How to add contacts to favorites in Outlook?

Author: Kelly Last Modified: 2025-04-15

You may be familiar with adding mail folders as favorites in Microsoft Outlook, what if adding contacts into favorites? Outlook 2013 users can quickly contact a favorited contact from the To-Do Bar, such as sending emails, making calls, scheduling meetings, etc. In this article, I will show you how to add specified contacts to favorites in different situations in Microsoft Outlook.

the screenshot of adding contacts to favorites in outlook

Add a specified contact to favorites when reading an email in Outlook 2013

Add a specified contact to favorites when searching in To-Do Bar in Outlook 2013

Add a specified contact to favorites in People view in Outlook 2013

Add a specified contact to favorites from the Contact Card in Outlook 2013

Add a specified contact to favorites when reading an email in Outlook 2013

Supposing you are viewing an email message in Reading Pane in Microsoft Outlook, you can favorite the sender with right clicking the "contact picture" (or picture placeholder), and then selecting the "Add to Favorites" from the right-clicking menu. See screen shot below:

the screenshot of step about adding contacts to favorites when reading an email in Outlook 2013

Add a specified contact to favorites when searching in To-Do Bar in Outlook 2013

Sometimes, you may search contacts from To-Do Bar directly. You can also add a certain contact to favorites from the search results.

the screenshot of step about adding contacts to favorites when searching in To-Do Bar in Outlook 2013 1

Step 1: Show Contacts in the To-Do Bar with clicking the "To-Do Bar" > "People" on the "View" tab.

Step 2: Go to the To-Do Bar, and type the contact name you will favorite into the search box;

Step 3: In the search results, right click the contact you will favorite, and select the "Add to Favorites" from the right-clicking menu.

the screenshot of step about adding contacts to favorites when searching in To-Do Bar in Outlook 2013 2

Add a specified contact to favorites in People view in Outlook 2013

Some Outlook users may want to add certain contacts to favorites from the People/Contact folder.

Step 1: Shift to the People view, and show the folder in the People view with clicking the "Change View" > "People" on the "View" tab.

Step 2: Right click the contact you will add to favorite, and then click the "Add to Favorites" from the right-clicking menu.

Add a specified contact to favorites from the Contact Card in Outlook 2013

If you have opened the Contact card of a certain contact, you can add this contact to favorites with click the ellipses besides the "Edit" (or "Add"), and then select the "Add to Favorites" from the drop down list. See screen shot below: