How to Download the Outlook Address Book for Offline Use
Download the address book via the account settings
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Key notes
- The Outlook Offline Address Book is a repository for storing contact information for Outlook.
- Network issues, server errors, account setup issues, antivirus and firewall interference, etc, may affect the OAB file.
The offline address book (OAB) feature allows a centralized repository for storing contact information on Outlook. Recently, we have received complaints regarding users not knowing how to download the Outlook Address book for offline use.
Consequently, you may be unable to access and save the content of the address book on your device. Hence, we will provide detailed steps discussing how to work around its download and where you can find it.
Why is Outlook not downloading the address book?
The following factors can cause this problem:
- Issues with network connection, like poor or unstable network connection and network congestion on your PC, can prevent you from downloading it.
- Outlook server outage or downtime can cause the computer not to connect with the host, restricting download.
- Outlook email account setup can cause issues when downloading the address book.
- Outlook downloading can timeout or fail if a sizable address book takes longer than expected.
- Issues with the cache mode used by the Outlook offline address book can prevent it from downloading.
- Misconfigured synchronization settings in Outlook might result in updating or downloading issues.
- A damaged Outlook profile can hinder its ability to download.
The above-stated causes are random factors affecting downloads on your computer.
How do I download the address book from Outlook?
Via Account Settings
- Open Outlook on your PC, click File on the ribbon, and select Account Settings.
- Click on Download Address Book.
- In the pop-up dialog box, Click the Download changes since last Send/Receive box to check if not checked by default.
- Click the Choose address book drop-down arrow button and select the appropriate OAB you want to download.
- Click on OK and wait for it to download.
The procedure above will aid you to download an offline address book on your computer. Note that unchecking the Download changes since the last Send/Receive box will download the offline address book.
If you’re using iCloud, you can always seamlessly sync iCloud with Outlook.
Where can I find an Outlook address book?
You can find the Outlook offline address book in the following directory on your PC in File Explorer: C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\Offline Address Books\
In conclusion, check our guide about ways to fix Outlook couldn’t set up your account on your PC. Also, feel free to read about how to fix Outlook PST cannot be found on Windows.
Feel free to leave your suggestions and questions in the comments section.
