When I am writing an email, how do I get the to blank to automatically fill when I start typing the to name?

Dear @Neil Macey,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A Forum!

Based on your description, I can understand that it is about Outlook’s AutoComplete feature (also called “nickname cache”). Normally, when you start typing in the To field, Outlook suggests names based on:

• Your AutoComplete cache (previously used addresses).
• Your Contacts or Global Address List (GAL) if connected to Exchange/365.

If suggestions are missing, common causes include:

• AutoComplete is disabled in Outlook settings.
• The AutoComplete cache is corrupted or cleared.
• Outlook profile is new or recently reset.
• Using a version where the feature is turned off by policy.

If it’s not working, here are the steps to check:

1.First, you can check the Q&A Assist answer to enable Auto-Complete:

• Go to File > Options > Mail.
• Under Send messages, make sure Use Auto-Complete List to suggest names when typing in the To, Cc, and Bcc lines is checked.

2.You should verify Contacts and Address Book to ensure your contacts are saved in Outlook or that you have access to the Global Address List (GAL) if using Exchange/Office 365.

3.You may reset Auto-Complete List (if corrupted):

• In the same Mail Options section, click Empty Auto-Complete List to rebuild it (see image above, you can see that it's next to the red box).
• Restart Outlook and start typing addresses again to repopulate the list.
• In this The Outlook AutoComplete list article, it states that there is a known issue in The AutoComplete cache, it can become corrupted over time and might not save new entries.

4.You may check Policies or Profile: in business environments, Group Policy or a new Outlook profile can disable Auto-Complete. Confirm with your IT admin if this applies.

I hope this information can help you and please kindly give any feedback in comment section. Wish you a pleasant day!

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To enable the automatic filling of the "To" field when composing an email in Outlook, you need to ensure that the AutoComplete feature is turned on. Here’s how you can do that:

1. In Outlook, select File > Options.
2. Select the Mail tab.
3. Scroll down to the Send messages section and make sure the Use Auto-Complete List to suggest names when typing in the To, Cc, and Bcc lines box is checked.

Once this feature is enabled, Outlook will automatically suggest names and email addresses based on your previous email interactions as you start typing in the "To" field.