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How do I disable Microsoft Entourage's auto-fill address feature?

Dave, Thanks for your great tip about clearing Microsoft Entourage message archives of attachments on my Mac OS X system [see A Useful Tip for Microsoft Entourage on The Intuitive Life]. Now can you help me delete all the unwanted email addresses that secretly pop up when I fill out the TO: field. The ones that exist from prior email, spam, etc?

Dave's Answer:

Fortunately, that's easier than you think.

Entourage X stores a max of 200 entries in its recently seen address list so the easiest solution to clearing out a specific address is to just wait a while.

If that's not speedy enough for you, you can clear the address cache at any time by going to Preferences -> Compose and clicking on the button on the bottom of that pane labeled "Clear List".

If you want to disable this feature entirely and have Entourage only offer auto-complete for addresses in your address book, simply uncheck the option "Display a list of recently used addresses when address messages".

The following screen shot shows what I'm talking about: this is from Entourage 2004, v 11.1.0.

[Microsoft Entourage Preferences: Compose]

click on the image for a full-size screen shot

Advanced tip: if you want to just get rid of one particular email message, add that address to your Address Book, then delete the new entry. That should clear it out.

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Categorized: Mac OS X Help (Article 3833)
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Comments

I have a customer who would like to disable the feautre completely and not let Entourage store recent addresses. Is there a way to stop this function?

Posted by: Josh at July 15, 2005 3:57 PM

Thank you! I couldn't figure out how to clear the address cache. You saved me! :-D

Posted by: Erik at August 13, 2005 3:39 AM

Sure...this is great info! I've always been annoyed by the automatic listing of every single teeny tiny email address that I've EVER received. BUT!! There's no pleasing some people, and in fact, I find this often handy...I want to know: can an Entourage user SELECTIVELY delete a virtual address? Folks that I've emailed once, I have no need to hold onto...others? are very handy! It seems it's all or nothing; and I'm looking for some middle ground.

Thanks in advance
- Laura

Posted by: Laura at January 26, 2006 11:42 AM

Hi Dave- How do I delete any saved credit card info from my PC? Thanks for your help in advance.

Posted by: renee at March 28, 2006 8:52 AM

Where is the Recent Address list stored? I want to download it regularly?

Posted by: Eddie at March 15, 2007 1:29 PM

Unlike some of the others here, I'd like to find the list email addresses to remove those that I don't want and download all others to a mailing list ... can it be done?

Shilo

Posted by: Shilo Case at March 30, 2007 3:35 PM

Hey Shilo, did you find out a way of getting the auto-stored email addresses into a list? That's what I need to do too.

If so, please email me at cybermunchy@hotmail.com

Thanks

Posted by: CyberMunchy at May 13, 2007 8:32 PM

Remove an entry from the recently used address list
1. Click Mail Mail button, and then click New New button.
2. In the To box, type the first few letters of the address, and then click the address you want to delete on the pop-up menu.
3. Hold down CONTROL, click the address, and then click Add to Address Book on the contextual menu.
4. In the contact window that appears, click Delete Delete button .

Posted by: BZ at September 17, 2007 2:12 PM

thank you thank you!

Posted by: woodley at May 30, 2008 8:54 AM

I have a lot to say, but ...

I have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but most of all I'd like to say thank you for all your efforts on this Web site by buying you a chai!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!