When you compose an email in Gmail and begin typing a person's name or email address in the To, Cc, or Bcc field, Gmail can suggest matching recipients automatically.

For example, you type:

rav...

and Gmail may immediately suggest:

Ravi Sharma ravi@example.com

This functionality is commonly called auto-complete or recipient suggestions.

One source of these suggestions is Google Contacts. Gmail can also automatically remember people with whom you interact. Google explains that people you've interacted with through Google services can be saved under Other contacts, and these people can subsequently appear as suggestions.

Gmail provides an important setting called:

Create contacts for auto-complete

This setting determines whether Gmail should automatically remember new people you email or whether you prefer to manage contacts yourself.

Where Is the "Create Contacts for Auto-Complete" Setting?

On a computer:

1. Sign in to Gmail.
2. Click the Settings gear icon in the upper-right corner.
3. Click See all settings.
4. Make sure you are on the General tab.
5. Scroll down until you find:

Create contacts for auto-complete

You should see two choices.

Option 1

When I send a message to a new person, add them to Other Contacts so that I can auto-complete to them next time

Option 2

I'll add contacts myself

After choosing the required option, scroll to the bottom of the Gmail Settings page and click:

Save Changes

Google's current Contacts documentation confirms this setting and specifically instructs users who want to stop automatic saving to select I'll add contacts myself and save the changes.

Option 1: Automatically Add New Recipients to Other Contacts

The first option says:

When I send a message to a new person, add them to Other Contacts so that I can auto-complete to them next time.

This is the automatic option.

Suppose you send an email for the first time to:

accounts@example.com

You have never manually created this person as a Google Contact.

With automatic contact creation enabled, Gmail can remember that address by adding it to Other contacts.

Later, when composing another message and typing:

acc...

Gmail can suggest that address automatically.

Google confirms that when you email someone who isn't already one of your contacts, their email address can automatically be stored in Other contacts and shown the next time you email them.

What Is "Other Contacts"?

This distinction is important.

Automatically remembered recipients are not necessarily added to your normal Google Contacts list in exactly the same way as contacts you deliberately create yourself.

Instead, Gmail can store them under:

Other contacts

Think of Google Contacts as having two practical categories:

Contacts
People you deliberately save and maintain.

Other contacts
People Google has remembered based on interactions, including people you've emailed.

This arrangement keeps automatically collected addresses separate from your intentionally maintained contact list.

You can view these entries on a computer by opening Google Contacts and selecting Other contacts from the left side.

Example of How Automatic Contact Saving Works

Suppose you receive a quotation from a new supplier:

sales@companyexample.com

You reply to that person.

If automatic contact creation is enabled, Gmail can remember the address.

A week later, you create a new email.

You type:

sales@comp...

Gmail may suggest:

sales@companyexample.com

You don't need to search through your old messages to find the email address again.

This is the main productivity benefit of the feature.

Benefits of Enabling Automatic Contact Creation

1. Faster Email Composition

You don't need to remember or repeatedly type complete email addresses.

Start typing the person's name or address and Gmail can provide suggestions.

2. Useful for People Who Email Many New Contacts

This can be especially convenient for users who regularly communicate with:

• Customers
• Vendors
• Suppliers
• Employees
• Consultants
• Service providers
• Business associates
• Support departments

3. No Need to Manually Save Every Recipient

You don't have to create a contact every time you communicate with somebody new.

4. Reduces Repeated Searching

Without the feature, you might need to search old messages to locate an address you used previously.

Auto-complete makes repeat communication much faster.

5. Convenient for Business Gmail Users

For users who send many emails every day, automatic recipient remembering can save significant time.

Disadvantages of Automatic Contact Creation

The feature is convenient, but there are some drawbacks.

1. Other Contacts Can Become Cluttered

If you send messages to hundreds or thousands of different addresses over time, Other contacts can accumulate many entries.

2. One-Time Addresses May Be Remembered

You may communicate with an address only once, but Gmail may still remember it.

