# Editing Drop Down Text? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 7, 2008, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/editing-drop-down-text/440431 "2008-03-07T13:02:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/editing-drop-down-text/440431/1 "2008-03-07T13:02:05Z")
My Outlook Express remembers emails (or names) as you start to type the first few letters. But, many are outdated now updated in my address book - BUT! These erroneous names still show up in the drop-down text! Is there anyway to edit the dropdown text? It’s so annoying! ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/editing-drop-down-text/440431/2 "2008-03-07T13:21:50Z")
I have a semi-related problem. When filling in my email address at some sites, I get a dropdown menu of all the mistakes I ever made when doing this task - commas instead of periods, no period when there should be one, etc. How do eliminate these testaments to my typing disfunction? Thanks for bringing the mater up, Jinx. I suspect it’ll require a cookie douche. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/editing-drop-down-text/440431/3 "2008-03-07T14:34:09Z")
Jinx: While the dropdown is displayed, arrow up or down to the entry you want to remove & press the delete key. Very clever of MSFT to hide the functionality right in plain sight. Barnowl: The thing you need to clear is not cookies, but autocomplete. In IE 7 under Tools -\> Delete Browsing History … there is a button labeled Form Data. That’s what you’re looking for. You may be able to use the same technique as works in Outlook. I have autocomplete switched off, so I never accumulate those entries, so I can’t readily test it for you. To turn that feature completely off in IE 7, go to Tools -\> Internet Options -\> Content tab then Autocomplete section. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/editing-drop-down-text/440431/4 "2008-03-07T15:47:35Z")
[QUOTE=LSLGuy] Jinx: While the dropdown is displayed, arrow up or down to the entry you want to remove & press the delete key. Very clever of MSFT to hide the functionality right in plain sight. Barnowl: The thing you need to clear is not cookies, but autocomplete. In IE 7 under Tools -\> Delete Browsing History … there is a button labeled Form Data. That’s what you’re looking for. You may be able to use the same technique as works in Outlook. I have autocomplete switched off, so I never accumulate those entries, so I can’t readily test it for you. To turn that feature completely off in IE 7, go to Tools -\> Internet Options -\> Content tab then Autocomplete section. [/QUOTE] Thanks, LSLGuy. I use Firefox, and under Tools I found a “Delete Private Data” Clicking on that brought me to a small window with 4 items checked" **Browsing History Download History Saved Form and Search History**, and **Cache** So I clicked on Clear Private Data Now, and will see what happens. Revisiting this little window, I now find that **Download History** and **Saved Form History** are checked, but grayed out. The other two are checked and normal looking. Maybe if I reboot… ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/editing-drop-down-text/440431/5 "2008-03-07T16:13:49Z")
[QUOTE=LSLGuy] Jinx: While the dropdown is displayed, arrow up or down to the entry you want to remove & press the delete key. Very clever of MSFT to hide the functionality right in plain sight. [/QUOTE] Thanks to **Jinx** for asking this and **LSLGuy** for answering. I have that same issue and had resigned myself to seeing obsolete e-mail addresses until my next computer. ---
**Author:** ![JustThinkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@JustThinkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustThinkin)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/editing-drop-down-text/440431/6 "2008-03-07T17:58:54Z")
Thanks **LSLGuy**! That Outlook thing has been plaguing me for years.