Solved: Outlook AutoComplete Not Working After Update

In a healthy Outlook environment, composing a new message by just striking the first few keys auto-completes the addresses. If these suggestions no longer appear, “Outlook AutoComplete Not Working”. This “AutoComplete” feature works as a smart assistant that eliminates the need to search for exact spellings manually. This disruption can stem from various sources. In this blog, we’ll find out various solutions that will successfully resolve this issue while maintaining the workflow continuity. 

Outlook AutoComplete Stopped Working: Why?

One of the causes why Outlook’s AutoComplete feature isn’t working could be the synchronization issues with an Exchange server. Below, we have provided the causes of the same:

• The email suggestions will not appear if the AutoComplete setting is turned off in Outlook preferences.
• If the AutoComplete cache file is damaged, Outlook may fail to recall saved address suggestions.
• The profile-related issues in Outlook can interfere with the normal features, such as AutoComplete.
• A corrupted Outlook data file, OST or PST, might stop displaying the email suggestions.
• Sometimes, when Outlook gets updated, it can alter or reset the AutoComplete settings. 

Fixes for “Outlook AutoComplete Not Working” Issue

Let us now try to understand different solutions to fix the Outlook AutoComplete feature error. 

Solution 01: Set Up AutoComplete in MS Outlook

Accidentally disabling the AutoComplete feature is the most common reason behind the “Outlook AutoFill Not Working” issue. 

Use the following step-by-step process to begin: 

1. Open the Outlook application.
2. Then, go to the File tab and select Options.
3. After that, click on Mail and navigate to the Send Messages section.
4. Next, check the “Use Auto-Complete List to suggest names when typing in the To, Cc, and Bcc lines” checkbox.  
5. Now, press Ok and restart Outlook.

Limitations: If the cache file is damaged, AutoComplete will not restore the suggestions. In case the Outlook profile is corrupted, the process will fail. 

Solution 02: Refresh AutoComplete Cache

In the AutoComplete feature, Outlook stores the email IDs in a cache file. If this file gets corrupted, the AutoComplete will not work properly. 

Look at the steps to start the process:

1. In MS Outlook, go to the File tab and select Options.
2. Now, head to the Mail section and then go to the Send Messages option.
3. After that, press Empty Auto-Complete List.
4. Then, confirm it and click Ok. Restart MS Outlook. 

Limitations: Users need to manually rebuild the suggestions list while sending emails. If the Outlook profile is damaged, it will not clear out the cache file. 

Solution 03: Repair Outlook OST/PST File in Outlook

As we know, Outlook saves the email data in the OST and PST files. If AutoComplete is not working correctly in Outlook, it means that the files are corrupted. The Inbox Repair Tool (ScanPST.exe) will fix the minor corruption. 

These are the following steps to initiate the repair:

1. Make sure to close the Outlook application completely.
2. Then, open the File Explorer. 
3. Now, head to the Inbox Repair Tool location: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16.
4. Next, locate ScanPST.exe and double-click on it to open it.
5. After that, select the desired OST and PST file.
6. To scan, click on Start > Repair.

Limitations: The ScanPST.exe only resolves the basic and minor issues. It will take a lot of time to repair a large data file. If your Outlook profile is corrupted, repairing the data file will not resolve it. 

If the Outlook PST data file is corrupted, then fix it with the Cigati Outlook PST Repair Tool. This tool helps users repair and recover emails without losing any critical information. It also allows users to save their recovered data into various file formats like EML, MSG, PST, MBOX, etc. Also, this tool is compatible with all Windows versions.

Conclusion

To conclude, this blog has shared all the possible and effective solutions to fix the “Outlook AutoComplete Not Working” error. You can try out methods that best suit your requirements and successfully fix the error. Furthermore, if the corruption lies in the Outlook PST file, then first repair it with Cigati Outlook PST Repair Tool and then try to fix the error.

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