Examples could include:

• Temporary support addresses
• One-time vendors
• Automated departments
• Old employee addresses
• Temporary project contacts

3. Incorrect Addresses Can Reappear

Suppose you accidentally send an email to:

account@example.com

instead of:

accounts@example.com

The incorrect address may later appear as a suggestion, depending on your contact and interaction history.

That can increase the chance of selecting the wrong address again.

4. Old Addresses May Continue Appearing

When a person's email address changes, an older remembered address may still appear among suggestions until the relevant contact information or suggestion is removed or cleaned up.

Option 2: "I'll Add Contacts Myself"

The second option is:

I'll add contacts myself

Selecting this option tells Gmail not to automatically create entries in Other contacts simply because you send email to someone new.

Instead, you control which people become saved contacts.

Google specifically recommends selecting this setting when you want to stop Gmail from automatically saving people you email.

Benefits of "I'll Add Contacts Myself"

1. Cleaner Contact Database

Only the people you intentionally save become part of your managed contacts.

2. Better Control

You decide exactly who should be saved.

3. Fewer Unwanted Addresses

Temporary, one-time, incorrect, or irrelevant recipients are less likely to accumulate automatically in Other contacts.

4. Better for Carefully Managed Business Address Books

If your organization wants a clean contact database containing only verified customers, suppliers, employees, and other important people, manual contact creation provides better control.

Disadvantages of "I'll Add Contacts Myself"

The biggest disadvantage is convenience.

You have to deliberately save important contacts yourself.

If you forget to save someone, you may later need to find their address from an earlier email.

Therefore, this option requires more contact-management discipline.

Which Option Is Best?

There isn't one setting that is perfect for everyone.

For most everyday Gmail users, I recommend:

When I send a message to a new person, add them to Other Contacts so that I can auto-complete to them next time.

It provides the most convenient Gmail experience.

If you regularly email many customers, suppliers, vendors, or other new people, automatic saving can be especially useful.

However, choose "I'll add contacts myself" when:

• You want a tightly controlled contact database.
• You frequently email temporary addresses.
• You don't want Gmail remembering every new recipient.
• Incorrect or obsolete addresses are becoming a problem.
• You prefer manually verified contacts.
• Your organization follows strict contact-management procedures.

Quick Comparison

Feature	Automatically Add to Other Contacts	I'll Add Contacts Myself
Saves new recipients automatically	Yes	No
Convenient	Excellent	Moderate
Manual work	Very little	More
Contact control	Moderate	Excellent
Risk of clutter	Higher	Lower
Useful for frequent emailing	Excellent	Good
Good for strict contact management	Good	Excellent
Auto-complete convenience	Excellent	Depends more on saved contacts
Best for typical Gmail users	Recommended	Optional
Best for carefully controlled contact lists	Acceptable	Recommended

How to Enable Automatic Contact Creation in Gmail

If you want Gmail to remember new people you email:

1. Open Gmail on your computer.
2. Sign in to your Google account.
3. Click the Settings gear icon.
4. Select See all settings.
5. Open the General tab.
6. Scroll down to Create contacts for auto-complete.
7. Select:

When I send a message to a new person, add them to Other Contacts so that I can auto-complete to them next time

8. Scroll to the bottom.
9. Click Save Changes.

Automatic saving is now enabled.

How to Disable Automatic Contact Creation

If you don't want Gmail automatically remembering new recipients:

1. Open Gmail on your computer.
2. Click Settings.
3. Select See all settings.
4. Stay on the General tab.
5. Find Create contacts for auto-complete.
6. Select:

I'll add contacts myself

7. Scroll to the bottom.
8. Click Save Changes.

Google documents these same steps for stopping automatic saving.

Important: Disabling It Does Not Delete Existing Other Contacts

This point can cause confusion.

Changing the setting to:

I'll add contacts myself

stops Gmail from automatically saving new people going forward.

It does not mean that every address previously stored under Other contacts is automatically deleted.

If you want to remove existing unwanted entries, you need to manage them separately.

