Outlook 2016 - 365 - Not displaying private contacts

mar94 · 11 Jan 2017

Hello -
Just bought a new computer with Windows 10 and Office 365. Have had great difficulty setting up Outlook email. Had to switch to a POP3 email account in order to recoup my category capability. And now, I can't figure out how to display my PRIVATE contacts. None of them show up, even upon search.

I read somewhere that one needs a Microsoft Exchange account in order to make this happen - I don't even know what that is. And how is that possible that all of my private contacts have simply disappeared?

Any help would be greatly appreciated - THANK YOU.

Caledon Ken · 11 Jan 2017

Welcome to the TenForums.

Outlook can be quite involved to set up but lets give it a shot. You said you bought a new computer and then if I have this correct you are using the monthly / yearly plan, Office 365, to get access to all the Microsoft Office Programs. Within this group you are trying to use Outlook 2016. I'm asking for this clarification as there are several items labelled "Outlook" in the Microsoft stable, their web based mail, their Window 10 / Tablet app and the actual Office Outlook. Please confirm this is Office Outlook 2016.

So I'll assume this is Office Outlook 2016. When you moved from your old machine did you create pst file of your mail and contacts that you or someone imported for you on your new machine. If they imported your contacts then in the people window, on the left hand side, assuming you have the navigation pane open, do you see the words Contacts (This computer only). Clcik on this. It should show your imported contacts.

Don't worry about the Exchange account, that is something as simple as a Outlook.com address (formerly known as Hotmail.com).

I don't want you to supply your full email address but are you using gmail, hotmail, yahoo etc?

mar94 · 11 Jan 2017

Thank you so much for your reply.

Yes - correct assumption - Office 365 subscription.

I had previously been using Outlook 2007 on Windows 7 and the .pst data file would not transfer anything. So I had to start from scratch. The only way I was able to retrieve my Calendar and Contacts was (thankfully!) from my phone. (iPhone 7 using Deja Connect, not iCloud).

For my primary account, the one associated with the Contacts and the Calendar, I am using the email provided by my website hosted by BlueHost.

Hope this information is what you were asking - thank you again for taking the time to respond.

Caledon Ken · 11 Jan 2017

Do you still have old 7? We really should start there.

I am familiar with deja and we just abandon it on my wife's android in favor of a full Outlook / Outlook.com solution. I use same solution, Outlook, to iPhone 6.

I assume you sync deja wirelessly? I ask as I recall there was a way to set the replication direction. So maybe get lucky and export to PC.

First though, is your old seven around?

mar94 · 11 Jan 2017

Thanks, again - that's pretty amazing that you're using a similar set-up.

I can't fire up the old computer, but I can 'maybe' find the old .pst file.

I sync deja via USB. And I'm thinking that one semi-solution is to un-check all of the Private contacts on my phone and sync to the computer - thereby losing the capability that privacy provides. Does that seem to be a logical conclusion?

What is your Outlook to iPhone solution??

Thank you!

Caledon Ken · 12 Jan 2017

Yes you could uncheck and if you are using USB then I'm very sure there is a sync direction. I'm not familiar with marking contacts Private. I know I mark meetings private. My phone like yours, I'm sure, is password protected.

I would find old .pst. You have to watch where you find it. There maybe more than one and one could be down the hidden path of "Appdata" assuming Win 7. You really want to look through all folders under your user name with hidden files exposed. Then a wild card search *.pst.

My solution. I use Outlook 2013 on PC. I then have an Outlook.com web account. (These also go under the name hotmail, msn, live).

I took by calendar from Outlook and imported it into Outlook.com. I added the outlook.com account to Outlook 2013. When I added outlook.com account to Outlook 2013, I told it it was an exchange account. Now my calendar gets sync'ed from Outlook.com to Outlook 2013. For contacts and tasks I copied them in Outlook 2013 from PST file to the outlook.com account. (Copy and paste within Outlook 2013. These were then sync'ed up to Outlook.com by system. Yes, different process from calendar. I just followed directions in articles.

I set the outlook.com account in outlook to be the default data account. Now what ever I do in either place is sync'ed.

The phone was the easiest. I went to Apple mail app and I added the outlook.com account and told it to sync reminders(tasks), calendar, and contacts. Then I went into the mail account settings on phone and set things from outlook.com to be default, told it to sync all mail, not to delete stuff on its own etc.

All this syncing is done wireless and while not real time some changes sync so fast it appears that way. Other days it can take five minutes.

Now if I add to my phone it appears on Outlook 2013 and vice-versa. One trick on calendar, invites have to be sent to Outlook.com address. If not they appear on you PST calendar. I just use Apple apps, reminders, calendars, contacts, mail.

There was another post I did in the last two / three weeks about Outlook and in that post I posted the articles I used as reference. Person wanted to sync calendar, contacts and notes. Have a look, if you can't find then I will look.

mar94 · 13 Jan 2017

THANK YOU so much again for your clear explanations. I finally unmarked all of the private contacts on the phone, uploaded, and all contacts are there. Hooray.

I will print out your instructions for the Outlook.com to Apple option at a later date. That might be a possibility. Again, thank you very much for responding.

Caledon Ken · 13 Jan 2017

That is what the forum is for. Once you read the instructions if you have any questions post. Once I converted my wife she loved it. Every so often Deja would not find device and you basically have some things in two places. This way its all done for you.