OL2000: How to Quickly Search for a Contact (197421)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Outlook 2000

This article was previously published under Q197421

SUMMARY

You can quickly find a specific contact in Microsoft Outlook by typing the first few characters of the Contact key. When you do this, you move near the contact in question. This article describes how to do this.

MORE INFORMATION

You can search for a contact from the Card views or from the Phone List view of the Outlook folder.

Searching for a Contact in Phone List or Card Views

To search for a contact, follow these steps:

  1. In the Contacts folder, point to Current View on the View menu, and click Address Cards, Detailed Address Cards, or Phone List.
  2. Sort the Contacts on the field by which you want to search:

    1. On the View menu, point to Current View, and click Customize Current View.
    2. In the View Summary dialog box, click Sort.
    3. In the Sort Items By list, click the field by which you want to search.
    4. Click Ascending and click OK.
    5. Click OK to return to the Outlook view.
  3. If you chose Phone List view in step 1, clear the Allow In-cell Editing option:

    1. On the View menu, point to Current View, and click Customize Current View.
    2. Click Other Settings.
    3. In the Rows section, click to clear the Allow In-cell Editing check box, and click OK.
    4. Click OK to return to the Outlook view.
  4. Type the first few characters of the contact that you want to find.
Outlook goes to the first Contact record matching the characters that you typed.

Searching for a Contact by Using "Find a Contact" Box

The "Find a Contact" box is a new feature beginning with Microsoft Outlook
  1. This feature works regardless of the view you use.
  2. On the Outlook Bar or Folder List, click to open your Contacts folder.
  3. In the Find A Contact box on the Outlook standard toolbar, type the first few letters of the contact that you want to find, and then press ENTER.
This will open the first contact in your list that best matches what you typed. The "Find a Contact" box caches previously typed matches for quick retrieval from a drop-down list.

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/5/2003
Keywords:kbhowto KB197421