How to View Other Contacts

On a computer:

1. Open Google Contacts.
2. Sign in with the same Google account used for Gmail.
3. Look at the menu on the left.
4. Select Other contacts.

You can then review the addresses Gmail/Google has remembered.

Google notes that Other contacts isn't displayed in the same way on iPhone, iPad, or Android, so using the desktop/web version is generally the easiest way to review it.

Google Contacts Help – Add or move contacts

How to Delete Unwanted Other Contacts

To clean up unwanted automatically remembered addresses:

1. Open Google Contacts on a computer.
2. Select Other contacts.
3. Point to the contact you want to remove.
4. Select the checkbox.
5. Select additional contacts if necessary.
6. Click More.
7. Choose Delete.
8. Confirm the deletion.

Google documents this procedure for deleting entries from Other contacts.

Important deletion note

Google states that contacts deleted from Other contacts don't appear in Trash in the same way ordinary deleted contacts do. They may instead be recoverable by undoing contact changes within the applicable recovery period.

How to Manually Add an Important Contact

Even when automatic saving is enabled, important contacts are better maintained as proper Google Contacts.

To create one manually:

1. Open Google Contacts.
2. Click Create contact.
3. Choose Create a contact.
4. Enter information such as:
   • First name
   • Last name
   • Email address
   • Phone number
   • Company
   • Job title
   • Other useful information
5. Click Save.

Google Contacts also provides a Create multiple contacts option when you need to add several contacts.

Automatic Contact vs Manually Created Contact

These should not be considered exactly the same thing.

An automatically remembered address may contain little more than the information Google obtained from your interaction.

A manually maintained contact can contain structured information such as:

Name: Ravi Sharma
Company: Example Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
Email: ravi@example.com
Phone: +91-XXXXXXXXXX
Job Title: Accounts Manager

Therefore, automatic saving is excellent for convenience, while proper Google Contacts are better for contact management.

Recommended Strategy for Business Users

A practical approach is to combine both methods.

Step 1 — Keep automatic saving enabled

Use:

When I send a message to a new person, add them to Other Contacts...

This gives you convenient recipient auto-completion.

Step 2 — Convert important people into properly maintained contacts

Manually maintain proper contact records for:

• Regular customers
• Important suppliers
• Employees
• Consultants
• Management
• Accountants
• Service providers
• Frequently contacted business associates

Step 3 — Periodically review Other Contacts

Remove obviously:

• Incorrect addresses
• Obsolete addresses
• Temporary recipients
• Duplicate-looking entries
• Unwanted recipients

This gives you the convenience of automation without abandoning contact management.

Example: Why This Feature Is Useful

Imagine you send an email to a new vendor:

purchase@vendor-example.com

Automatic contact creation is enabled.

Gmail remembers the address under Other contacts.

Three months later, you need to contact the vendor again.

You click Compose and type:

purc

Gmail may immediately suggest:

purchase@vendor-example.com

You don't need to remember the full address or search through three months of old emails.

That is the primary purpose of Gmail's Create contacts for auto-complete feature.

What If Gmail Auto-Complete Is Not Working?

If recipient suggestions aren't appearing as expected, check the following:

1. Open Gmail → Settings → See all settings → General.
2. Check Create contacts for auto-complete.
3. Verify the appropriate option is selected.
4. Click Save Changes.
5. Check Google Contacts for the person.
6. Check Other contacts for previously emailed recipients.
7. Verify that you're signed into the correct Google account.
8. Try typing part of the person's full email address rather than only their name.

Remember that Google's suggestion system isn't based solely on one Gmail setting. Google says suggestions can be influenced by several signals, including saved contacts and interactions such as recent emails.

Can I Turn Automatic Saving Off and Still Use Auto-Complete?

Yes.

This is an important distinction.

Selecting:

I'll add contacts myself

doesn't mean Gmail's recipient suggestion functionality disappears entirely.

It primarily controls whether Gmail automatically saves new people you email into Other contacts.

