Edit suggested contact list

@Amy McDonald said

when I start typing. I used to see an 'x' to remove an old contact but I no longer get this option.

This is not a bug. There are no workarounds. Microsoft has removed the ability to "Contact Mask" a single entry in your Contacts Autocomplete List. i.e. There is no "X" any more.

https://admin.cloud.microsoft/?#/MessageCenter/:/messages/MC1234566

Outlook is retiring the "Contact Masking" feature on March 31, 2026, which allowed users to hide suggested recipients. Hidden contacts may reappear after this date. No admin action is required, and no replacement feature will be provided. The change resolves cross-app inconsistencies and confusion.

For additional details see the Answer by "Hornblower409 Apr 27 2026" in
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5871874/manually-removing-an-email-address-from-the-sugges

Hi Amy,

This is a known problem assuming you are seeking help for Outlook 365, not Outlook for web - one of our MVPs have given some workarounds here:

https://www.slipstick.com/outlook/deleting-autocomplete-entries/

Even if you are using OWA, I believe the problem might be correlated. Please click Help > Report a problem in order to let Microsoft know. I appreciate your patience while Microsoft resolves it.

I hope this information helps. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to reach out.

Otherwise, if your problem is resolved, please take a moment to rate the answer. Wishing you good luck!

A Windows MVP writes content on the above website, so it is safe. However, do watch out for the ads. It should translate into your Browser language automatically.

In Outlook on the web/Outlook.com, suggested recipients come from:

• Recent recipients (auto-complete/suggestions when typing in To/Cc/Bcc)
• Saved contacts and contact lists in People

To clean up what appears when typing, remove or update the underlying contacts/contact lists rather than relying on an “X” in the suggestion list.

Remove unwanted addresses from a contact list:

1. Go to the People page in Outlook.com.
2. In the left navigation, select All contact lists, or search for the contact list name.
3. Select the contact list, then select Edit.
4. Select the x next to each name or email address to remove it from that list.
5. Select Save.

Remove a contact from specific contact lists:

1. On the People page, select the contact.
2. On the toolbar, select Add to list.
3. In the pane that shows which lists the contact belongs to, select the X next to any list you want to remove the contact from.
4. Click outside the pane to close it.

After cleaning up contacts and contact lists, the unwanted addresses will stop appearing as suggestions when composing mail.

References:

• Create, view, and edit contacts and contact lists in Outlook.com