Outlook will not forget an incorrect autofill email address

Tina Leadbetter 0 Reputation points
2026-05-07T01:37:08.0966667+00:00

I am attempting to send an email to a CORRECT address, but Outlook will not accept the entry and continuously changes it to a misspelled version. There is no X to delete the entry. The address is not saved in my contacts. I have cleared the autofill cache and it's still coming up. I have tried Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web. Right now I'm ready to give them a -5 star review. Can anyone help?

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For home

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  1. kagiyama yutaka 5,750 Reputation points
    2026-05-07T03:45:01.77+00:00

    I think Outlook keeps grabbin a stale Exchange Online hidden‑cache, not what u type… open Outlook on the web, let the wrong addr show once, highlight it n tap Del… that layer’s the only one that actually resets this loop.

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  2. Chloe-L 13,710 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-05-07T21:24:25.22+00:00

    Hi Tina Leadbetter,

    Thank you for reaching out, and I apologise for the frustration this is causing. The behaviour you're describing is typically tied to Outlook's Recipient Cache, which stores recently used addresses separately from your saved contacts.

    Please try the following four steps in order:

    1. Command-line deep clean (Classic Outlook for Windows)

    The "Empty Auto-Complete List" button in Outlook's settings sometimes fails to fully wipe the roaming cache. A Windows run command can force a deeper clean:

    • Close Outlook completely.
    • Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.
    • Type or paste exactly: outlook.exe /cleanautocompletecache
    • Press Enter. Outlook will launch and forcefully wipe the synced autocomplete stream.

    2. Clear the local RoamCache folder manually

    If the server keeps pushing the misspelled address back to your desktop client, the local data file may be corrupted and locked, preventing the UI from removing it:

    • Close Outlook.
    • Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.
    • Paste the following path and press Enter: %localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook\RoamCache
    • Locate the file that begins with Stream_Autocomplete_ and ends in .dat.
    • Delete this file (or drag it to your desktop as a backup).
    • Restart Outlook. A fresh, clean autocomplete file will be generated automatically.

    3. The "Add to Contacts" workaround

    If the misspelled entry persists, you can retrain Outlook's predictive logic by opening the People / Contacts tab and manually creating a new contact with the correct email address. When composing your next email, click the To… button and select the recipient from your Address Book rather than typing the name, repeating this 2–3 times usually trains Outlook to prioritise the official Address Book entry over the cached typo.

    I hope this finally clears that stubborn entry permanently. Please don't hesitate to reply here if you need anything further.

    If the answer was helpful, please click on "Accept Answer" and vote positive. If you have any further questions, you can click on "Comment".

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  3. AI answer

    2026-05-07T01:37:29.36+00:00

    The behavior is caused by a bad/invalid entry in the Outlook AutoComplete (nickname) cache. Because the cache is corrupted or the UI no longer shows the delete “X” for that entry, Outlook keeps forcing the wrong address even after clearing the list once.

    Use these steps that are supported in the provided documentation:

    1. Verify AutoComplete is enabled
      1. In Outlook, select File > Options.
      2. Select the Mail tab.
      3. Scroll to Send messages and make sure Use Auto-Complete List to suggest names when typing in the To, Cc, and Bcc lines is checked.
    2. Clear the AutoComplete list from Outlook (classic)
      1. In the same Mail options page, under Send messages, select Empty AutoComplete List.
      2. Confirm by selecting Yes.
      3. Close the dialog and restart Outlook.
      4. Send a few test messages to the correct address so Outlook can repopulate the cache with the correct entry.
    3. Remove the bad entry directly from the suggestion list (where supported)
      1. Start a new message.
      2. Type the first few characters of the problematic address in To.
      3. When the wrong suggestion appears, hover over it until it is highlighted.
      4. If an X appears next to it, select X, or press Delete on the keyboard while it is highlighted to remove it.
      5. Next time, type the full correct address; it will be added back to the AutoComplete list.

    If the AutoComplete feature is enabled and the incorrect suggestion still appears after clearing the list, the AutoComplete cache is considered corrupted and must be deleted/reset as described above. Outlook will then rebuild the cache from new messages that are sent.

    Note: Some recent Outlook builds have reduced or removed the ability to manage individual AutoComplete entries (for example, the missing X icon). In those builds, only clearing the entire AutoComplete list is available, and individual bad entries cannot be permanently removed beyond that.

    References:

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