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Is Microsoft Retiring Outlook’s Contact Masking Feature — and What Should You Do Before March 31, 2026?
Microsoft Is Retiring Outlook’s Contact Masking Feature
If you manage Microsoft 365 for your organization, there’s one change worth flagging before March 31, 2026: Microsoft is permanently removing the Contact Masking feature from Outlook.
What Contact Masking Actually Does
When you compose an email in Outlook, the app automatically suggests recipients in the To, Cc, and Bcc fields, pulling names from your contact list. Contact Masking lets users hide specific suggestions by clicking the X next to a name. Once hidden, that contact stops appearing as a suggestion during email composition.
It’s a small but useful personal preference tool — one that some users rely on to keep their suggestion list tidy.
What Changes on March 31, 2026
After this date, the Contact Masking feature will be gone entirely. Any contacts previously hidden through this feature may reappear as suggestions the next time a user composes an email. Microsoft has not announced a replacement feature for this functionality.
What You Need to Do
- Administrators: No configuration changes are required on your end. Microsoft handles the removal automatically.
- End users: Be prepared to see previously hidden contacts reappear in email suggestions. There is currently no alternative method to suppress specific recipients from auto-suggest.
- IT teams and trainers: Update your internal documentation and user training materials to reflect this change before the deadline.
The practical impact is minimal for most users, but for those who actively curated their suggestion list, the sudden reappearance of hidden contacts may cause minor friction. Communicating this change early prevents unnecessary support tickets.