Tip 1094: iTunes creates ModGrp folders in Outlook

A user had this problem:

When I sync my iPod Touch to Outlook 2013 it creates hundreds of additional contact folders, all prefixed with "_ModGrp…" I re-installed Outlook and iTunes but it's still not working correctly. Apple says it is a problem with Outlook and that Outlook 2013 is not compatible with iTunes.

It's not Outlook 2013 that is the problem; this has been going on since at least Outlook 2007. However, at this time, Apple does not officially support Outlook 2013 in iTunes or iCloud. That doesn't mean Outlook 2013 won't work with either application, it just means if something doesn't work, they can blame Outlook and close the support case. (They'll blame Outlook anyway. :))

To fix the folder problem follow these steps:

Stop syncing your device.
Exit iTunes.
Open Outlook and delete all the folders iTunes created. To speed it up and avoid the annoying 'are you sure' dialog, drag the folders into one folder (to create subfolders) then drag that last folder to the Deleted Items folder to empty it.
Open Windows Explorer, type or paste %appdata%\Apple Computer\ in the address field and press Enter to open Explorer to the correct location.
Rename the SyncServices folder to SyncServices.old. (You can delete the old folder once you see that it is working as expected.)
Open iTunes, select Edit, Preferences and reset the sync history

Set up the sync again. It should work without issue now.

Note: This problem can occur with either Calendar or Contacts folders. The solution is the same either way.

Published June 20, 2013. Last updated on June 22, 2013.