New laptop, fresh Outlook - and ten years of remembered addresses left behind on the old machine. For local accounts that list is one small file, and moving it is a documented, ten-minute job. This guide covers the copy, the all-important rename, and the backup habit that makes this the last time you ever do it the hard way.
The AutoComplete list is easy to move if you copy it before you need it and nearly impossible to recover after a careless wipe. The method below is the long-documented one: carry the Stream_Autocomplete cache file across and rename it to match the new profile. It works between PCs and between profiles on the same PC. And if your account is Exchange-based, read the first section - you may need to do nothing at all.
Before copying anything, check whether you need to. For Exchange and Microsoft 365 accounts, Microsoft stores the AutoComplete list in a hidden message inside the mailbox. Sign into the new PC with the same account, let the mailbox sync completely, and the suggestions are simply there - the list roamed by itself. The file surgery below is for IMAP and POP accounts, whose lists exist only in the local cache of the old machine, and for anyone moving between local profiles on the same PC.
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Outlook\RoamCache and press EnterStream_Autocomplete_ to a pen drive or cloud folder. This single small file is the entire listThe new profile reads only a cache file with its own exact name, so the new machine must reveal that name first:
Stream_Autocomplete file Outlook just created, then delete that fresh file (it holds only your one test entry)Very old lists may arrive as .nk2 files from Outlook 2007 and earlier; classic Outlook imports an NK2 automatically the first time it runs if the file is placed and named as Microsoft documents, and editor tools exist for manual conversion. And make the habit permanent: after any big tidy-up of your list, copy that one file into your normal backup. Two minutes, once - and no future move, crash or new profile can take your suggestions away again.
Watch the video for the full move done live - locating the cache file on the old PC, the rename on the new one, and the first test email that proves the list arrived.
▶️ Watch Full VideoBecause Outlook looks for one specific cache file name that belongs to the current profile - the long name is generated per profile. A file with the old profile's name sits in the folder ignored. Renaming your carried file to the new profile's exact cache name is what makes Outlook adopt it as its own list.
In most cases, no. Exchange-based accounts keep the AutoComplete list inside the mailbox, so it roams: sign in on the new PC, let the sync finish completely, restart Outlook, and your suggestions should be there. The file method remains the fallback for IMAP and POP accounts, and for anyone whose roaming list failed to appear after a full sync.
With Outlook closed, copy the Stream_Autocomplete file from the RoamCache folder into your regular backup location - a cloud folder or backup drive - and refresh that copy every few months or after a deliberate cleanup of the list. Restoring later is the same rename method from this guide. It is a ten-second habit that removes the whole category of loss.