How to link contacts in Microsofts Outlook 2007

In all the previous Outlook versions of 2000, XP and 2003 there was at the bottom of each new contact a Contacts button and field that allowed you to link that contact to other contacts. Well, like playing "Where’s Waldo" you’ll have to find and activate if you want this feature also available in Outlook 2007.

Don’t ask me why Microsoft didn’t have this readily available in Outlook 2007, though yes I would be curious.  So if you know please tell me, but in the meantime here’s the steps to flame it on!

Open Outlook 2007 (don’t laugh, but I need to clarify that you’re in Oultook 2007), and Tools>Options, /Preferences tab, /Contact Options (b) and check “Show Contact Linking on all Forms" box, /ok, /ok.  Now open a contact and viola!  You’re happy and I’d feel happy if you’d blog how happy you are!

I’m being dangerous and blogging by myself without asking others to come in and make me look popular by posting comments here. To learn more about Microsoft Office Products visit http://www.videotrainingpro.com/

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There are a total of 26 comments on this article.
Most recent comment threads on this article:

» left by Wendy Hunter from Melbourne, Australia (1 year 159 days ago.)

Oh, thank goodness you were here! I too found you very easily...again, much much easier than trying to find an answer in that ridiculous excuse for a help section in Outlook itself! What on earth was Microsoft thinking? We have a contacts list of over 8,000 entries, most of which are linked at least once...just about fell off my chair when I couldn't find those links! Thanks again for your help! Wendy

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» left by Anonymous (1 year 153 days ago.)

Thanks for posting this information.

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» left by Anonymous (1 year 149 days ago.)

Thanks for posting. It's been killing me trying to find out what happened to that feature, which I used a lot in 2003 version.

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» left by ISAAC G. GOURDINE from PINEVILLE, SC (1 year 130 days ago.)

MRS. KERSHAW,

KUDOS, THANK ALOT, I WAS SURFIING & SEARCHING FOR THIS. YOU SAVED ME ALOT OF TIME & ADDITIONAL GRAY HAIRS.

 

THANKS AGAIN

CTEC2001

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» left by Yan Drafter from Malaysia (1 year 58 days ago.)

Hi Jennifer, I am deeply in your gratitude. I could not believe it when I installed Outlook 2007 and found this link missing. Even more incredulous was the Microsoft search results when you enter "link contacts" in their online help search. 10 Pages of completely irrelevant help results continued to amaze me at the how anyone could ever use their help. They need a lot of help here.

 

Thank you very much for your posting

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» left by Anonymous (1 year 2 days ago.)

THANKS, so much

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» left by Glenn from NJ (344 days 18 hours ago.)

Thanks. I have been struggling to figure this out since I converted to 2007. 2007 developers of the MS Suite dumped the well established GUI to create so much frustration that people I know who have not converted yet, don't want to. And I am sorry that I did.

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» left by Anonymous (332 days 18 hours ago.)

Thank you.

 

Jim Shoenfelt

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» left by Anonymous (312 days 16 hours ago.)

I really appreciate that you posted this. It's been bugging me that I couldn't find this information and your post made it easy to find. Thanks for taking the time to share your discovery with the rest of us.

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» left by balconybar from Santa Monica CA (305 days 11 hours ago.)

Hi Jennifer,

 

I too am grateful that you published this article for all the reasons mentioned before me.

 

However I've followed your instructions and I can't find a link box in my contacts. I have restarted Outlook 2007 and even restarted my PC. I've been using Outlook 2007 on a new Vista x64 PC for about two weeks now and imported my contacts from Outlook 2003.

 

Could you please help me by pointing out where in the Contact box (now super-complicated and unnecessarily so!) I should look for the links? Do I need to tweak anything else to see them? All my contacts are linked and I'd hate to think these have been lost.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Gordon

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» left by balconybar from Santa Monica CA (305 days 11 hours ago.)

