The Outlook AutoComplete feature caches email addresses previously used, saving you time by not having to enter the entire email address each time. This option can easily be enabled or disabled by selecting Tools->Options->Advanced Email Options and either check to enable, or uncheck to disable, the box for "Suggest names while completing the To, Cc and Bcc fields".

The more difficult part arises when you want to remove an email address that has already been cached, as Rhonda has experienced.

Just a quick question that you might know the answer to. How do I change the temporary memory of email addresses in Outlook 2002? The ones that appear when you start to type the address in the "To" line. Thanks, Rhonda

To remove an email address from the list that has already been cached, to prevent it from being suggested again, try the following:

Open a new message and begin typing in the email address. Select the email address to be removed by using the up and down arrow keys. Once the email address to be removed is highlighted, hit the Delete key. If you would prefer to remove all cached email addresses, then the .nk2 file can be deleted, which is where Outlook stores them. The file is normally located in C:\Documents and Settings\[USERNAME]\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook.

Francine Otterson is the President of the San Diego Outlook User Group and a Microsoft Outlook MVP. She has been in the IT industry for over 10 years, providing technical support, software customization solutions and training in corporate settings, and as a consultant. She balances her work around her daughter and husband in sunny San Diego, California.