Change The Display Name Of Contacts In Outlook 2010 / 2013 / 2016

Cathy O'Neil
Cathy O'Neil Last Updated: May 19, 2022

Software: Office 2010, 2013 & 2016 | Last modified on 2018-06-19

A couple of steps to change the display name of contacts in Outlook 2010, 2013 & 2016. The autocomplete feature in Outlook depends on either the display name or the e-mail address of the recipient. In some cases the display name becomes the same as the e-mail address after importing a .csv file, disabling the ability to search by name.

[Solution 1] Change the display name


  1. Open the Outlook app and click New Email.
  2. Click on the Address Book, right-click on the contact you wish to edit and select Properties.
  3. Type in the new display name and click Save & Exit to save the new display name.
  4. The autocomplete feature will load the new display name instantly without having to restart the Outlook app.

Cathy O'Neil
Written by

Cathy O'Neil

Cathy O’Neil is the author of the bestselling Weapons of Math Destruction, which won the Euler Book Prize and was longlisted for the National Book Award. She received her PhD in mathematics from Harvard and has worked in finance, tech, and academia. She launched the Lede Program for data journalism at Columbia University and recently founded ORCAA, an algorithmic auditing company. O’Neil is a regular contributor to Bloomberg View.


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