't see them. You should still be able to Export your Contacts to a CSV file for safe keeping.

See the Answer by "Hornblower409 Mar 27, 2026" at
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5818600/all-my-contacts-are-missing-with-the-new-outlook-h

Answer 2

Hi BigBossMama

Since many users also encounter this issue. Please submit in‑app feedback: Help > Feedback > Report a problem and include diagnostics so that back-end team could escalate:

• Share feedback (Windows Feedback Hub). See: Send feedback to Microsoft with the Feedback Hub app
• Press Windows logo key + F to open Feedback Hub.
• Choose Report a problem, describe the issue (e.g., “New Outlook — contacts didn’t migrate”), and attach diagnostics/screenshots if you can. Submit to help the team investigate. Your feedback is valuable for further escalation.

Thank you for your understanding! Have a lovely day.

Answer 3

In Classic Outlook for Windows, missing contacts after an update are most commonly caused by either:

• Contacts being in a different Contacts folder, or
• A display issue in People view.

Try these steps in order:

1. Check for a second Contacts folder
   1. In Outlook, go to the Folders list (bottom-left navigation).
   2. Expand the mailbox and look for more than one folder named Contacts (or a localized equivalent).
   3. Open each Contacts folder and see where the contacts actually appear.
   4. If contacts are in a folder that has a folder icon instead of the contact card icon, drag all items from that folder into the Contacts folder that has the contact card icon.
   This scenario can occur after migration or localization when Exchange creates a new Contacts folder and Outlook starts using that new one as the default.
2. Refresh Outlook’s contact display (People view issue) If People view looks wrong or overlaid and does not show contacts:
   1. Close Outlook.
   2. Start Outlook while holding the Ctrl key.
   3. When prompted, confirm starting in Safe Mode.
   4. After Outlook fully opens in Safe Mode, close it again.
   5. Start Outlook normally.
   This forces Outlook to refresh service settings that can affect how contacts are displayed in People view.
3. If contacts were deleted from another client (for example, mobile or web) Even if the Deleted Items folder in Outlook looks empty, also check:
   • Deleted Items and any Recover Deleted Items or Recoverable Items options in the account (for example, via Outlook on the web) to see if contacts can be restored there.

If contacts are found in another Contacts folder and moved into the default Contacts folder, they will again be available in People view and to other email applications.

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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