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Problem with Outook - Contacts between to desk tops not synchronizing.

Angela Bouteldja 0 Reputation points
2026-05-26T15:54:04.7566667+00:00

I am writing from a small law firm, one attorney and one paralegal. The Outlook Contact information is not synching between my computer and my employers. Our firm uses "Go Daddy". I called them and after spending over an hour with them, I was informed it was a Microsoft problem. Can you help.

Outlook | MacOS | Legacy Outlook for Mac | For business
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  1. Hin-V 15,400 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-05-26T17:03:10.8233333+00:00

    Hi @Angela Bouteldja

    Thank you for sharing your concern. 

    Firstly, I’d like to clarify that this is a user-to-user support forum, and we are not Microsoft Support. Moderators participating here do not have access to backend systems, nor can we directly intervene in Microsoft product functionality. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance and sharing best‑practice recommendations based on reported issues, user requests, and common scenarios. 

    To ensure I fully understand your situation and provide the most effective assistance, I’ll need a few additional details, such as:  

    What is the current account type configured in your legacy Outlook (IMAP/POP or Exchange)? 

    Is your business email acccount hosted and managed on Exchange Online, on-premises, or directly through GoDaddy? 

    Based on your description, looks like this issue is related to how the email account is configured rather than a synchronization issue within Outlook itself. As far as I know, Outlook can only synchronize contacts between devices when the account is connected to a service that supports full data synchronization, such as Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft 365. 

     image

    Reference: Sync basics - what you can and cannot sync - Microsoft Support 

    If the GoDaddy email account is configured using IMAP or POP, only email will synchronize. Contacts are stored locally on each computer and will not sync between devices. 

    To resolve this, you could consider to verify with GoDaddy whether your email accounts are hosted on Microsoft 365/Exchange. If they are, please re-add the account in Outlook using the Exchange or Microsoft 365 option instead of IMAP/POP. This ensures contacts are stored in the mailbox and will synchronize automatically across both computers. 

    If your contacts were previously created in a local “On My Computer” folder, you may need to export them and then import them into the Exchange-based contacts folder so they can begin syncing. 

    You can refer via: Import and export email, contacts, and calendar in Outlook for Mac - Microsoft Support 

    If GoDaddy is only providing IMAP/POP email (without Exchange / Microsoft 365), then Outlook will not be able to synchronize contacts between desktops, as this is a limitation of the protocol. 

    I hope this helps. 

    Please understand that our initial reply may not always immediately resolve the issue. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution. 

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.   

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  2. AI answer

    2026-05-26T15:54:34.3866667+00:00

    Calendar and contact sync in Outlook requires that both profiles connect to a service that supports syncing contacts (for example, Exchange/Exchange Online via Exchange ActiveSync or full Exchange, not just POP/IMAP).

    From the provided information:

    1. IMAP/POP accounts cannot sync contacts
      • IMAP and POP only sync email. They do not sync contacts or calendar between devices.
      • If the GoDaddy mailboxes are configured in Outlook as IMAP or POP on each Mac, each computer’s Contacts folder is local and will not synchronize.
    2. What must be in place for contacts to sync
      • The email account must be using Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync or an Exchange-based account so that contacts are stored in the mailbox and synced between devices.
      • Most common providers (including those that host Microsoft 365/Exchange) support this, but the account must be set up in Outlook using the correct Exchange/Exchange ActiveSync configuration, not IMAP/POP.
    3. Practical next steps
      • Check how the accounts are configured on both Macs:
        • If they are set up as IMAP/POP, contacts will not sync. In that case, work with GoDaddy to:
          • Confirm whether the firm’s mailboxes are on Microsoft 365/Exchange.
          • Get the correct Exchange/ActiveSync settings.
          • Re-add the accounts in Outlook as Exchange/Exchange ActiveSync so contacts are stored and synced in the mailbox.
      • If contacts were already created locally under a non-syncing Contacts folder, they will need to be exported and then imported into the Exchange/ActiveSync-backed contacts so they can sync.

    If GoDaddy is only providing IMAP/POP mailboxes (no Exchange/ActiveSync), Outlook cannot synchronize contacts between the two desktops; in that case, a move to an Exchange/Exchange Online–based service would be required for automatic contact sync.

    References:

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