How to display contacts with first name first

84315488 20 Reputation points
2026-08-18T18:56:43.38+00:00

How to display contacts with first name first instead of last name first

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Contacts
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  1. AI answer

    2026-08-18T18:56:54.03+00:00

    For Outlook on the web or Outlook.com:

    1. Select People on the navigation bar.
    2. With All contacts selected, click the current sort option, such as By first name.
    3. Under Sort by, choose the option needed.
    4. The contact list updates immediately.

    For classic Outlook:

    1. Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
    2. Open the Address Books tab.
    3. Select the address book to change, then click Change.
    4. Under Show names by, choose File As (Smith, John).

    For existing contacts in classic Outlook, changing the default filing format only affects new contacts. Existing contacts must be updated individually or by using a VBA macro that changes each contact’s FileAs property.

    The Global Address List (GAL) format cannot be changed; it is managed by IT.

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

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  2. Vikki-T 9,495 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-08-19T09:05:21.14+00:00

    Hi 84315488,

    To make sure I understand correctly, are you trying to display contacts as “John Smith” instead of “Smith, John” on the People/Contacts page or does the reversed order appear when selecting recipients in the "To" field while composing an email?

    At this point, I recommend that you review and try the steps provided in the AI generated answer on your thread. That reply typically include the most relevant checks for this scenario. 

    If this is happening on the People page in Outlook.com, select Settings, then choose Display contacts by > First name. Please note that Display contacts by controls how each name appears, while Sort by only controls the order of the contact list.

    If the setting is already set to First name but the names still appear in reverse order, please let me know whether this affects all contacts or only certain ones, and whether you are using Outlook.com in a browser or the Outlook desktop app.

    You can also refer to Create, view, and edit contacts and contact lists in Outlook.com for the official instructions. Thank you so much for your understanding.   

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

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