adding back removed contacts to contact list

Hi @Melissa Rivera,

Thank you for reaching out to us. Regarding the issue you encountered: “I deleted a contact from my contact list, but less than 2 minutes later, the contact reappeared”, we would like to share the following detailed steps to help resolve the problem:

The contact being re-added is usually caused by a device or service syncing old data. By deleting the contact from all sources and disabling automatic features, you can regain control of your contact list.

1. Delete the contact from all platforms

To ensure the contact is not synced back from another device, please delete it from the following locations:

• Outlook on the web (OWA): Delete the contact as usual.
• Mobile device: Open the Contacts app or Outlook app on your phone and delete the contact. Alternatively, temporarily disable the “Save Contacts” feature in the Outlook app to prevent re-syncing.
• Microsoft Teams: Go to the People/Contacts section in Teams and delete the contact if present.
• Skype for Business (if still in use): Delete the contact in the app or contact your IT department for assistance.

After deletion, we recommend signing out and signing back into Outlook Web, or checking via a different browser (or InPrivate mode) to rule out cache-related issues.

2. Check the “Deleted Contacts” folder

• Go to the People page in Outlook Web.
• On the left sidebar, select the Deleted folder.
• Here, you can:
  • Select the contact and click Delete permanently to remove it for good.
  • Click Recover deleted to check hidden folders and delete if needed.

3. Disable automatic contact creation settings

• Outlook Web: There is no automatic contact creation option, but if you previously clicked “Add to contacts,” that was a manual action.
• Outlook Desktop (if used): Go to File > Options > Mail, find the setting “Automatically create Outlook contacts for recipients that don’t exist,” and uncheck it if enabled.

4. Check for duplicate contacts

• Use the search box in the People page to search by name/email.
• If multiple entries exist, delete them all.
• Outlook may hide duplicate records, so deleting one may reveal others.

5. Check phone sync settings

• In the Outlook app on your phone, go to Settings > Account > Save Contacts and disable this feature.
• This prevents your phone from uploading contacts back to the Outlook server.

6. If the issue persists

• You may contact your IT department to check:
  • Whether any policies are being applied to your contacts.
  • Whether any third-party services (e.g., Salesforce) are syncing contacts.
  • Activity logs to identify the source of the contact reappearance.

 If you have any updates regarding the issue, or if you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to share them with me. I’ll be happy to assist you.

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