PS: I've just looked into my Outlook contacts again. I have Plaxo Pulse integrated into Outlook and this occupies a big space at the bottom of each contact, obliterating where the link (or "contact" as Outlook seems to call it) box should be.

 

Problem solved for me, I think, I just need to get rid of the Plaxo!

 

Thanks again,

 

Gordon

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» left by Pete from Adelaide (282 days 2 hours ago.)

After deferring the shift to Office 2007 until now I was also horrified when the Contact link seem to have disappeared. Many thanks Jennifer!

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» left by Harry Stringer from United Kingdon (221 days 23 hours ago.)

Yes, it was very helpful. I remember being able to link contacts in Lutus Organiser many years ago, and was frustrated with Outlook for not having this feature. I even installed Contact Manager to enable some form of linking, but abandoned it when i realised contacts created in, or moved in Contact Manager would not show up when I synced with my PDA! (hence useless when contacts needed on sales trips around london). I didnt know about this contact linking feature in Outlook 2007.

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» left by Anonymous (200 days 18 hours ago.)

Thanks for your help, maybe you should get a job with Microsoft..... they need someone with some commonsense instead of the teenagers they seem to be employing who only care about the look of the software  ;)

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» left by Johanna Tomlin from Denver, CO (193 days 8 hours ago.)

This was so helpful! I have the business edition and could see how to link to a business contact, but couldn't figure out how to link to a regular contact... MS help was no help at all!!! THANK YOU!!!

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» left by Lauren W. Goetz from Domincan Republic (170 days 15 hours ago.)

Thanks a bunch. i second everything the rest have already said. very helpful. LG from the Dominican Republic
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» left by Anonymous (165 days 16 hours ago.)

Awesome. I quickly found what I was looking for. Now if Microsoft would let me generate letters out of outlook contacts like I used to, I could quit complaining about 2007.

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» left by Anonymous (94 days 17 hours ago.)

Thank You, I was so frustrated!!! Even my "help desk" couldn't find the answer. What a relief!!!

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» left by Larry (81 days 23 hours ago.)

Thank you very much. I spent 25 min. looking through microsoft help before googling you in 0.24 sec!

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» left by Anonymous (76 days 13 hours ago.)

WOW-I looked everywhere in the program and could not find any help on this. I even checked with MS website and no obvious help. I did one Google search and poof! - the3re was YOUR solution! THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH! You are awesome!

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» left by Anonymous (35 days 11 hours ago.)

Wow! Outstanding! I've been trying to do this for 3 years (not continuously). Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

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» left by Anonymous (29 days 20 hours ago.)

Hi there, thank you so much! I used this feature a lot in previous versions and was shocked to find it hidden automatically. I did search MS site and of course after much time, found nothing. Well done for sharing :-) THAAAAANKS!

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» left by Jon Miller from Sanger, TX (11 days 16 hours ago.)

This article was EXTREMELY helpful!!!!!

I had been looking for a way to do this since I installed the product.

What made it even more frustrating was that I could "see" that the data was still "in" each of my records (it was in the Frequently Used Fields in the... wait for it... "contacts" entry); so why couldn't I see it on the input window?  How "silly" was this to remove this excellent feature from the default display.  It really doesn't take up THAT much "real estate".  Oh well... thanks to you, I live and learn!

 

Again, Thanks SO VERY much

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» left by Anonymous (8 days 17 hours ago.)

Ditto to all the previous comments. For years I to used the contact linking feature extensively. I agree that is was painfull that not only "implement" the linking feature, but what was more painfull was the fact that even after 3 years, the reference to how the linking feature is turned on is still hidden by M$.

 

Thanks for sharing, as it took two seconds to find your answer -- once I discover how to phrase my question to Google.

 

Linking is such a powerfull feature and it's a wonder to me why M$ hides it.

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» left by Anonymous (9 hours 30 minutes ago.)
   New Comment!   

Thanks!  Very helpful

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