The old Windows People app is no longer the current route for managing contacts through Windows Mail. Microsoft ended support for Windows Mail, Calendar and People on December 31, 2024. For many users, the replacement is the People section in new Outlook or Outlook.com.
Which contacts tool are you looking at?
| Name or location | What it means |
|---|---|
| Old Windows People app | The legacy app associated with Windows Mail and Calendar. Its old setup instructions are historical. |
| People in Outlook | The contacts area inside the current Outlook experience, subject to your account’s supported features. |
| A work or school directory | Organization-managed entries that you may be able to search but cannot edit as personal contacts. |
| A local contacts export | A file to back up or import, not proof that online synchronization is working. |
Microsoft’s end-of-support notice explains the change. An old screenshot showing a People button on the Windows 10 taskbar does not describe the current Outlook interface.
Find, add or edit a contact in Outlook
- Open the Outlook app or Outlook.com and sign in to the correct account.
- Choose the People or contacts area in the navigation.
- Search for an existing entry before creating another one.
- Use New contact to add a person, or open a personal contact and choose Edit.
- Save the change and check it in the same account on another device if you expect it to sync.
If an entry belongs to your organization’s directory, ask its administrator to correct it. Editing a personal copy is not the same as changing the company’s master record.
Move contacts from the old People app
Before uninstalling anything, check whether your contacts already appear online in the original account. If some were stored only locally, use Microsoft’s legacy People export instructions. Keep the exported file as a backup before importing it.
For a CSV file, follow the Outlook contacts import guide. Review the chosen account and field mapping. Check a few names, email addresses and non-English characters after import; do not assume that a completed import placed every field correctly.
Remove an old app without deleting your address book
Open Settings → Apps and look for the installed People app. Use the normal Uninstall option if Windows offers it. If it is unavailable, hiding an unwanted shortcut is a smaller change than running a broad removal command.
Uninstalling an app, removing an account from the app and deleting contacts are different actions. Check your online contacts and backup first. Avoid wildcard PowerShell commands copied from an old tutorial, because similarly named packages may not be the one you intended to remove.
Our guide to finding installed Windows apps helps identify the actual application. If you only want a tidier taskbar, use the normal pin or unpin controls rather than deleting contact data.
Frequently asked questions
Is the old Windows People app still supported?
Microsoft ended support for Windows Mail, Calendar and People on December 31, 2024. Use its migration guidance and a current contacts experience.
Where are contacts in new Outlook?
Open the People or contacts area and check that you are using the account that holds your address book.
Will uninstalling People delete all my online contacts?
App removal and deleting contacts are different actions. Verify the online account and export local-only data before removing anything.
Why can I see a work contact but not edit it?
It may be an organization-managed directory entry. Ask the administrator to change the directory record.