Problem
When I type into the address field in Outlook, it helpfully tries to remember what I have typed in there before. This has no relevance to what is in the "Contacts" folder. How do I get rid of old information in the type-ahead memory (aka Address Cache; aka AutoComplete)?
Solution
When you type in the first couple letter of the address, and that box with addresses shows up, right-click on that box. Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to select the name you want to remove, and then press the DELETE key. Gone.
(Found in a Scott Adam's blog comment history, of all places. Works.)
More Complicated Solution
- Close any running copies of Microsoft Outlook.
- Open Windows Explorer.
- Make sure hidden files and folders are visible in Windows Explorer by navigating to Tools -> Folder Options -> Advanced Settings, and select "Show hidden files and folders."
- Look in the directory /Documents and Settings/Application Data/Microsoft Outlook for any files with the .NK2 extension. These are the nickname caches. (If they're not visible there, you may need to search the system for any files that match that extension.)
- Rename the file to something else. For example, if the file name is Outlook.NK2, you could rename it to Outlook.NK2.bak.
- Restart Microsoft Outlook. A new Microsoft Outlook nickname cache should now be rebuilt.
(Found in a Scott Adam's blog comment history although allegedly originates from MSDN. Untested.)
Commentary
Turns out the first solution
is in the Outlook help file; however you have to know that the magic phrase to search on is
AutoComplete. Which is entirely inconsistent with the references to
Nick Names in the more complicated solution.