Can't find my old Outlook contacts

Hi Sylvia Guevara, 

I understand you upgraded to Windows 11 and Microsoft 365, and while your contacts appear in the new Outlook, you prefer the classic (old) Contacts layout and want to use that again.  

To get the “old Contacts” experience back please switch back to Outlook (classic):  

• Switch back to classic Outlook  
  • Open the new Outlook for Windows. 
  • Use the toggle at the top-right and select Switch back to classic Outlook  
  • If you only need classic temporarily, choose Use classic Outlook this time (it opens classic immediately, but future launches may still redirect to new Outlook).  
• Launch the correct app directly  
  • Open Windows Start and search Outlook. 
  • Open Outlook (classic)  
• If classic keeps opening new Outlook  
  • Set the registry value UseNewOutlook to 0 at: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Preferences 
  • Then launch Outlook (classic) again from Start.  
• Optional (if you want both installed) 
  • Run new Outlook and classic Outlook side-by-side by toggling back and pinning both apps to Start/taskbar for easy switching.  

Please tell me how it goes. If the problem persists, please don’t hesitate to reply to this thread and I will be happy to help. Have a lovely day!   

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In the new Outlook for Windows, contacts are still stored in the mailbox, but the People/Contacts view and layout are different from classic Outlook. To work with the same contacts in a way that feels closer to the old behavior, use these options:

1. Open and verify contacts in the new Outlook
   1. In new Outlook, select People on the navigation bar.
   2. Make sure All contacts is selected so all existing contacts are visible.
   3. Use Sort by (filter button showing e.g. By first name) to change how contacts are listed (by first name, last name, company, city, or recently added). This can make the list feel more like the classic view.
2. Restore any contacts that might have been deleted If some contacts are missing after the upgrade, they may be in Deleted/Recoverable folders:
   1. Go to People in new Outlook.
   2. Select the Deleted folder.
   3. If the contacts are there, right‑click each and select Restore.
   4. If not visible there, in the Deleted folder select Recover deleted at the top, choose the contacts, and select Restore. They will go back to their original folder or the default Contacts folder.
3. Check for contacts in a different Contacts folder (after migration) After migrations or upgrades, contacts can end up in a different Contacts folder:
   1. In Outlook Desktop (classic), open the folder list and look for more than one folder named Contacts (or a localized equivalent).
   2. If contacts appear in a folder that has a regular folder icon instead of the contact card icon, drag those contacts into the Contacts folder that has the contact card icon. That is the folder Outlook uses as the main contacts folder.
4. If preferring classic Outlook instead of new Outlook The contacts themselves are the same; only the interface differs. If classic Outlook is still available on the system, switching back to it will show the contacts in the older layout while using the same mailbox data.

If the upgrade involved a new profile or a different data file, old contacts may also be in an older Outlook Data File (.pst). In that case, opening or importing that PST into Outlook will bring those contacts into the current profile.

References:

• Manage contacts in Outlook
• Restore or recover a deleted contact in Outlook
• Contacts folder empty and contacts are in a different folder in Outlook for Microsoft 365
• Import or export contacts in Outlook using a .csv file
• How do I recover my old email messages, my contacts and everything else I had in Outlook? - Microsoft Q&A