TROUBLE WITH MY MS OUTLOOK. I NOW HAVE TWO OUTLOOKS AND I LOST A LOT OF MY CONTACTS

Hello BillB-4605,

From your description, you are now seeing "two Outlooks" and a large part of your contacts no longer appears in your address book. Please note that this is a user-to-user forum, so contributors cannot access your account directly or arrange telephone support.

Before suggesting the exact fix, could you please confirm these points:

To narrow this down, could you please confirm:

1. Is this a personal Microsoft account such as Outlook.com, Hotmail, or Live, or a work or school account?
2. Are you using Outlook on Windows, Mac, or in a web browser?
3. When you say “two Outlooks,” do you mean two Outlook apps, two accounts inside Outlook, or two Outlook profiles/windows?
4. If you sign in to Outlook on the web and open People, do the missing contacts appear there, or are they missing there as well?

In the meantime, if you are using Outlook on Windows, one possible explanation is that Outlook may have switched between different Windows versions of Outlook. Microsoft does allow users to switch between new Outlook and classic Outlook on Windows or use both side by side. Also, Microsoft notes that if contacts were saved locally in classic Outlook, they may not automatically appear in new Outlook unless they are exported and then imported. Toggle out of the new Outlook for Windows - Microsoft Support and Run new Outlook and classic Outlook side-by-side - Microsoft Support

It is also worth checking whether any contacts were removed. Microsoft says deleted contacts can often be restored from Deleted in People, and in some cases from Recover deleted. Restore or recover a deleted contact in Outlook - Microsoft Support 

For personal Outlook.com and Microsoft 365 Home users, live chat is the supported contact options available through Microsoft’s Contact Us page or the Help pane after sign-in. You can follow below steps to reach a live chat agent:

1. Visit the Microsoft Support contact page: Contact - Microsoft Support  
2. In the search bar provided on the page, type "Outlook issue" and press Enter.  
3. Click on the "Get Help" button that appears.  
4. Scroll down the page until you see and click on the "Contact Support" option.  
5. When prompted to select your product or service, choose "Other Products".  
6. For the category, choose "Outlook".  
7. Look for and click on "Chat with a support agent in your web browser".  
8. Confirm your personal email when prompted - this is the email Microsoft will use to communicate with you during and after the support session.  
9. Explain your situation clearly: Be concise but provide all the relevant details.    

Once you confirm the points above, it should be possible to suggest the most suitable next steps.