While you may have sorted your Contacts folder the way you want it to, the Address Book in Outlook has its own sorting mechanism.
The separation can be quite confusing some times and the options which control the sorting order aren’t all located in the same location either, which can make things even more confusing.
From the article: 'Outlook for Mac does not currently support CalDAV or CardDAV. This means that it is not possible to synchronize your Outlook on the web [], iCloud, Gmail calendar or contacts with Outlook 2016 for Mac.' Wow, this is a show-stopper for me! I want it to be my Outlook address book for email. When I right click on the 'Contacts icloud' folder name in outlook and go to properties> 'outlook address book tab,' I can see the word 'contacts' in the field for the name of the address book. But it's grayed out and the checkbox>'show this folder as an email address book' is also grayed out.
This guide explains how you can set your preferred default and how to get uniformity in your Address Book.
- Outlook Defaults
Outlook defaults
There are various options in Outlook which control how a contact’s name is being shown. The defaults are as follows:
- Address Book: First Last
- Contacts Folder – File As: Last, First
- Contacts Folder – Full Name: First (Middle) Last
Address Book
The Address Book is the dialog which you get when you press the Address Book icon on the Ribbon or Toolbar, press on the To, CC or BCC button while composing a message or use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+SHIFT+B.
Aside from sorting it “First Last”, you can also set it to use the “File As” of a contact. You can change this in the following way:
- Outlook 2007
Tools-> Account Settings…-> tab Address Books-> double click on: Outlook Address Book - Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013 and Outlook 2016
File-> Account Settings-> Account Settings…-> tab Address Books-> double click on: Outlook Address Book
When you’ve changed the “Show names by” option in the Outlook Address Book, you might need to restart Outlook before the change will take affect.
Sorting options of the Outlook Address Book.
Contacts Folder – File As
The File As setting controls how a contact is stored and initially sorted. Granted, it is somewhat meaningless as the Contacts folder can be sorted by any other field as well.
This field does hold merit though when you for instance prefer to file family and close friends only by their first name, business contacts by Company, Last, First and all other contacts Last, First. No other sorting mechanism would allow for this system.
As it is basically a free-form field for each contact item and its default is set to Last, First, it is a great alternative way to sort your Address Book to your liking or simply switch your Address Book sorting order from First Last to Last, First.
To change the default setting for the File As field use:
- Outlook 2007
Tools-> Options…-> tab Preferences-> button Contact Options…-> option: Default “File As” order - Outlook 2010
File-> Options-> Contacts-> option: Default “File As” order - Outlook 2013 and Outlook 2016
File-> Options-> People-> option: Default “File As” order
![Icloud address book outlook 2016 free Icloud address book outlook 2016 free](/uploads/1/2/5/7/125700115/746577795.png)
The “File As” setting is only a default format suggestion. You are free to change the field for each contact or even freely type something else (like a nickname) in the field.
Contacts Folder – Full Name
The Full Name setting doesn’t play a role in the sorting order for the Outlook Address Book. It is however used as a display field for your Contacts folder and can also be used in a Mail Merge.
As the default for this field is the reverse of the “File As” setting, it allows you to quickly sort your Contacts folder by both First Last and Last, First.
To change the default setting for the Full Name field use:
- Outlook 2007
Tools-> Options…-> tab Preferences-> button Contact Options…-> option: Default “Full Name” order - Outlook 2010
File-> Options-> Contacts-> option: Default “Full Name” order - Outlook 2013 and Outlook 2016
File-> Options-> People-> option: Default “Full Name” order
Default Names and Filing options for Contacts.
Updating the “File As” field for existing contacts
Changing the default File As and Full Name settings for your Contacts folder doesn’t automatically update these fields for your existing contacts.
This also wouldn’t make much sense since it is an individual field for each contact which you save. As mentioned previously, you might want to file your contact items for your friends and family different from the ones for your business contacts.
To still be able to update your contacts in bulk, for instance when you want a different default altogether, you can use the following script or one of the add-ins:
- Standardize Contacts’ Full Name and File As format (script)
- Contacts Sort Order by Sperry Software (discount code: BH93RF24 )
The Contacts Sort Order add-in allows you to change the File As field of all your Contacts at once and with it, affect their sorting order in your Outlook Address Book.
Before you start:
- Make sure that your PC meets the iCloud system requirements.
- Download iCloud for Windows.
- Sign in to iCloud for Windows with your Apple ID. If you don't use iCloud for Windows, set up two-factor authentication and sign in to Outlook with your Apple ID user name and an app-specific password.
- Check the System Status page to see if there are any known issues affecting iCloud Mail, Contacts, or Calendars.
- Make sure the date and time settings on your device are correct.
- Make copies of your iCloud data.
If you don’t have devices that can be updated to iOS 9 or OS X El Capitan, you can set up two-step verification instead.
Resolve Duplicates
- If you’re having trouble with duplicate calendars, we can help you remove them.
- And if you see duplicate contacts, we'll help you remove them as well.
Check your Internet connection
- Try to open apple.com. If you can’t connect, then your iCloud Calendars, Contacts or Reminders won’t update in Outlook. You'll need to get help with your Internet connection.
- Try to open a secure website from your PC. If you see an error message such as 'connection timed out,' you'll need to contact your Internet service provider for help.
Check your log-in settings
If you have multiple Apple IDs that you use with iCloud, you might be logged in to iCloud for Windows with a different account than you are on your other devices. To check, open iCloud for Windows and compare it with your other devices.
