how do I retrieve my contacts on outlook

George Bruce 0 Reputation points
2026-08-14T13:12:17.5233333+00:00

I have lost my contacts on outlook I am using an Imac how do I retrieve my contacts

Outlook | MacOS | New Outlook for Mac | For business
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  1. Heimerdinger 290 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-14T14:12:13.6533333+00:00

    Hi @George Bruce,

    Thank you for reaching out. To better understand the issue and narrow down the possible cause, could you please provide a bit more information?

    What type of account are you using in Outlook for Mac?

    • Microsoft 365 work or school account
      • Outlook.com / Hotmail.com / Live.com
      • Gmail
      • iCloud
      • Another type of email account

    Are all contacts missing, or only some of them?

    Are the contacts missing only in Outlook, or are they also missing when you sign in to Outlook on the web?

    Approximately when did you notice the contacts disappeared? Did anything change beforehand, such as updating Outlook, switching to New Outlook, or adding/removing an account?

    If you have multiple accounts configured in Outlook, which account were the missing contacts originally stored under?

    Please let us know the answers to the questions above, and if possible, share a screenshot of your Contacts view (with any personal information hidden). This will help us investigate further.

    Thank you, and I look forward to your update.

    Note: Please follow the steps in the forum documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.  

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  2. AI answer

    2026-08-14T13:12:32.5333333+00:00

    On an iMac, first check whether the contacts are deleted or just hard to find in Outlook for Mac.

    1. Search for the contact in Outlook for Mac:
      • Use the Search bar at the top.
      • Or open the People pane and use the search bar there.
      • While composing a new message, start typing the name in To, Cc, or Bcc and use Search Directory if it appears.
    2. If the contacts were deleted, recover them in Outlook on the web or Outlook.com:
      • Open People.
      • Select Deleted.
      • Find the contact and right-click Restore.
    3. If the contact is not in Deleted, check the recoverable area:
      • In People, select Deleted.
      • Select Recover deleted at the top.
      • Select the contact, then choose Restore.
    4. If the contact still does not appear in People, check Mail > Deleted Items and restore it from there if listed.

    Recovered contacts are restored to their original folder when possible. If the original folder no longer exists, they are restored to the default Contacts folder.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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