People/Contacts not populating on new Macbook Air. Mail and Calendar are syncing.

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People/Contacts not populating on new Macbook Air. Mail and Calendar are syncing.

Barry Marsh 20

I use my MS Exchange account on iPhone with no problems. Just added the same account to a new Macbook Air. Mail and Calendar synced normally. In Contacts (on Macbook), the Exchange account shows in the accounts list, but no contacts are displaying.

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Answer 1

Hi Barry

Thank you for providing the details. Since your Exchange account is syncing Mail and Calendar successfully on the new MacBook Air, and the same account works normally on your iPhone, the account itself appears to be connected correctly.

Please try the following steps on your MacBook Air:

Open System Settings > Internet Accounts.
Select your Exchange account.
Verify that Contacts is enabled for the account. When an Exchange account is added to macOS, you can choose which apps sync with the account, including Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Reminders, and Notes.

For reference: Set up email in Mac OS X Mail | Microsoft Support

Additionally:

Open the Contacts app and make sure you are viewing All Contacts or the Exchange contact list, rather than only iCloud or local contacts.
Restart your Mac and check whether the contacts begin to populate.
If contacts still do not appear, remove the Exchange account from Internet Accounts, restart the Mac, then add the account back as Exchange. During setup, confirm that Contacts is selected for syncing.

Also, please verify that the account was added as an Exchange account and not as IMAP or POP. IMAP and POP support email synchronization only and do not sync contacts or calendars. Exchange is required for contact and calendar synchronization.

For reference: Can't sync calendar and contacts with my phone or tablet | Microsoft Support

If the issue persists after re-adding the account, the behavior may be related to the macOS Contacts application or the local macOS user profile. As a next step, you may want to test the same Exchange account in a new macOS user profile. If the issue remains isolated to the Contacts app, contacting Apple Support would also be recommended.

I hope the information provided is helpful. If you have any questions or would like further clarification on any of the steps above, please don't hesitate to let us know. We'll be happy to assist you further.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes". If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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Barry Marsh 20 Reputation points

2026-07-20T19:31:33.6266667+00:00

Thanks very much for your reply! Deleting account and re-adding using the "Exchange" account option solved it.
Anonymous

2026-07-20T19:42:15.62+00:00

Hi Barry

Thank you for your update.

I'm glad to hear that the issue has been resolved. Deleting and re-adding the account using the Exchange account option was the right approach in this case. Thank you for taking the time to share the outcome, as it may help other community members facing a similar issue.

If my answer was helpful, I would greatly appreciate it if you could click "Yes" to mark it as the answer. This helps others quickly find the solution when encountering the same problem.

Warm regards.
Barry Marsh 20 Reputation points

2026-07-20T20:36:46.4433333+00:00

Done, and thanks again!
Anonymous

2026-07-20T20:45:47.1166667+00:00

Hi Barry

Thank you for accepting my answer. I'm glad to hear that your contacts are now syncing properly. If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out.

Have a great day.