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Sync services broken : Using outlook 2011 with Mac contacts

In outlook 2011 I have sync services set to work, but it's broken. Not syncing back over to Mac contacts. Anyone have a clue? thanks.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8), imac 27"

Posted on Nov 15, 2012 7:30 AM

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18 replies

Nov 30, 2012 10:29 AM in response to kevs55

This has happened to me several times in the past, but was fixed by turning Sync Services off, quitting/relaunching Outlook, reactivating SyncServices. Now it has surfaced again but the above no longer solves this issue.


A coinciding issue that surfaces at the same time is that Outlook's "Find" feature (to locate emails, contacts, etc) also fails. I can be looking at a name or an email subject line, type the exact text in the Outlook 'Search' box (upper right corner of the main Outlook window), and the search result comes up "No Results."


I've been told that Outlook 2011 uses Spotlight's index. SyncServices apparently interoperates with the Spotlight index.


Another coiciding issue is that SyncServices shows 100% processor use in Activity Monitor and force-quitting/relaunching SyncServices via Activity Monitor does not resolve that.


I can't single out any particular thing that I did to make this break again (e.g. I've not installed any software updates to Office/Outlook, or to MacOS X).


I'd sure love it if Microsoft would repair Outlook. A product that's been on the market for >15 years in one form or another should actually work by now.


They posted a v14.2.5 update in early November - I'll install it, see if that fixes the problem, and report back here.

Nov 30, 2012 11:51 AM in response to Steve H

Steve, great post thanks so much. How bizarre in that right before reading your reply I just posted this:


http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac/forum/macoffice2011-macoutlook/contact-wh y-first-name-not-coming-up/a50d195b-5f73-4481-bac3-a1ff7d731f3d


Anway,

yeah, dang, so one of the reasons, I finally moved from Entourage 2004 to 2011 was for the great search capabilities! This search issue is real new, very weird.


You talk as if sync services is some sort of independent app— what is it? it seems it's just a checkbox I check. And it's just for Outlook, nothing else really?


What should it do? I would think if you make any changes in outlook contacts then it should immediatly mirror that over to Apples contacts correct? I never touch Apple contacts directly.


CS, thats'a obnoxious statement. if you don't use OUtlook stay off the thread if you no have nothing to offer. I did try Mail, and it was basket case: it could not import even 10 folder without chocking. Not of fan of the free Apple apps. I had to delete Safari too it was so pathetic. I do agree with both of your that this stuff with Outlook is inexusable.

Nov 30, 2012 1:58 PM in response to Steve H

I neglected to say that the process of resetting the Spotlight index is to go to System Preferences -> Spotlight -> click the Privacy tab, drag your hard drive icon into it (to stop indexing it), then exit Spotlight prefs, then go back to them, and remove the hard drive (press the '-' at the bottom of the window) from the Privacy list again. Then close System Prefs. Then, allow Spotlight to reindex the computer.


I should be able to verify whether this resolves these seemingly inter-related SyncServices, Outlook, Spotlight issues, this afternoon... - Steve

Nov 30, 2012 4:33 PM in response to kevs55

Okay boys & girls.. Success.


- Both the Mac Address Book / Contacts app and iOS/iPad Contacts app now show all my entries (about 2,000 of them, in my case).


- Spotlight now finds messages and contacts located within Outlook (via the magnifying glass on the right-hand end of MacOS menu bar)


- Outlook's 'Search' box (upper right corner of the main Outlook window) now shows search results (for contacts in the contact view, mail in the mail view, etc) when I type in a search term, such as a name or part of an email subject line


Here is what solved this issue for me (try for yourself)


1) Quit Outlook and all other Office applications


2) Reset the Mac's Spotlight index: a) Go to System Preferences -> Spotlight -> click the Privacy tab, drag your hard drive icon into it to add the drive to the list, to stop indexing it, b) exit Spotlight prefs, c) go right back to the same Spotlight prefs and click on the "-" to remove the hard drive that you just added to the Privacy list, d) Then close System Prefs. Spotlight will begin to reindex the computer (you see a "glowing" spot inside the Spotlight magnifying glass). Don't go to the next step until this finishes. To make sure, click on it to see how much longer you have to wait. If you just see a search box and there's no more glowing dot, it's done.


3) Go to microsoft.com/mac, then download and install the Microsoft Office 2011 v14.2.5 update, released in early November. The installer will prompt to force-quit SyncServices and the Microsoft Database Daemon - this is OK.


4) Shut down & reboot everything (your Mac, your iOS device if applicable).


5) Now, test:


a) Launch your Mac address book/contacts application, verify that your entries are there again

b) Launch Outlook, see if it finds your emails, contacts, etc from via the Outlook Search box

c) If you use the Contacts app in iOS (iPad, iPhone), plug the device into your Mac, launch iTunes and re-sync the device. Then launch the Contacts app to verify that your entries have transferred over


Worked for me...!

Nov 30, 2012 6:01 PM in response to Steve H

ok Steve, will do.


Can't stand we have to always update Spotlight. Should this not be auotmatic by now.?


Question:

I was going to get Outlook exchange, but the companies I've called are really mediiocre, so I thinking of just doing imap and calander—which are free.


The only hitch is that I've heard you cannot get true on the fly updating on your Outlook contacts are mulitple machines without going the exchange route. Is this not correct?

Nov 30, 2012 6:58 PM in response to kevs55

If you meant Outlook Express, it's not that different from "regular" (paid version) of Outlook. If you are running your computer stand-alone (e.g. not connected to a corporate network and an Exchange server), then both the free or paid version require that you manually query for mail unless you set up a rule to ping your email account on a regularly-timed basis.


The Apple apps appear to be fine for the non-corporate user - I use Microsoft Office, and not Apple's apps, so I can't tell you much about their advantages or disadvantages - sorry!

Sync services broken : Using outlook 2011 with Mac contacts

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