outlook contacts have disappeared

Question

outlook contacts have disappeared

nick Hurst 5

The 'people' tab in new outlook (for Win/11) shows a message 'Loading contacts' with the whirling busy circle and no contacts shown, even though we have contacts stored that have been successfully used previously.

Hornblower409 16,040 Reputation points

2026-02-17T05:18:56.54+00:00

If the Q&A Assist Answer did not solve your problem, please type "Not Solved" in the "Add Comment" box and click the [Add Comment] button.
nick Hurst 5 Reputation points

2026-02-17T14:56:45.05+00:00

Not Solved
Hornblower409 16,040 Reputation points

2026-02-17T20:00:50.34+00:00

@nick Hurst said

[Q&A Assist] Not Solved

You should have an option to "Reject" the Q&A Assist Answer. Once you do, this should alert the forum moderators that you still need help and a human should be picking up your question.

Your other option is to contact Microsoft Support directly.

Open a browser to https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/home/contact

Tell us your problem: "outlook contacts have disappeared"

[Get Help] {Scroll down to the bottom of the page} [Sign in to Contact Support]

Sign in with any Microsoft account

Products and services: "Microsoft 365 and Office"

Category: "Outlook"

[Confirm]

Choose a support option -> "Chat with a support agent in your web browser"

I will be monitoring this Question to see that your problem gets solved,. So if Microsoft Support fixes the issue, please leave a comment to that effect.
nick Hurst 5 Reputation points

2026-02-18T09:26:01.65+00:00

Many thanks for the help & advice. I found no 'reject' option but have started a support chat as advised.
nick Hurst 5 Reputation points

2026-02-18T10:46:42.22+00:00

Success! It took 4 support sessions (1st achieved nothing, 2nd & 3rd closed by the agents with no action). 4th successful using "olk.exe --clearLocalState" from the command prompt. Someone who plainly knew what they were doing. Perhaps familiar with the problem?

Anyway, we're back with a populated, working contacts list.

1 answer

Your answer

Hornblower409 16,040 Reputation points

2026-02-17T05:18:56.54+00:00

If the Q&A Assist Answer did not solve your problem, please type "Not Solved" in the "Add Comment" box and click the [Add Comment] button.
nick Hurst 5 Reputation points

2026-02-17T14:56:45.05+00:00

Not Solved
Hornblower409 16,040 Reputation points

2026-02-17T20:00:50.34+00:00

@nick Hurst said

[Q&A Assist] Not Solved

You should have an option to "Reject" the Q&A Assist Answer. Once you do, this should alert the forum moderators that you still need help and a human should be picking up your question.

Your other option is to contact Microsoft Support directly.

Open a browser to https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/home/contact

Tell us your problem: "outlook contacts have disappeared"

[Get Help] {Scroll down to the bottom of the page} [Sign in to Contact Support]

Sign in with any Microsoft account

Products and services: "Microsoft 365 and Office"

Category: "Outlook"

[Confirm]

Choose a support option -> "Chat with a support agent in your web browser"

I will be monitoring this Question to see that your problem gets solved,. So if Microsoft Support fixes the issue, please leave a comment to that effect.
nick Hurst 5 Reputation points

2026-02-18T09:26:01.65+00:00

Many thanks for the help & advice. I found no 'reject' option but have started a support chat as advised.
nick Hurst 5 Reputation points

2026-02-18T10:46:42.22+00:00

Success! It took 4 support sessions (1st achieved nothing, 2nd & 3rd closed by the agents with no action). 4th successful using "olk.exe --clearLocalState" from the command prompt. Someone who plainly knew what they were doing. Perhaps familiar with the problem?

Anyway, we're back with a populated, working contacts list.

Answer 1

If your contacts are not displaying in the 'People' tab of the new Outlook for Windows and you see a message saying 'Loading contacts', it may be due to a few reasons. Here are some troubleshooting steps you can take:

Check Your Internet Connection: Ensure that you have a stable internet connection, as Outlook may need to sync with the server to load your contacts.
Restart Outlook: Sometimes, simply closing and reopening Outlook can resolve temporary loading issues.
Update Outlook: Make sure that you are using the latest version of Outlook. Check for updates and install any available.
Check Account Settings: Verify that your account settings are correctly configured and that you are logged into the right account that contains your contacts.
Repair Outlook: If the issue persists, you may need to repair your Outlook installation. You can do this through the Control Panel under Programs and Features.
Check for Multiple Contacts Folders: If you have multiple folders named 'Contacts', your contacts might be in a different folder. You can check this by navigating through your folders in Outlook.

If none of these steps resolve the issue, you may want to consult the Microsoft support documentation or forums for further assistance.

References: