How to Build Your Windows Live Mail, Outlook Express Address Book Automatically

Again and again, I told myself: "build your address book" so you have the addresses of your friends and business partners when you need them. Of course, I never really followed this advice — until I found a very helpful feature in Windows Live Mail, Windows Mail and Outlook Express.

Whenever you reply to somebody via email a few times, Windows Live Mail, Windows Mail and Outlook Express can add the recipients to your address book automatically. What a sweet way to build a comprehensive list of contacts!

Build Your Windows Live Mail, Windows Mail or Outlook Express Address Book Automatically

To have people to whom you reply added to your Windows Live Mail, Windows Mail or Outlook Express contacts automatically:

• ›› Step by Step Screenshot Walkthrough (using Outlook Express)

• Select Tools | Options... from the menu.
  • In Windows Live Mail, you may have to hold down the Alt key to see the menu bar.
• Go to the Send tab.
• Make sure Automatically put people I reply to in my address book after the third reply (Windows Live Mail), Automatically put people I reply to in my Contact list (Windows Mail) or Automatically put people I reply to in my Address Book (Outlook Express) is checked.
• Click OK.

Note that recipients are not added to your contacts when you start a new message and address it manually. Only when you reply are the original senders turned into address book contacts.