Auto-filling Addresses in Outlook
When you create a new message, Outlook does try to match up any names you type in the To...,
Cc... and Bcc... fields to addresses in your Contacts. However it does not auto-fill the name as you type, and may even take a few moments to respond with a "resolved" address.
Moving from Thunderbird
If you were previously using Thunderbird for email, this aspect of Outlook can seem very different. Thunderbird would collect any email address you used by default and then auto-fill as soon as you began typing the name or address in future messages. Outlook cannot collect addresses on the fly and will not attempt to auto-fill, but does search for the name as detailed below. NOTE: Your collected Thunderbird addresses typically can be imported into your Outlook Contacts. Please be sure to communicate with any technician that may be moving you from Thunderbird to Outlook to verify that your contacts can be moved, and how they will appear once they have been imported.
How to Auto-fill an Address in Outlook Once you have tabbed or moved your cursor into another field on the message, Outlook will show you if it found a match for the name by underlining the contact:
If it cannot find the name, a prompt window will appear when you select Send on the message prompting for further action:
To browse your Contacts, select the Show More Names... button
To create a new Contact using the information you've already entered in the To... field, select the New Contact... button
To return to the message and do nothing, select Cancel
You may find it easier to select the recipients by clicking on the To... button in the new message and browsing to the name or address.
A number of actions can be performed from the Select Names window:
Begin typing a name in the top left Type Name or Select from List: field to filter the list of names that will appear. This allows you to find names more quickly than scrolling through the full list of contacts.
Use the drop down arrow under the Show Names from the: field to move between different Contacts lists. Depending on your configuration, these may include:
Outlook Address Book - any of your manually created address books will be listed here. You must select one (typically Contacts) that is a subheading of this Outlook Address Book heading in order to search for a contact.
Global Address List - if you are using a department's Exchange server, this will show a list of others with accounts on that server.
Oracle - Global Address List - if you have Outlook configured to connect to the CUMC Oracle Calendar, others with CUMC Oracle Calendar accounts will be listed here.
ldap.columbia.edu - the full Columbia Directory (LDAP). Please see this tutorial on configuring LDAP if you do not see it listed in Outlook.
Highlight a name from the main list in the middle of the window by clicking on it once, then select the To ->, Cc -> or Bcc -> button(s) to add them as a recipient for any of these fields. Repeat with any other names in the list if needed.
If you would like to see the exact email address or more details other than just the person's name, highlight the name in the main window and select the Advanced button in the lower left, then Properties from its drop down menu. This will bring up the Contact card for that individual. NOTE: If the contact is within a Global Address Book for Exchange, Oracle or LDAP and you are trying to verify their email address, you can look at the Alias field to the top right of the window that appears. This will list their UNI.
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