How to Add a Contact in Outlook (2026)
A contact stores someone’s name, email, phone, and company so you can reach them and let Outlook auto-complete addresses. You can build a contact from scratch in People or save one in two clicks straight from an email.
1. Add a Contact (New Outlook & Web)
- Click the People icon in the left navigation bar.
- Click New contact at the top.
- Fill in First name, Last name, Email, and any other fields.
- Click Save.
To expand, click Add more for phone, company, address, and notes.
2. Add a Contact (Classic Outlook for Windows)
- At the bottom of the navigation pane, click the People icon (or press Ctrl+3).
- On the Home tab, click New Contact (or press Ctrl+N).
- Enter the details, then click Save & Close.
3. Save a Contact Straight From an Email
This is the fastest way when someone has emailed you.
New Outlook / web: Open the message, click the sender’s name or photo, then click Add to contacts (the + or Add contact button) in the contact card that pops up.
Classic Outlook: Right-click the sender’s name in the message header and choose Add to Outlook Contacts. Fill in any extra fields and click Save & Close.
4. Add a Contact on Outlook Mobile (iOS & Android)
- Open the Outlook app and tap the People tab (or your profile, then People).
- Tap the + button.
- Enter the name and details, then tap the checkmark or Save.
You can also open any email, tap the sender’s name, and tap Add to Contacts.
5. Troubleshooting
My new contact doesn’t auto-complete in the To field
Auto-complete uses a separate cache. Send one email to the address, or wait for the contact list to sync — it can take a few minutes across devices.
Contacts aren’t syncing between devices
Make sure all devices use the same account and that Contacts sync is enabled in your account settings. Contacts saved to a local-only PST in classic Outlook won’t sync.
I see duplicate contacts
Merging duplicates: in People, select the duplicates and choose Merge (web/new Outlook) or Link Contacts (classic Outlook).
Related Outlook guides: How to import contacts into Outlook · How to create a distribution list in Outlook · How to add a signature in Outlook · How to create folders in Outlook · How to filter emails in Outlook
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