[SOLVED] Select Recipients Win7 Live Mail - By Last Name

My problem is with Windows 7 Live Mail.

I am able to arrange my “Contact” Alphabetically by Last Name – THAT IS NOT THE PROBLEM.

After composing an email I try to select recipients for the mail and the list provided me by Live Mail is alphabetical BY FIRST NAME. THAT IS THE PROBLEM.

It take forever to select a bunch of recipients – it even takes longer to find Mary SMITH that it takes to find SMITH Mary even if I have to pick her out of 6 SMITH (s) in my contact list. I am familiar with the last names of my clients and acquaintances but not always with their first names.

They provide a way to sort the Contacts by last name – why do they not provide a way to add them to an email by selected by last name!

I HAVE searched the web for an answer to this and in every “forum” the volunteer responder didn’t read the question and explained how to “sort your contacts” OR the question was about email in VISTA (not Win7).

OF COURSE – I can go through my entire contact list and re-arrange it putting the Last Name and the First Name together in one field – thereby fooling Live Mail displaying it properly – BUT I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO DO THAT.

I sure I’m not the only one that finds fault with choosing recipients by First Name as evidenced by the websites I’ve visited.

Is there something I’m missing in Windows 7 Live Mail OR is it impossible to sort “Select Recipient” by Last Name?

"why do they not provide a way to add them to an email by selected by last name"

Not sure where you are heading with this? If you have them sorted by last name (You state you know the procedure for that) why are you not able to select them to add by searching last names?
But, having said the above, you add the comment "Is there something I’m missing in Windows 7 Live Mail OR is it impossible to sort “Select Recipient” by Last Name?
FWIW. Live Mail is not functionally linked to Vista or Windows 7. Any procedures would be the same, whichever OS you were using.

I don't underatnd what is going wrong. When I select a name to send the e mail to in Windows 7 with Windows Live Mail 2011, the list to select from is in EXACTLY the same order as I saved it, i.e.with last names shown first. I use the little add sign along the top.

Thanks for rapid reply .

I have sorted my "Contacts" when in "Contacts" and selected Last name as the first column and First name as the second column and they line up alphabetically that way when in "Contacts"....

Then I leave Contacts and select Mail and then create a new outgoing email message.

When I try to add recipients to the message I am presented a list that has First name in the first column and Last name in the second column And the first column (First Name) is in alphabetical order. The second column (Last Name) is NOT in alphabetical order. I have to search thru Alice, Andy, etc instead of Abbot, Brown, Chaney etc.

At that point in Live Mail there seems to be no way to change the order that the Contacts are presented...... You can see by his reply that the other responder seems to have no such problem. I will respond to him now.
Thanks again for the reply
Fred

Dear Andsome,

Thanks for the reply. If you do not have my problem then maybe something is amiss with my Live Mail program.

The .jpg that you provided does not show the window that you select the recipients from.

If you read my recent reply to the other responder - it explains again what my problem is. I simply want to scan down the LAST names in alphabetical order to select recipients for the email.

I can find no setting that lets me do this in Live Mail.

Help!

Thanks again.
Fred

Did you read my post above?

See the image.

Now look at the two following images, one shows how the contacts appear in the contacts folder, the other shows how they appear when I click on the add sign as shown above.

I think you need to check the settings. Do you have the 2011 version of Windows Live Mail? If so try playing around with the various settings available. I can't remember exactly what I tried when setting up. Trial and error may be the order of the day.

I suspect you are looking at the wrong contacts folder. Live mail has the contacts in a Dbase, whic is not accessible as a visible text file.
To alter the Live mail contact settings, open your mail program and, down on the bottom left,of the navigational pane, you will see "contacts". Click this.
oUp on the new top menu bar, towards the middle, you will see "Sort by"
This has only two choices, last name or first name.

Yes to 2011 Version of Live Mail

Please let me offer these to "Screen Prints" for your examination. I believe from your replies that you select your recipients ahead of time - before composing the email and I am talking about creating new email and THEN selecting the recipients.

Again, Thanks for the reply.

Please look at the screen prints I just sent to the other responder.

IF you have your Contact list sorted by LAST name. AND if you compose an email AND THEN add recipients - will your choices be sorted the same way as your contact list???

I write the e mail and then select the recipients after that, as you can see by my two examples.Never had a problem.