The address list cannot be displayed – Outlook error

The address list cannot be displayed – Outlook error when you try to view contacts in Public Folder may occur in Outlook on your Windows 11 or Windows 10 computer as a Microsoft 365 user. Solutions that affected Outlook users can apply to easily resolve the issue are provided in this post. Public folders help organize content in a deep hierarchy that’s easy to browse.

This issue happens when you try to select a public folder that contains contacts from the address book list in Microsoft Outlook 2021/19/16 or Outlook for Office 365. You’ll receive the following error message even if you have permission to read all objects of the folder. “The operation failed. An object could not be found.” This can happen if the public folder has been deleted or if you don’t have permission to read all objects in the folder.

The address list can’t be displayed. The Contacts folder associated with this address list can’t be opened; it might have been moved or deleted, or you might not have permissions. For info on how to remove this folder from the Outlook Address Book, see Microsoft Outlook Help.

This issue occurs due to either of the following reasons: This issue occurs for one of two reasons:

  • The “Exclude Https Auto Discover Domain” registry key is set to 1.
  • Auto discover endpoints are blocked or Outlook can’t find the Auto discover information.

The address list cannot be displayed – Outlook error

Public folders are designed for shared access and provide an easy and effective way to collect, organize, and share information with other people in your workgroup or organization. However, if the address list cannot be displayed in Outlook on your Windows 11/10 device, you can try the recommended solutions below in no particular order and see if that helps to resolve the issue.

First, you can restart your computer and then check if the address list is visible in Outlook. If not, you can try to recreate the Outlook profile on your Windows 10 device. You can also try to reset the view in Outlook to see if that helps. Additionally, you can also check if there are any updates available for your Outlook application and install them if there are any.

  1. Repair Outlook PST data files
  2. Test Autodiscover connectivity
  3. Modify the registry
  4. Repair/Reset/Reinstall Outlook

Let’s take a look at each of the listed solutions and the description of the process involved.

1] Repair Outlook PST data files

A PST is an Outlook data file used to store local copies of messages, calendar events, and other items from your Exchange mailbox. The PST data file can contain all of your Outlook folders, including the Inbox, Calendar, and Contacts. To rule out the possibility of a corrupt PST file, try this solution: repair your Outlook PST data files and see if the issue is resolved. Otherwise, try the next solution.

Related post: Outlook is unable to connect to the proxy server auto discover

2] Test Autodiscover connectivity

As Autodiscover endpoints is blocked or Outlook can’t find the Autodiscover information, the address list cannot be displayed in Outlook on your Windows 11/10 device. In this case, to resolve the issue, you can test the Autodiscover connectivity to make sure the service is running correctly. To see if your Autodiscover service is working using the Outlook client, follow these steps:

  • Launch Outlook.
  • To access the Outlook options menu, right-click on the Outlook icon in the taskbar while holding down the CTRL key.
  • To test your email configuration, select “Test Email AutoConfiguration” from the context menu.
  • In the popup window, enter some working credentials.
  • Use Autodiscover should be the only option checked.
  • Click the Test button.
  • After the test has finished, click on the “Log” tab.
  • Log in to see Autodiscover to [Exchange Server URL] Succeeded. If you don’t see such a line, then your Exchange server configuration is wrong.

Additionally, users who are running Microsoft Remote Connectivity Analyzer and Office 365 can use Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant.

3] Modify the registry

The ExcludeHttpsAutoDiscoverDomain registry key, when set to 0, will exclude the root domain from Autodiscover lookup in Outlook. As this is a registry operation, we recommend backing up the registry as a precautionary measure. Once this is done, you can proceed as follows:

  • To open the Run dialog, press the Windows key + R.
  • In the Run dialog box, type regedit and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
  • To navigate to the below registry key path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\x.0\Outlook\AutoDiscover

The x.0 placeholder denotes the version of Office Outlook (Outlook 2010 = 14.0, Outlook 2013 = 15.0, Outlook 2016/2019/2021 and Outlook for Microsoft 365 = 16.0) that you’re using on your system.

  • On the right side of the pane, double-click on the “ExcludeHttpsAutoDiscoverDomain” registry key to edit its properties.
  • 0 in the Value data field.
  • Remember to hit Enter or click OK to save your changes!
  • Exit Registry Editor.
  • Restart your PC.

4] Repair/Reset/Reinstall Outlook

In the event that neither of the above solutions work for you, you can try repairing/resetting/reinstalling your Outlook client. To fix Microsoft Outlook on your Windows 11/10 PC, do the following:

  • Open Control Panel.
  • Click Programs and Features.
  • To repair an Office program, right-click it and select Change.
  • Click Repair > Continue. Office will start repairing the apps.
  • The repair operation has completed. Please restart your PC.

You can fix Office Outlook via the Settings app on Windows 11/10. Here’s how:

  • Open Windows Settings
  • Select Apps and Features.
  • Find your Microsoft Office installation by scrolling.
  • To edit an entry, click on it and then click Modify.
  • Choose Quick Repair or Online Repair from the popup dialog.
  • Click on the Repair button.

If the repair operation didn’t help, you can try resetting Outlook. If that doesn’t work, you can uninstall and then reinstall Office.

Why can’t I see my Address Book in Outlook?

The Outlook Address Book is located on the Home tab, in the Find group. To see your Address Book in Outlook, do the following: right-click the Contacts folder and choose Properties. Then, select the Show this folder as an e-mail Address Book option. Now, you should be able to select Contacts from the Address Book.

What is the difference between Outlook Contacts and Address Book?

The main distinction between Outlook Contacts and Address Book is that the former is typically a list of external contacts, while the latter contains information for people within your organization. Address Books are usually stored on an Exchange Server and can be shared with others in the company, making them a common fixture in business settings.

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