Microsoft is phasing out a little-known feature within its Outlook email client, Neowin reports. The “Contact Masking” function will be removed from Outlook on March 31.
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Contact Masking allowed users to prevent Outlook from automatically suggesting specific recipients when composing emails. By typing an email address, users could click an “x” next to a suggested name to prevent Outlook from offering that contact again. This feature extended beyond Outlook, impacting the broader Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Masking a contact in Outlook would also remove them from suggestions within Teams and Microsoft 365 Search.
According to a notice in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, one reason for removing Contact Masking is that many users were simply unaware of the feature’s existence. The move underscores the challenges software developers face in balancing feature richness with user experience and discoverability. Microsoft plans to discontinue the feature to simplify the user experience and reduce confusion.
