MS Outlook Autocomplete name list Copy to another computer

Copy Autocomplete name list to another computer

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Applies to
Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003

Do you miss the convenience of Outlook automatically completing people's names as you begin to type them on your new computer? Are you upgrading to a new computer and don't want to lose all the names stored in your Outlook AutoComplete feature? Wouldn't it be nice if Outlook installed on your new computer just "remembered" the names and filled them in for you?


You can copy the names in AutoComplete from your old computer to your new one.

Copy the names in AutoComplete to another computer

 Important   You must exit Outlook before starting the following procedure. The names will be included in AutoComplete when you restart Outlook.

1. On the computer with the saved AutoComplete names, go to drive:\Documents and Settings\user name\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook.

 Note   Depending on your file settings, this folder might be hidden. To view the files in this folder, do one of the following:

Microsoft Windows XP

1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
2. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
3. Click the View tab, and then, under Advanced settings, under Hidden files and folders, click Show hidden files and folders.

Microsoft Windows 2000

1. Double-click My Computer on your desktop.
2. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
3. Click the View tab, and then click Show hidden files and folders.

2. Right-click profile name.nk2, and then click Copy.

 Tip   You can copy the file to removable media, such as a floppy disk or a CD, and then copy the file to the correct location on the other computer. Or you can attach the file to an e-mail message and send the message to yourself. On the new computer, open the attachment in Outlook, and then save it to the correct location.

3. On the computer where you want to populate the AutoComplete feature, copy the file to drive:\Documents and Settings\user name\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook.
4. If the Outlook user profile name is different on the computer where you are moving the .nk2 file, you must rename the file with the same Outlook user profile name after you copy it to the correct folder. For example, if you move Kim Akers.nk2 from the original computer with an Outlook user profile name of Kim Akers, and you copy the Kim Akers.nk2 file to the new computer, you must rename it with the Outlook profile name being used on the new computer.
5. When prompted about replacing the existing file, click Yes.
6. Open Outlook to view changes.