Refresh Outlook
If you recently made changes in Outlook that aren't updating on your other devices, or changes on your other devices that aren't updating in Outlook, click Refresh in Outlook.
If the installed version of Outlook is not supported
If you receive an error that says the Installed version of Outlook is not supported by iCloud, uninstall the version of Office that you got from the Windows store. Then, follow these steps to install Office 365.
If the Mail option in your iCloud for Windows account is grayed out
Before you can use iCloud Mail, you need to create an @icloud.com email address. If you didn't set up an iCloud Mail account when you set up iCloud, the Mail option in your iCloud for Windows account might be grayed out.
To make the Mail option available, set up an @icloud.com email address, then close and reopen iCloud for Windows. If you still don't see the Mail option, sign out and back in to iCloud for Windows.
If you have emails that stay in your Outbox
If you see an email stays in your Outbox, follow these steps:
- Move the message from the Outbox to the Drafts folder, or delete it.
- Open the message in the Drafts or Deleted Items folder, then click Send again.
If you can't set up Mail using iCloud for Windows
You need to set up an @icloud.com email address before you can use iCloud Mail. If you didn't set up an iCloud Mail account at the same time as iCloud, the Mail option in your iCloud for Windows account might be grayed out. After you set up an @icloud.com email address, you can make the Mail option available when you close and reopen iCloud for Windows. If you still don't see the Mail option, sign out and back in to iCloud for Windows.
If you can't send or receive mail
If you can't send or receive messages with your iCloud email address, follow these steps:
- Make sure you can send and receive email from iCloud.com and your iOS device.
- Close Outlook.
- Sign out of iCloud for Windows, and then sign back in.
- Restart Outlook.
If you still can't send or receive mail, you can get more help with Outlook or contact us.
If your mail doesn't sync across your devices
If you notice you need to delete emails from your inbox on all of your devices, your mail might not be synced between your iOS device and iCloud for Windows. To sync your devices, follow these steps:
- Open iCloud for Windows.
- Deselect Mail.
- Click Apply.
- Reselect Mail.
- Click Apply.
- Sign out of iCloud for Windows, then sign back in again.
If your devices still don't sync, you can learn more.
If you want iCloud as your default account for sending mail
You can change your Outlook settings so that emails are automatically sent from your iCloud account. To make iCloud the default account, follow these steps in Outlook 2010 or later:
- Go to File > Account Settings.
- On the Info tab, click Account Settings.
- Choose your iCloud account from the list, then click Set as Default. If you can't click Set as Default, then your iCloud account is already the default account.
Calendar, Contacts, and Reminders
If you need help with your Calendar, Contacts and Reminders with iCloud for Windows, try these steps.
When you open iCloud Reminders on your Windows PC, they're labeled Tasks and appear within the Tasks section.
Turn iCloud Calendar, Contacts and Reminders off and back on
- Close Outlook.
- Open iCloud for Windows.
- Deselect the Mail, Contacts, Calendars & Tasks checkbox and click Apply.
- Wait a few seconds. Select Mail, Contacts, Calendars & Tasks, and click Apply.
- Open Outlook.
Make sure that the iCloud Outlook Add-in is on
The iCloud Outlook Add-in transfers your content between iCloud and Outlook. Follow these steps in Outlook 2010 and later to check and turn on the Add-in:
- Select the File menu.
- Click Options in the left panel.
- Click Add-ins in the left panel of the Outlook Options window.
- Look at the list of add-ins in the Active Application Add-ins section. If the iCloud Add-in is listed uner Inactive or Disabled Add-ins, make sure that Com Add-ins is selected in the drop-down menu next to Manage at the bottom of the window. Then click Go.
- Select the iCloud Outlook Add-in checkbox, then click OK.
- Restart Outlook.
Make sure that iCloud isn’t your default account in Data Files
When iCloud is set as your default account in Data Files, your data won't sync between your devices.
- Select File > Info > Account Settings > Data Files.
- If iCloud is listed as the default account in the Comments column, select a different account.
- Click Set as Default.
Restart your computer
iCloud features that work differently in Outlook
Some iCloud features in Outlook work differently than they do on your Apple device. Here are a few tips to help you use Outlook with iCloud for Windows.
Mail and Notes
- VIP Senders folders aren't available in Outlook.
- Any mail rules that you create in Outlook aren't available in the mail applications for your other devices or on iCloud.com.
- Signatures are saved locally to your device. You won't see signatures you create in Outlook on your other devices.
Notes isn't a separate application. Your notes are stored in a mail folder.
- You'll find Notes that you create on your other devices in this folder.
- Notes that you post to this folder from Outlook won't appear on your other devices, but you'll see them on any other computer using Outlook and iCloud for Windows when you're signed in with the same Apple ID.
- You can delete notes from this folder and they'll be deleted from your other devices.
Contacts
- Outlook will only import the first contact in a vCard set.
- If you need to add a vCard set to Outlook, import the set directly into iCloud.com or macOS Contacts. We will bundle the entire set for you and add them as individuals to your Contacts.
Calendars
- When you add Calendar attachments to a Calendar entry in Outlook, you won't see them in Calendar for iOS or Calendar for macOS (or the other way around).
Reminders (Tasks)
Like Calendars and Contacts, you need to enter your Reminders in the iCloud section of Tasks in Outlook. If you don't enter your Tasks into the iCloud section, they won't transfer to iCloud.