I had a couple of questions this week from users who hate the contact cards in Outlook, especially when they are trying to save a new contact. They want to use the familiar Outlook contact form, not the contact card, when they use the Add to Outlook Contacts command.
While you can't turn the contact cards off completely, you can force Outlook to use the contact form when you turn on the Legacy GAL dialog. In addition to using the contact form when adding new contacts from an email address, you'll get the older Properties dialog when you view address properties instead of the contact card, such as when you need to see if Send using Rich Text Formatting is enabled for an address. If you've ever double clicked on an address in contacts and were frustrated when the new contacts card came up, you'll want to use the legacy gal dialog. You'll also need to use the legacy GAL if you want to add digital certificates to existing contacts.
Normally, when you right click and choose Add to Outlook Contacts, the new Contact Card opens (shown in the screenshot below) with the name and address field filled in. When the Legacy GAL key is set, that same command opens an Outlook Contact form.
In Outlook 2013 (and 2016), the default behavior when you double click on an address in a message or contact is a contact card opens. When the Legacy GAL key is enabled, the address properties dialog (or the contact for the person) opens.
Another useful registry edit turns off hover card - this is the mini-contact card that pops up when a mouse hovers over an address (shown in the first screenshot). With hover functionality turned off the mini-card only comes up when you click or right click on an email address in Contacts or in the message header. It won't come up when the mouse slides over the address.
Outlook 2016
DWORD: TurnOnLegacyGALDialog
Value: 1 (enable)
DWORD: TurnOffHoverFunctionality
Value: 1 (turn off)
Outlook 2013
DWORD: TurnOnLegacyGALDialog
Value: 1 (enable)
DWORD: TurnOffHoverFunctionality
Value: 1 (turn off)
Administrators can set these values in Group Policy. These policies are under Office 2013, not Outlook, under Contact Card.
Although Outlook 2010 doesn't use the Contact cards in the same way Outlook 2013 does, you can turn off the hover cards and use the legacy gal dialog in it.
DWORD: TurnOnLegacyGALDialog
Value: 1 (enable)
DWORD: TurnOffHoverFunctionality
Value: 1 (turn off)
Do it for me
I have ready-to-use registry files to turn off the hover card and turn on the legacy GAL dialog at Using Outlook's New Contact Cards
To use, right click and save the .reg file then double click to run it. You'll need to Ok several dialogs to add it to your registry. You'll need to restart Outlook.
Turn Off Hovercard & Use LegacyGAL:
Outlook 2016 Outlook 2013 Outlook 2010
Policies key to Turn Off Hovercard & Use LegacyGAL:
Outlook 2016 Outlook 2013 Outlook 2010
This short video shows the address property dialogs that are affected when the TurnOnLegacyGALDialog value is enabled.
Hi Diane,
The .reg file did not work on my machine (Outlook 2016). The registry key is there, but the contact card still comes up when I right-click on an email and hit "Add to Contacts". Am I doing something wrong or has Microsoft changed the behavior? Note that I have a 17.0 under 16.0 in the registry, but very little is there.
You should not have a 17.0 key - 2016/2019/365 all use 16.0.
I will test it again as Microsoft keeps changing things, but if you use the ready-to-use keys, and it doesn't work after restarting outlook then Microsoft changed something.
The new registry key has a different (& not helpful) effect on Outlook 2019.
Is there another way to force the program directly to the full contact form?
Thanks.
No, unfortunately not.
What effect did it have? When i tested it, it was fine - there are other keys that are a problem though.
Tnx for your response. I essentially never use People directly, always using the "search people" box from within Mail or Calendar views. I find contact cards useless as, among other problems, they show a single phone # w/o revealing whether it's landline, cell, or other. I need the full "edit contact" form, preferably w/o extra clicks to get it. I've investigated further, & find, w/your new DWORD in place: --typing a few letters in the search people box predictably brings up a list of contacts, on which I can left-click --with some contacts, I immediately get their full contact form --with other contacts, I get their email properties box, with no option to continue to their contact form --repeating the same search always produces the same result --I can find no pattern...but while looking for clues in contacts, I discovered that which name I select controls behavior, e.g. ----when looking for "Betty Jones," if I search B-E-T-T & then select, I always get her email properties ----when searching J-O-N-E & then selecting the same "Betty Jones," I always get her contact form I haven't used enough for meaningful stats, but guess I'm getting the contact form approx 60% of the… Read more »
Hello! I just ran the registry key, and I like the part that allows me to instantly access the contact without the hovering contact card, but now when I enter a search in the "search people" box it comes up with something other than the contact. I really need to change this back. Are there instructions for undoing it?
Thank you!
Trent
Sorry! I was doing something wrong. All good, and this is a great thing!! :)
To undo, you delete the key. :)
my Office 2016 does not show "contact card" when I go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\common\ ...am I doing something wrong?
the key isn't added until you change an option - so if it doesn't exist, you'll need to create it.
Thanx so much Diane, it' working ducky!
You make it so easy that even a neophyte (I never bfr touched regedit) could make it work. You're a godsend!
Worked like a dream - thanks so much for this helpful post. This has been really bugging me because I have to add then categorise dozens of contacts each day and the new two-step process was slowing me down.
Hello Diane, I added the regkey to my Win10/Outlook 2016 system but I still do not get the legacy contact form when I right click and use Add to Outlook Contacts ... do you know why this may not be working?
I have the same issue as Stefan:
The issue: If I view an email contact card associated within inbox, sent items etc, the contact card (expanded) only displays the email address (link) and Schedule a Meeting (link) and no other contact data. (Un-expanded) the Contact Card phone icon is greyed out.
I don't find "contact card" in this string under "common". Any ideas? I'm using Outlook 2013 and would love to get the contact form back.
if the key doesn't exist, you need to create it (or use the reg file I posted) - many of the reg keys aren't in the registry until you change from the default.