How-To Geek
Fix for New Contact Group Button Not Displaying in Vista
Reader Jeffrey wrote in with a problem – The New Contact Group button wasn’t showing up when he went into his Vista Contacts folder. After checking, I noticed I had the same exact problem.
Turns out the problem is that Vista thought my Contacts folder was a picture folder for some unknown reason.
Notice how the button is completely missing from the toolbar.
To change the folder so that Vista realizes it’s a contacts folder, right-click anywhere in the folder, and then choose Customize This Folder from the menu.
Now from the Customize tab, change the “Use this folder type as a template” to Contacts instead of Pictures, or whatever it was set to.
Now when you look at your Contacts folder, you’ll see the New Contact Group button as well as the other relevant buttons.
There should really be some better logic to determine the folder type.
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Comments (73)
Programmer by day, geek by night, The Geek, also known as Lowell Heddings, spends all his free time bringing you fresh geekery on a daily basis. You can follow him on Google+ if you'd like.
- Published 07/12/07
It worked like a charm! Thanks! (And shame on Vista!!)
Many thanks. That is the answer I needed.
Once again you solved another Vista mystery! Thanks!!!!
Thank you so much! How silly was that? I used vista help but…
Thanks again!
So easy, so simple… Shame on Microsoft and their Helps.
Thank you so much!!
thanks so much. so many bugs so little experience!!
Thanks for the simple solution and easy to follow instructions to fix
thanks, what a cool experience
now new contact group button show, very easy solution
thanks again
ram
A Fantastic Resolution. I would never have found it. Many Thanks. Pat
That was it!
I hate vista.
Thanks, for the help!
thank you so much. I have been looking everywhere for how to do this and you solved it very easily.
suzanne :o)
Worked perfectly! Unfortunately, Vista Help didn’t help. Thanks.
Great job done the answer I needed
I found it almost by accident…one more warped thought process in the design of Vista…
I found your excellent solution and description after I’d stumbled on the answer.
Thanks for helping folks to stop pulling out their hair.
You ARE the man! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Thank you for knowing more about Windows Vista than every single person who currently works for Microsoft.
Thanks for all the compliments =)
I’m glad I could help!
Thank you for posting this fix!
Thanks for this help. This was really frustrating me
The Geek, you’re not so geeky. You rock! Thank you for telling us what Microsoft doesn’t!
Thank you. I hate vista.
Hey, you just saved me hours of trying to work it out, Many, many thanks!
Is there a reason that Microsoft doesn’t bother to put this information on THEIR support site??!
Thanks so much! I was spending too much time trying to figure it out.
Hope you don’t mind if I check with you for any future problem?
Rick
Canada
Wow! That was too easy to fix – and to think of all the hoops I was jumping through with Microsoft Vista Helps and their not-so-friendly “support” website!
Finally! I’ve been looking for a fix for this for months! Thank you.
Mate
After a hour of hair pulling you are a genious
Thanks
I have just bought a new computer with Vista for home…have been using XP at both work and home and was feeling a bit lost in Vista. Love your site, I can understand it.
This solved a problem I also experienced since vista installed. I had to go into restore area to select contact. Thanks heaps
You rock man
This Contact Group problem really annoyed me, no thanks to the Vista help either because they don’t seem to have a clue about any kind of fix for this. Thanks a lot for this extremely simple fix.
thanks, that was REALLY annoying!
Thank you. Best solution spot I have known. Can not believe that Microsoft does not include this in their own help. Do they not monitor the communities? How can I tell them about this problem and the number of people that struggle with it?
All I can say is Wow!!!! Thank you so much! I spent an hour going round and round trying to figure out where the group contact button was. Again thank you.
Thanks, would never have worked that one out in years. Vista!!!!!
you are a genius! thanks so much.
THANKS! I wouldn’t have ever figured this out – especially when ALL was selected. Thanks soooo much!!!!!!
Thanks for the solution to a big pain. I checked all the help files and found nothing.
Thanks, it saved me a lot of “research time”. Much appreciated!!
Thanks a lot! I will try! This is great!
Thank you so much. I was so frustrated and what a relief to get your help!
Genius ….. thank you so much! I spent three hour going round and round trying to figure out how the group contact button will display
Thank you so much, a simple change and viola! It works. Appreciate your time and information!
Dear Geek:
I’ve tried following your directions for fixing my absent New Contact Groups on Windows Vista. But mine doesn’t have ‘Customize Folder’ either on the drop-down menu you mention. So what to do now? Help!!
Another thankful frustrated Vista user thanks you! I am experiencing another similar problem. The “contacts” help in Vista says: “To add individual contacts to a contact group from your existing contacts, click ADD TO CONTACT GROUP.” I do not see this button on the toolbar, though you can drag and drop a contact into a group. Anyone know where that button is?
Thanks for your suggestion on adding groups to Windows Email. You were the only one I found that had the answer. THANKS AGAIN. I will look here first.
And yet another thankful frustrated Vista user thanks you! And I echo another “I hate Vista” contributor. I bought XP and keep saying I’m going to reformat and install it but it’s scary.
YOU ROCK!!! I’VE HAD TROUBLE WITH THIS FOR ALMOST A YEAR NOW. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I’d like to know how everyone is getting helped with this fix. I too have Vista, but when I right-click, my menu has everything shown except Customize This Folder. Nor can I find that option anywhere else. Any suggestions?
Perfect. That is the answer I spent 30 minutes trying to find. Many thanks.
Excellent help. How would be able to find that out, if not for the Geek?
Thank you so much! This fixed the problem AND it was EASY!!!
Thanks for the help!! You saved my keyboard from being bashed in with my forehead!
This worked a treat and has been doing my head in for ages ;o) Ta very much!
I wasent able to find the contact group, and after reading previous question, it took me 2 minutes to fix the problem
thanks
Linda
Got my contact buttons back, but I still can’t add a contact!!!! Maybe my contact folder is corrupt??
Worked great, Thanks!
After trying to fix the problem for an hour, I discoverd your simple solution. Thank you
Thank you so much for this information. I had checked Windows help menu, but could’t find anything helpful. This was so easy.
Many thanks for the help on this one. It was drivng me nuts. As for VISTA I curse the day I
ever wound up with it. I’ll take good old XP any day of the week. GEEK is “tops”
Gads. I wasted so much time trying to find this information. HP Technical Support directed me here and poof! All is WELL!!! :o) THANK YOU!!! GEEK is Da Bestest!! XOXOXO
Thank you so much, I have spent way too much time trying to figure this one out!!
Thanks for this, it worked wonderfully. As above, I spent ages trying to fix it.
thanks so much, several click of the mouse and all fixed. How simple and easy!!!!!! No more lots of clicks to send family emails. Again thank you. Deb
Awesome, a few clicks and it is fixed. I’m pretty good with a computer, but this one had me stumped.
OMG THANK YOU!!!!
Thanks again for helping with this annoying system! Great explanation.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. So easy when you know how.
Excellent help, thanks.
YOU ARE A MICROSOFT GENIUS!!
Thanks!
Needed this today. Thanks. 4 iPhones and we keep track of our contacts by group…. Thanks a ton.
Vista… unbelievable! Thank you for this solution.
My Vista Windows Mail folder is filled with individual contacts and right clicking anywhere in the folder does not give me the option of Customizing–got another idea or fix?