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Can't remove from contact list

Stephanie M Mcgivern 5 Reputation points
2025-08-29T15:16:20.2033333+00:00

I have a contact list that I created where I am trying to remove a few emails. I edit, remove, and save. The contact list details show it saved (dropping from 71 emails to 68), then within 30 seconds those emails are back on the list (showing 71 emails again).

My outlook is through my school district but the contact list was created by me.

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Contacts

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  1. Arlene D 14,455 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-08-29T15:50:16.8733333+00:00

    Hi, thanks for reaching out. If the emails keep coming back after you remove them, this is often caused by sync between Outlook and your school account.

    To fix this, make sure you edit the contact list itself, not the individual contacts. In the latest Outlook:

    Go to People.

    Open your contact list.

    Select Edit.

    Remove the unwanted emails.

    Select Save.

    If the issue continues, check with your school’s IT admin because organization policies or sync settings may override your changes.

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  3. Sin-D 3,980 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-08-30T03:56:02.8866667+00:00

    Hello Stephanie,

    Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A community.

    I understand you’re experiencing where removed emails reappear in your Outlook.com contact list. If it’s a Microsoft 365 Group or directory-managed list, you may not have full control over membership. Try to clear browser cache and test in InPrivate mode.

    Please also try to start a new email, type the address, hover over the suggestion, and click X to remove it. And navigate to People > All Contact Lists, select your list, click Edit, remove the emails, and click Save. If the issue persists, export the list, delete it, and create a new one.

    If you're using linked accounts or sync settings, Temporarily disable sync with other services to prevent re-adding contacts. And finally, as a workaround, create a new contact list and migrate your contacts.

    If the issue persists, please let me know.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". 

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

    Best regards,

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