Auto-Complete Files Report

Even if you lost all of your Outlook contacts, mailbox is unavailable, or PST data file is corrupted, there is still a way to restore some addresses. Each time you send a message, Outlook stores message recipients in AutoComplete Lists. These lists are used to fill the recipients into Outlook email messages quickly.

This report will help to get a list of contacts from the Auto-Complete List files. In Outlook 2007 and below, Auto-Complete Lists are stored in NK2 files. In Outlook 2010 and higher, Auto-Complete Lists are stored in mailboxes and PST files, and in the DAT files for compatibility with older applications. Out of all these files, you can get a list of contacts, names and email addresses. You can save this report to a CSV file and then open it for viewing in Excel. By default, the report uses the standard Outlook data folder and shows how many items are in the AutoComplete files found. In a detailed mode, the report displays all contacts stored in each file. It shows name, email (including X.500), and other fields for each contact.

You can use the command line to get contacts from AutoComplete cache files, which are available on the local network. You can also write the required scripts and batch files to automate the process.

Our blog provides more details and hints on using Outlook Auto-Complete Lists.