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Outlook Skype for Business "Contacts" folder doesn't sync with Skype for Business contacts

  • Article
  • Applies to:
    Skype for Business Online

Problem

Consider the following scenarios:

  • You add a new Skype for Business contact. But the contact doesn't appear in the Outlook Skype for Business Contacts folder.
  • You remove a contact from Skype for Business. However, the contact isn't removed from the Outlook Skype for Business Contacts folder.
  • The Outlook Skype for Business Contacts folder contains stale contact information (it isn't updating). This stale data may still sync to Skype for Business contacts.

In these scenarios, the Outlook Skype for Business (formerly Lync) Contacts folder doesn't sync with your Skype for Business contacts as the folder previously did.

Workaround

To work around this issue, you can remove the contacts in the Outlook Skype for Business Contacts folder (but not the Contacts folder itself). To do this, follow these steps.

Note

The steps to remove the contacts in the Contacts folder should only be performed by an administrator. After the following steps are performed, the Contacts folder will remain, but the contacts won't. And the contacts will no longer cause stale information to replicate.

  1. Download and install MFCMapi from the following Microsoft website: MFCMAPI.

  2. Close Skype for Business and Microsoft Outlook.

  3. Open MFCMapi. If you're prompted, click OK on the usage notes box.

    Screenshot that shows the M F C Mapi usage notes box.

  4. From the Tools menu, select Options .

    Screenshot that shows the Options selected under the Tools menu.

  5. In the Options dialog box, click to select Use the MAPI_NO_CACHE flag when calling OpenEntry and Use the MDB_ONLINE flag when calling OpenMsgstore, and then click OK.

    Screenshot that shows two target options selected in the Options dialog box.

  6. To start a session, select Logon from the Session menu.

    Screenshot that shows the logon tab selected on the Session menu.

  7. In the Choose Profile box, type or click the arrow to select the name of the Outlook profile for the affected user, and then click OK.

    Screenshot that shows the Choose Profile window.

  8. In the window that opens, right-click the default Exchange mailbox store in the list, and then click Open store.

    Screenshot that shows the Open store tab selected in the list.

  9. In the left column, locate and click to expand Root Container, expand Top of Information Store, and then expand Contacts.

    Screenshot that shows Root Container selected to expand Contacts.

  10. Locate and right-click Skype for Business Contacts. Then select Open contacts table.

    Screenshot that shows the Open contacts table option selected after right-clicking Skype for Business Contacts.

  11. To delete the contacts in the list, hold down the Ctrl key, and then click to select the individual contacts.

    Screenshot that shows the target contacts selected in the list.

  12. From the Actions menu, select Delete Messages.

    Screenshot that shows the Delete Messages option selected from the Actions menu.

  13. In the Delete Item dialog box, locate the Deletion style drop-down list, select Permanent deleted passing DELETE_HARD_DELETE (unrecoverable), and then click OK.

    Screenshot that shows the Permanent deleted option selected in the Delete Item dialog box.

  14. To close all the windows, select Exit from the Actions menu.

    ![Action menu ](./media/outlook contacts-folder-n t-sync/exit jpg)

    Screenshot that shows the Exit option selected from the Actions menu

More Information

This behavior is by design. The sync between the Outlook Skype for Business Contacts folder and the Skype for Business contacts is deprecated. 

Still need help? Go to Microsoft Community.