The fastest way to remove a contact

Open Outlook and go to the People tab (or Contacts in older versions). Find the contact you want to delete by scrolling or using the search box at the top. Right-click the contact's name and select Delete from the menu that appears. The contact is now gone.

If you are using Outlook on the web (the version you access through a browser), click the contact's name to open their card, then look for the trash or delete icon near the top of the screen and click it. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

The contact disappears when ready from your contact list. If you synced Outlook with your phone or another device, the contact will also disappear from those places within a few minutes as the devices sync with each other.

Key Takeaways

  • Right-click a contact's name in the People tab and select Delete to remove them in seconds.
  • Outlook on the web requires you to open the contact card first, then click the delete icon.
  • Deleted contacts vanish from all your synced devices once the sync completes, usually within minutes.
  • You cannot undo a deletion, so double-check you have the right contact before confirming.
  • Deleting a contact does not delete emails you received from that person — only their entry in your contact list.

Where to find the People tab

In Outlook on your computer, the People tab sits at the bottom of the left sidebar, below Mail, Calendar, and Tasks. Click it once to switch to your contact list. If you do not see it, your version of Outlook may call it Contacts instead — look for that word in the same location.

Once you are in the People or Contacts view, you will see all your saved contacts listed in the center of the screen. The search box at the top lets you type a name to find someone quickly instead of scrolling through the entire list.

Deleting a contact on Outlook.com or Outlook on the web

If you use Outlook through a web browser (the version at outlook.com or outlook.office.com), the steps are slightly different. Click the contact's name in your list to open their full card. At the top of the card, you will see a row of icons — one of them looks like a trash can or has the word Delete next to it.

Click that icon. Outlook will ask you to confirm the deletion. Click Delete again in the confirmation box. The contact is removed from your list when ready.

What happens to emails from that contact

Deleting a contact does not touch any emails you have received from them. All messages from that person stay in your inbox, sent folder, or wherever you filed them. You can still read those emails, search for them, and reply to them — the only thing that changes is that the person's name no longer appears in your contact list.

If you want to remove emails from someone as well, you will need to delete those messages separately. You can select multiple emails from the same sender and delete them together, or use Outlook's search and filter tools to find all messages from that person at once.

Recovering a deleted contact

Outlook does not have a built-in undo button for deleted contacts. Once you confirm the deletion, the contact is gone from your list. However, if you synced Outlook with your phone or another device, you may be able to recover the contact from that device's backup — but this depends on whether your phone or device keeps backups of deleted contacts.

The best protection is to be careful before you delete. Take a moment to make sure you have selected the right person, especially if you have contacts with similar names. If you are unsure, you can also just leave the contact in your list — there is no penalty for having extra contacts you do not use.

Deleting multiple contacts at once

If you need to remove several contacts, you can select more than one at a time. In the People tab, click the first contact you want to delete, then hold down Ctrl (on Windows) or Command (on Mac) and click each additional contact you want to remove. All selected contacts will highlight.

Once you have selected all the contacts you want to delete, right-click any of the highlighted names and select Delete. Outlook will remove all of them at once. This is much faster than deleting them one by one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I undo a contact deletion?

No, Outlook does not have an undo feature for deleted contacts. Once you confirm the deletion, the contact is permanently removed from your list. Make sure you have the right contact selected before you click Delete.

Will deleting a contact remove their emails from my inbox?

No. Deleting a contact only removes their name from your contact list. All emails from that person remain in your inbox and other folders. You can still read and reply to those messages.

If I delete a contact on my computer, will it disappear from my phone too?

Yes, if your phone is synced with Outlook. The deletion will sync to your phone within a few minutes. If your phone is not synced, the contact will remain on your phone until you delete it there separately.

What if I accidentally delete the wrong contact?

You will need to add the contact back manually by entering their name, email address, and phone number again. Keep important contact information written down or saved elsewhere so you can restore it if needed.

Can I delete a contact without opening their full card?

Yes. In Outlook on your computer, right-click the contact's name in the list and select Delete. You do not need to open their full card first. On Outlook.com, you must open the card to see the delete button.