How to Open Your Outlook.com Address Book

This article explains where to find the address book feature on Outlook.com and how to use it. Instructions apply to Outlook.com and Outlook Online.

Open the Outlook.com Address Book (People)

You won't find an address book on Outlook.com. Instead, look for People when you want to find your contacts, groups, and lists. You'll also use People to edit, add, and remove entries. You can open Outlook.com People using either the mouse or a keyboard shortcut.

To view your contacts in Outlook.com:

1. Sign in at the Office.com portal.

2. Open the Office Applications Launcher.

3. Select People.

Use Search Mail and People in Outlook Mail

A quick way to find a contact you have received mail from or have added to your People contact list is to use the Search box at the top of the People window.

To find a contact, type a name and Outlook retrieves matches from your email and your People contacts. Select the contact and then search further by folder and date to retrieve specific emails from that contact.

Keyboard Shortcuts to Open People Address Book

Depending on your preferences, turn keyboard shortcuts on or off. Go to Settings, select View all Outlook settings, then go to General > Accessibility.

You can choose to activate different sets of shortcuts, including Outlook.com, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, and Outlook. If you don't want to use keyboard shortcuts, select Turn off keyboard shortcuts.

To open your People contacts with Outlook.com keyboard shortcuts enabled, press Ctrl+Shift+3 in Outlook.com email. If Gmail shortcuts are enabled, press GC.

View and Sort Your People Address Book in Outlook.com

To see your contacts and sort them in various ways:

• View a contact list: In the Folder pane, choose the contact list you want to view. View all your contacts, your contact lists, or contacts that you've organized into folders.
• Change the sort order: At the top of the contact list, select the dropdown arrow and choose a sort by order. Choose to sort the list by name, company, city, or recently added.

Add and Manage Contacts

Outlook.com provides tools to manage your address book.

1. To add a contact, go to the Outlook.com menu and select New Contact. Enter the contact information and select Create.

2. To import or export a contact list, go to the Manage menu.

3. To add a contact to the Favorites List, select the contact and select Add to favorites.

Use People to Reach Your Contacts

When you select a contact, you'll find quick links to start a new email, view files you've shared with the contact, start a Skype chat, view their LinkedIn profile, and other links that may be set up.