How to Fix Red Wavy Lines Under Email Addresses in Outlook
Question details
The user needs to remove the red wavy lines appearing under outgoing email addresses, which indicate invalid recipients and prevent messages from being sent.
- Product
- Microsoft Outlook
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Composing and attempting to send an email to one or multiple recipients.
- Observed behavior
- Outlook displays red wavy lines under the recipient's email address and blocks the message from being delivered, often accompanied by an error message.
Before troubleshooting, carefully double-check the recipient's email address for any typos, missing characters, or accidental spaces, as these are the most common causes of invalid address errors.
Test the Email Address in Outlook on the Web
Using the web version of Outlook helps determine whether the issue is caused by a corrupted desktop application or an actual problem with the email address itself.
If the email sends successfully through the web interface, the problem is localized to your Outlook desktop application.
Launch your web browser and open a new Private or Incognito window to ensure no conflicting cached data is loaded.
Navigate to https://www.outlook.com/ and sign in with your Microsoft account credentials.
Create a new email message, manually type the problematic recipient's email address, and click 'Send'.
Repair the Microsoft Office Desktop Application
If the email address works on the web but fails in the desktop app, running a repair on your Office installation can resolve underlying application errors.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does a red wavy line appear under an email address?
A red wavy line indicates that Outlook does not recognize the email format, or the address is invalid. It usually happens due to typos, unsupported characters, or a corrupted entry in your Auto-Complete list.
Will the email still send if there is a red wavy line?
In most cases, Outlook will prevent the email from being sent because it considers the destination address invalid. You must correct the address until the red line disappears before sending.
How do I clear corrupted contacts causing red lines in the Auto-Complete list?
You can remove a specific problematic address by clicking the 'X' next to the suggestion when it pops up. To clear the entire list, go to File > Options > Mail, scroll down to the 'Send messages' section, and click 'Empty Auto-Complete List'.
