How do I stop email contacts from being added automatically?

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Guest

We just upgraded from an older version of Outlook Express to using Outlook
2003. Generally the transition has been uneventful and favorable.

One problem which has come up has us puzzled, though. It seems that email
addresses with which email has been exchanged are automatically added to the
Contact list. This is the case with all of the several computers which were
upgraded simultaneously.

We routinely exchange email with new email addresses, and then never again.
As a result, we are rapidly accumulating useless Contacts entries. These
must now be deleted manually. Further complicating matters is the fact that
we synchronize contacts with a smartphone, and those extra entries really
clutter that up.

I am also convinced that, on at least one occasion, an existing Contacts
entry which included phone numbers, was overwritten with a new entry showing
only the email address.

I've looked everywhere for some info about this issue. I was surprised to
find people trying to figure out how to do exactly what we are trying to stop
doing. I've got to believe that there is a simple switch for this feature
somewhere, but I can't find it.

Can someone smarter than me figure this out?
 
Outlook 2003 has no such feature. Either you're using an add-in or VBA code is adding the contacts.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
 
Sue,

Thanks for the prompt reply, but I don't know how either of those
possibilities could have occurred. I did the installs personally. Office
2003 was installed on a total of 6 systems. One computer had the
Professional version, others Standard. This phenomenon has been observed on
3 of the systems (the other three are not actively used for email). One of
the Office upgrades was downloaded from Microsoft, the others installed from
CD. The installs occurred 1-2 months ago, but this issue was observed almost
immediately. The computers all have up to date virus protection, and have
had most recent Office updates installed. They are not all on the same
network, nor in the same location.

Sue, you are obviously an expert at this, but all I can tell you is that
this is happening, and no one has consciously installed anything to try to
add this "feature".

Any ideas?
 
Then the logical conclusion is that either users are adding contacts manually and lying about it or your smartphone synchronization software has something to do with the problem.

Have you actually looked to see that the affected users are not running VBA code?
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
 
NoCorners Bob said:
One problem which has come up has us puzzled, though. It seems that
email addresses with which email has been exchanged are automatically
added to the Contact list. This is the case with all of the several
computers which were upgraded simultaneously.
Click to expand...

I suspect you're confusing the AutoCompletion cache with Contacts. They are
unrelated. Sea time you resolve an address in OL, that address is saved and
the next time you being to type an address in the To field, the addresses
you've used that begin with the letters you typed appear in a list and you
can choose one of them. These are NOT connected with your Contacts folder
in any way.

If you don't want Outlook to remember those addresses, turn off "Suggest
names while completing To, Cc, or Bcc fields" on Tools>Options>E-mail
Options>Advanced E-mail Options.
 
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