Why does my email appear like this?

Question

Why does my email appear like this?

Chakan Glou 20

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Whenever I type my email, this is exactly the name that comes up. I have no idea what is going, I have run at least 3 antivirus scans and everything has come up clear. I am afraid people will look me up via that name and apparently, this is an academic and professional account. I have deleted the suggested name, and it still pops up after a couple of hours again.
I really need your help with this one, because apparently creating a new account is not possible right now. Thanks xx

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Answer accepted by question author

Chloe-V 13,450 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Chakan Glou,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

For the standard steps (updating the account display name, removing the unwanted suggestion via the X in the To field, and checking whether the entry is saved in People/Contacts), you can refer to the guidance provided by Q&A Assist.

In addition, to help prevent the suggestion from returning, please also try:

1. Clear / turn off expanded “Suggested people”

Settings > General > Privacy and data
Under Suggested people, select Clear data and turn off.

2. Mailbox setting review

In Outlook on the web: Settings > Mail > Rules and Forwarding: remove anything you didn’t create and confirm forwarding is not enabled.
Review connected apps and remove access for anything unrecognized.

Please feel free to let me know if you have any further updates, thanks.

Since this is a public forum, we will hide your personal identifiable information, and I have sent that image of yours containing your personal identifiable information in a private message so we can work together to resolve the issue. Also, please check your private message in case you want to share another screenshot to avoid leaking your PII by click on the Private Message button as show below

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If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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Chloe-V 13,450 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-22T07:29:44.1133333+00:00

Hi Chakan Glou,

May I know if you have got any chance to check my answer? I am glad to help if you have any other questions.
Chakan Glou 20 Reputation points

2026-03-23T21:06:19.3066667+00:00

Hi there! Excuse my belated reply! First of all, thank you for guiding me throughout the steps! Unfortunately, it seems that nothing has worked so far. My name still reappears like this even when I manually delete it from the suggestion box.
Chloe-V 13,450 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-24T07:04:06.23+00:00
Hi Chakan Glou,

Thank you for the update. Since this name continues to reappear even after being manually removed and after clearing Suggested people, this behavior usually indicates that the entry is being retained in Outlook’s autocomplete (nickname cache), rather than coming from current Contacts or People data.

Please try the following additional checks:

Sign in at https://outlook.live.com using an InPrivate/Incognito window or a different browser, then check whether the name still appears when composing a new email.

If possible, try composing an email on another device (for example, a mobile browser or a different computer). This helps determine whether the behavior is device‑specific.

If the name continues to appear across multiple browsers and devices, the autocomplete data is likely stored server‑side and cannot be reset by the user. In that case, contacting Microsoft Support is recommended so the account can be reviewed directly:

Go to the Microsoft Support page and type live chat in the search box

Select Get Help, then choose Contact Support

If you can’t sign in to the affected account, sign in using a different Microsoft account

Under Products & Services, select Other Products, then choose Billing and Account Profile question

Select Chat with a support agent via web browser

Clearly explain the situation you are experiencing

Thank you for your time and understanding.
Chakan Glou 20 Reputation points

2026-03-27T10:12:23.6033333+00:00

Hi there, thank you once again for clarifying all the steps I can take to resolve the issue! It's been a couple of days and it seems that the occurring problem has finally stopped! I will give it some more time just to make sure everything is working fine!
I sincerely thank you for your time and your answer(s)!
Chloe-V 13,450 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-29T07:21:55.63+00:00

Hi Chakan Glou,

Thank you for the update. It’s good to hear that the issue appears to be resolved.

Please continue to monitor, and if the issue reoccurs, let us know.

1 additional answer

Your answer

Chloe-V 13,450 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-22T07:29:44.1133333+00:00

Hi Chakan Glou,

May I know if you have got any chance to check my answer? I am glad to help if you have any other questions.
Chakan Glou 20 Reputation points

2026-03-23T21:06:19.3066667+00:00

Hi there! Excuse my belated reply! First of all, thank you for guiding me throughout the steps! Unfortunately, it seems that nothing has worked so far. My name still reappears like this even when I manually delete it from the suggestion box.
Chloe-V 13,450 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-24T07:04:06.23+00:00

Hi Chakan Glou,

Thank you for the update. Since this name continues to reappear even after being manually removed and after clearing Suggested people, this behavior usually indicates that the entry is being retained in Outlook’s autocomplete (nickname cache), rather than coming from current Contacts or People data.

Please try the following additional checks:

Sign in at https://outlook.live.com using an InPrivate/Incognito window or a different browser, then check whether the name still appears when composing a new email.

If possible, try composing an email on another device (for example, a mobile browser or a different computer). This helps determine whether the behavior is device‑specific.

If the name continues to appear across multiple browsers and devices, the autocomplete data is likely stored server‑side and cannot be reset by the user. In that case, contacting Microsoft Support is recommended so the account can be reviewed directly:

Go to the Microsoft Support page and type live chat in the search box

Select Get Help, then choose Contact Support

If you can’t sign in to the affected account, sign in using a different Microsoft account

Under Products & Services, select Other Products, then choose Billing and Account Profile question

Select Chat with a support agent via web browser

Clearly explain the situation you are experiencing

Thank you for your time and understanding.
Chakan Glou 20 Reputation points

2026-03-27T10:12:23.6033333+00:00

Hi there, thank you once again for clarifying all the steps I can take to resolve the issue! It's been a couple of days and it seems that the occurring problem has finally stopped! I will give it some more time just to make sure everything is working fine!
I sincerely thank you for your time and your answer(s)!
Chloe-V 13,450 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-29T07:21:55.63+00:00

Hi Chakan Glou,

Thank you for the update. It’s good to hear that the issue appears to be resolved.

Please continue to monitor, and if the issue reoccurs, let us know.

Answer 1

The display name shown when entering an email address in Outlook.com or Outlook on the web comes from the Microsoft account profile or from a saved contact/auto-complete entry, not from a virus.

To correct it, update the Microsoft account’s primary display name and remove any old cached entry:

Open a browser and sign in to the Microsoft account that owns the email address.
Go to the account profile and change the display name to the desired academic/professional name.
In Outlook on the web, start a new message and begin typing the email address.
When the unwanted suggestion appears, select the “X” or delete/remove option next to it to clear the auto-complete entry.
If there is a contact in People/Contacts with that name tied to the address, delete or edit that contact.

If the address is also used as a personal Microsoft account and a work/school account, there may effectively be two identities with the same email. In that case, adjust the personal Microsoft account’s alias or name so that the correct identity is shown when sending mail. For details on how Microsoft can have two accounts with the same email and how to change the personal account’s alias or sign-in name, see the referenced article below.

References:

Which account do you want to use?