Once you have used outlook for a while, it is easy to just start typing the person’s name (or email address) in the to: field and up the details appear. Outlook creates a “cache” – a quick lookup for ease of use. This is often referred to as “autocomplete”
Replying to an email sent to you adds the persons details into this cache automatically. This puts us in a false sense of security. A common mistake is that we get lazy and don’t add the person to our actual contacts. I mean, their details are there, the program has them right?
Well yes, unless something happens to outlook. A virus, operating system or program upgrade, and of course, a new pc.
This “cache” that outlook creates for us IS NOT TRANSFERABLE. Up until outlook 2003 it was, but that’s over a decade ago. From version 2007 onwards, Microsoft changed the way this works. The autocomplete contacts is no longer stored in a single usable file that can be transferred onto another pc. It doesn’t exist at all in any usable format.
Its easy to add to your contacts – start a new email, input person’s name, then right click and select “Add to outlook contacts” done!
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