Mac OS X Mail: Remove a recipent from the autocomplete list of recent addresses
OS X’s Mail application, like many others, keeps a list of recent email recipients. When typing in a recipient in a new message, Mail will try to help you along by autocompleting based on your first few keystrokes. I’ve mistyped email addresses before (okay, all the time) and if I got at least the first few characters right, then Mail may end up reusing my mistakes. A simple action in Mail will clear a learned address.
To remove an unwanted address from the recent recipient list, select it in the To, Cc, or Bcc field or an email composition and click on the little pull down arrow to the right of the address. This will reveal a menu of selections as show in this image:

Click on the Remove from Previous Recipients List option and you’re set.



Rita Dean said on July 1, 2009
When I try this, I don’t have the selection ‘Remove From Previous Recipents List’ in my drop down screen. Now what do I do?
Windy Troutt said on July 24, 2009
In Mail, go to window-Previous Recipients. Then remove unwanted names from that list.
mark said on September 4, 2010
wow. i’m a “power user” and still didn’t know about that list.
for some reason, as rita stated, some addresses don’t have the “remove from previous…” option. so i googled it and found your reply.
thanks a billion!