Contacts you deliberately save can still be suggested, and Google also describes its suggestions as being influenced by contacts and interaction-related signals.

Therefore:

Automatic contact creation and recipient auto-complete are related, but they should not be thought of as exactly the same setting.

Security and Accuracy Consideration

Auto-complete is convenient, but users should always verify the recipient before sending sensitive information.

For example, an organization might have:

accounts@company.com

and an older address:

account@company.com

If both appear as suggestions, selecting the wrong one can cause problems.

Before sending confidential, financial, legal, customer, password-reset, or business-sensitive information, always verify the complete recipient address.

Auto-complete should save typing time; it should not replace recipient verification.

Best Practice Recommendations

For most normal Gmail users:

Enable automatic contact creation.

For users with a high volume of temporary recipients or strict contact-management requirements:

Use "I'll add contacts myself."

For business environments, a balanced approach works particularly well:

Automatic saving for convenience + manually maintained Contacts for important people + periodic cleanup of Other contacts.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What does "Create contacts for auto-complete" mean in Gmail?

It controls whether Gmail automatically remembers new people you email by adding them to Other contacts, making it easier to suggest their addresses later.

2. What are the two options?

The two options are essentially:

When I send a message to a new person, add them to Other Contacts so that I can auto-complete to them next time

and:

I'll add contacts myself

3. Which option is best?

For most users, automatic saving is more convenient. For users who want strict control over their contact database, I'll add contacts myself is better.

4. Where are automatically saved recipients stored?

They can be stored under Other contacts in Google Contacts.

5. Are Other Contacts the same as my manually maintained Contacts?

Not exactly. Other contacts are used for people Google has remembered through interactions, while manually created Contacts are records you deliberately maintain.

6. How do I stop Gmail from automatically saving new recipients?

Go to:

Gmail → Settings → See all settings → General → Create contacts for auto-complete → I'll add contacts myself → Save Changes.

7. Will disabling automatic saving delete existing Other Contacts?

No. The setting controls future automatic saving. Existing entries need to be managed separately.

8. Can I delete unwanted addresses from Other Contacts?

Yes. Open Google Contacts on a computer, select Other contacts, select the unwanted entries, and delete them.

9. Why does an old email address keep appearing when I compose a message?

It may exist in your saved Contacts, Other contacts, or Google's interaction-based suggestions. Check your contact information and Other contacts for obsolete addresses.

10. Can I manually create a Gmail contact?

Yes. Open Google Contacts, select Create contact, enter the person's information, and click Save.

11. Can Gmail automatically remember someone after I email them?

Yes, when the automatic contact creation option is enabled, people you email who aren't already contacts can be added to Other contacts.

12. Should businesses enable this feature?

It depends on workflow. It is very convenient for employees who communicate with many customers and vendors, but organizations requiring tightly controlled address books may prefer manual contact creation.

13. Does "I'll add contacts myself" completely disable Gmail auto-complete?

No. It stops the automatic creation of new Other contacts through this Gmail setting. Saved contacts and other relevant suggestion signals can still contribute to recipient suggestions.

14. Can I create multiple contacts at once?

Yes. Google Contacts provides Create multiple contacts in addition to creating an individual contact.

15. What is the safest practice when using auto-complete?

Always verify the complete email address before clicking Send, particularly when sending confidential or sensitive information.

Conclusion

Gmail's Create contacts for auto-complete setting is a small but useful productivity feature.

Selecting:

"When I send a message to a new person, add them to Other Contacts..."

allows Gmail to remember new recipients automatically and makes future addressing faster.

Selecting:

"I'll add contacts myself"

gives you greater control and helps prevent your automatically remembered contact list from becoming cluttered.

For most everyday Gmail users, automatic saving is the more convenient choice. For organizations or users who want a carefully maintained address book, manual contact creation may be preferable.

A particularly effective business strategy is to keep automatic saving enabled for convenience, manually maintain important people as proper Google Contacts, periodically clean up Other contacts, and always verify the recipient address before sending sensitive information.

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