Can't edit contact details in Outlook Live

Anonymous
2016-08-09T23:09:11+00:00

Since Microsoft "upgraded" Outlook Live a month or so ago, I've had problems editing details, such as email addresses and phone numbers, for people in my Contacts list. For instance, one contact's first name, last name, personal email, cell phone and two home phone numbers are editable: if I wanted to, I could put my cursor in the box and delete or type over them. But for some reason, the business number, which is no longer valid since the person is no longer employed, can't be deleted. The box is grayed out, and when I try to highlight the number with my mouse in order to delete it, the mouse doesn't work. This is true for other contacts in my list as well. Has anyone else had this baffling and frustrating problem?

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Contacts

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments No comments

77 answers

Sort by: Newest
  1. Anonymous
    2016-11-17T10:25:44+00:00

    I was going to do some testing of this to find it where the problem is (I am sure Microsoft have already done this testing and deemed it a "feature".

    1. This happens in ever browser
    2. In Outlook settings the People/Connect to social networks settings page fails (in every browser)

    1. I have no idea how to delete contacts

    I give up, hello Gmail

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments
  2. Anonymous
    2016-11-16T18:02:14+00:00

    We have many folks reporting this, I've even initiated a support incident. The support folks really have no clue and just keep asking me pointless questions like I've never used a computer before.

    Microsoft you need to get your **** together, this is just one of the MANY issues with this new email client and you seem to be doing nothing about it. The Android Outlook app is a joke as well, you can edit the contacts on the phone but next sync overwrites your changes.

    I've just about had enough of the the 'new' Microsoft, I'm thinking it's just about time to go back to Google.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments
  3. Anonymous
    2016-11-16T17:45:22+00:00

    Similar issues here, I started another thread here: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook\_com/forum/opeople-ocontacts/contacts-not-properly-updating-in-outlook-people/9ad80f95-8dd7-4ad7-8da8-84f25e9868a8

    I've been able to get around the greyed out thing by recreating the contact (lame, I know), but now I have a different problem where some contacts aren't editable at all (and Siri won't function with any of those contacts).

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments
  4. Anonymous
    2016-10-26T10:50:34+00:00

    I have the same issue

    I can change some aspects but not others

    I think it's come from combining contacts from Google and Hotmail on my mobile.

    All fields should be editable though, as this is Live.com contacts

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments
  5. Anonymous
    2016-10-20T12:08:13+00:00

    I have a Microsoft Account, which I use extensively both via the web and using Outlook 2016 on my PC.

    It has NOT yet been migrated to the new format.

    I have a sister with a Microsoft Account which basically only exists as the phone shop set it up when she bought a Windows phone. Her account HAS been migrated to the new format.

    I wanted to show my sister how to use the people.live.com online to tidy up all the contacts in the phone - she has a mismash of multiple entries for some people as her very old phone didn't allow for multiple numbers for a single contact and she has some incorrect email addresses etc in the list.

    However, as other listers here have reported, accessing her People gets some boxes in some contacts being greyed out and not editable. Also, one which WAS editable then became a problem afterwards. eg. on her main contact for me, it had my home number under the heading of mobile. So I added a new line for home, input the correct home number, and deleted the old contents of the mobile box. That mobile box is now still displaying the home number and has become greyed out. There are other entries in both my record and other people that cannot be edited even though the details are wrong.

    Not all of the contacts in her list have Microsoft Accounts, and those without also have greyed out boxes.

    When the Microsoft rep managed to do one reply in August, the question was asked "is the contact that you are trying to edit linked to any social account?". Not sure what the question really meant but just in case - my sister does not use social media at all, the contact in question this time (ie. me as an individual) does use social media but I do not link my microsoft account or address book to any social media system or app. And one of the details we wish to change is an old email address showing in the contact which no longer exists and which had never been used for any social media account.

    So come on Microsoft, you asked some questions of the original poster back in August and have then seemingly ignored the issue completely since the answers were posted. We need this resolving - preferably before my own account gets migrated as I don't fancy coping with it after that - but just some sort of acknowledgement that the problem is being looked at would be a useful start.

    Was this answer helpful?

    2 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments