Display the Contacts list in LastName, FirstName format - Outlook

Warning: You are viewing this page with an unsupported Web browser. This Web site works best with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, Firefox 1.5, or Netscape Navigator 8.0 or later. Learn more about supported browsers.

Email this link

Printer-Friendly Version Bookmark and Share

Display the Contacts list in LastName, FirstName format

Applies to: Microsoft Office Outlook 2003

By default, Microsoft Outlook displays names in your Contacts list in the FirstName, LastName format, rather than the LastName, FirstName format. In this case, the first names of contacts are used to sort your Contacts list alphabetically.

If you want your Contacts list to be sorted by the last names of the contacts, you must change the display format to the LastName, FirstName format.

Sort the Contacts list by the File as field.
How?
1. Start Outlook.
2. On the Tools menu, click E-mail accounts.
3. Click View or change existing directories or address books, and then click Next.
4. Click Outlook Address Book, and then click Change.
5. Under Outlook Address Books, click the address book for which you want to change the contact display format . For example, click Contacts: Personal Folders or Contacts: Mailbox – Mailbox name, and then click File As (Smith, John).
6. Click Close, and then click Finish.
7. Quit and restart Outlook.
Verify that the newly created contacts are sorted in the LastName, FirstName format.
How?
1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
2. Click the Preferences tab, and then click Contact Options.
3. In the Contact Options box, click Last, First in the Default "File As" order list.
4. Click OK two times.
Individually change any contacts that are still not configured to use the LastName, FirstName format.
How?
This setting overrides the setting that you made in step 1.
1. On the Go menu, click Contacts.
2. In the Contacts list, double-click any contact that does not appear in the LastName, FirstName format.
3. Click the General tab, click the File as arrow, and then click Last name, First name on the list. For example, click Smith, John.
4. Click Save and Close.

Notes

You cannot change the display format of names in the Microsoft Exchange Server Global Address List (Global Address List: The address book that contains all user, group, and distribution list e-mail addresses in your organization. The administrator creates and maintains this address book. It may also contain public folder e-mail addresses.).
In a contact card, the Display Name for e-mail addresses is the name shown on the To, Cc, and Bcc lines of an e-mail message as well as in the Address Book when you search for a contact. The Display Name is created based on how you type the contact's name in the Full Name box.
Company names in the Company box that start with "The" automatically appear under the next word in the name. For example, "The Phone Company" appears as "Phone Company, The."