Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Name displayed in from (or To) field in email is wrong, how do I fix this?

  • 9 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 28 views
  • Last reply by Matt

more options

I compose a message with several recipients by typing names and in the list of name, one of them is wrong. If I hover over the name, the correct email address displays. I have checked all the email lists in the address book and the entries for the wrong named person and for the correct email addressed person are all correct and neither has any reference to the other.

Also, when this person responds, the displayed name in the from field is wrong, but the actual email address is correct.

How do I fix this, don't know where else to look. Is TB (and yes, I am on the very latest version) using something other than my address books for these associations of Name and Email?

Please help, very frustrating...

Chet Volpe

I compose a message with several recipients by typing names and in the list of name, one of them is wrong. If I hover over the name, the correct email address displays. I have checked all the email lists in the address book and the entries for the wrong named person and for the correct email addressed person are all correct and neither has any reference to the other. Also, when this person responds, the displayed name in the from field is wrong, but the actual email address is correct. How do I fix this, don't know where else to look. Is TB (and yes, I am on the very latest version) using something other than my address books for these associations of Name and Email? Please help, very frustrating... Chet Volpe

All Replies (9)

more options

you have the email address in your address book twice.

more options

You have two address books. Check them both.

more options

Checked, checked, checked... it is only there once. However it is in several different address books.

In addition to the information that I posted to open this thread, this email account is running on 4 machines, an iMac, Airbook, Hp Desktop (win7), and an Asus laptop (win7). This problem only happens on the Asus laptop.

Chet

more options

I have 7 address books listed when I click the Address Book in TB. I have checked all of these (all have a common source - from GMail) and have checked them all for entries that would explain this.

Now here is the kicker - I deleted the address book entry for the incorrect name display and guess what - now another name shows up for the email address in question.

So where is TB looking for matches for email address to display a name?

This is very strange as the new match has never to my knowledge ever even been in the same email for any reason.

Thanks,

Chet

more options

So where is TB looking for matches for email address to display a name?

Thunderbird gets all suggestions from your address books. Sounds like you have it saved somewhere without all the info.

Start a new message. Start typing the name or address that it is finding. When it suggests the contact select it and then save the email to drafts. Go to the Drafts folder and right click the message. Select Open in a New Window. Click the contact and select Edit Contact. From there you can fix the problem or delete the contact.

more options

Ok, followed your instructions step by step...

In the edit window for the for the person that comes up incorrectly matched, there was no problem. This particular address entry has exactly 4 items - first name, last name, email address, and a jpg (link to google+).

This seems a bit off the mark as when I deleted the first incorrectly matched contact, this one took its place. When I have some time on this computer again (tomorrow), I will delete this new mis-match and see what happens and let you know.

Thanks for your help.

Chet

more options

Just go to Tools menu (alt+T) > options > advanced > Reading and display and turn off the option to use your address book to generate display names.

more options

Yes that works to display only the email address and I did try that to make sure it displayed the correct email address and it does. However, that does not fix an obvious problem.

So the questions still outstanding are, why only on one of the Win7 machines, what mechanism in TB finds the wrong name, and why don't either of the Mac systems demonstrate this problem.

I will gladly provide any information that you or anyone may need to see how this problem manifests.

Chet

more options

Your left with two possible options. Your address book file is corrupt or the address is in the books multiple times.

I recently had significant address book corruption caused by a google address sync add-on. So perhaps you need to look to the files and see how large they are. less that 10 Kb without images is sort of normal as they are only formatted text files (images blow all of that out of the water.

Help menu > troubleshooting information and click on the show folder button and check the mab files there. abook is the personal address book and history is the collected addresses. After that they are not so obvious.