An Exchange Online user keeps getting an incorrect autocomplete entry when typing a manager's name. The suggestion displays the manager's name but points to a third-party document-management address, so messages are filed under the wrong account. Removing it with the X only works temporarily, and the entry returns about a minute later.
The entry does not appear in Exchange contacts, mailbox contacts, guest users, address lists, or the exported suggested-recipient list. It affects only some users, including the manager whose name is being shown, and even appears on a newly configured laptop. Creating a global contact with the correct document-library name and address did not fully resolve it; Outlook still displays the manager's name in the suggestion.
Microsoft documents several autocomplete and suggested-recipient lists, but the available removal controls do not seem to eliminate this particular entry. Is there a reliable way to reset or disable this hidden suggestion, or is the only practical workaround to live with the incorrect name?
2 Answers
This sounds like one of Microsoft’s newer suggested-recipient behaviors rather than a normal contact, mailbox, or guest object. Since it affects only certain users and follows the user across Outlook sessions, it may be stored in a backend suggestion service that administrators cannot directly edit. At this point, the realistic options are disabling or resetting suggestions where possible, opening a Microsoft support case, and warning users to verify the actual address before sending.
Try turning off or resetting suggested contacts in Outlook’s privacy or suggested-recipient settings. This is separate from mailbox contacts and the normal Exchange address book, so deleting contacts or searching the tenant may not find it. Unfortunately, the removal control can be unreliable, and there may not be an administrator-accessible list for every suggestion source.
Those suggested-recipient lists can be a nuisance even when no AI features are involved. Resetting the list is worth trying, but it may not remove every cached or service-generated suggestion immediately.
Creating a correctly named organization-wide contact might reduce future misidentification for some users, but it will not necessarily overwrite an existing personalized suggestion.