If you utilise Outlook to communicate with your colleagues, you've probably wanted to repeatedly email a specific group whose membership changes often. For example, you may need to email all of your customer service reps every day, but due to high turnover, the list may change frequently.

You could type each person's name or email manually every time you ship an email, but quickly this can become cumbersome as the grouping gets larger. Not only that, but you also run the chance of inadvertently forgetting someone which could pb to office drama. That'due south where a distribution list or contact grouping comes in!

For the almost part, the terms "contact group" and "distribution list" are interchangeable. Microsoft began using the phrase "contact grouping," presumably considering it's a niggling more intuitive than "distribution list."

Nevertheless, there is a real distinction between the ii in organizations that are using Microsoft 365. Admins of Microsoft 365 tin convert existing Outlook distribution lists to "Groups," which, in turn, gives grouping members access to shared libraries and collaboration spaces like Microsoft Teams, Yammer, and Planner.

While your IT department probably rules over your organization's Outlook distribution lists—specially the dreaded and often poorly-maintained all-staff list, you can notwithstanding create your own contact groups in Outlook.

Below, we'll walk you through how to create contact groups in Outlook for both the browser version and the desktop app.

How to Create a Contact Group in Outlook Online

Creating a contact group in the browser version of Outlook is like shooting fish in a barrel.

  1. Log into your business relationship at outlook.com or select Outlook from the app launcher if you're already logged into Microsoft 365. If yous don't see Outlook in the app list (you will), select All apps.
  1. In the left pane, under Groups, select New group.
  1. In the popup, requite your new group a proper name and description and select Create. (If your organization has enabled it, you lot might be prompted to create an email address for the group. In that instance, for ease of use, try to make the email accost identical to the grouping name.)
  1. Now, add together members to the grouping. Search for people past proper noun or by email address. Select the search result for the person you want to add to the group, and they'll announced under "This person volition be added."
  1. Repeat pace 4 until you've added everyone you desire to the group. So select the Add push.
  2. Select Close.
  3. Send an email to the group you've created by selecting New message.
  1. In the To field, begin typing the name of the group you lot created, and select it from the list that appears.

Easy peasy. Just what if yous need to add together or remove people from the group? Read on.

How to Edit a Contact Group in Outlook Online

Microsoft has made it easy to edit a contact group without e'er leaving Outlook Online. Some steps might be slightly different depending on how your organization has configured Microsoft 365, but the steps below should get you there.

  1. In the left pane, under Groups, select the group yous desire to edit.
  2. In that group'southward entry, select the More (three dots/ellipsis) icon.
  1. Select Settings. (Depending on how Outlook is configured for your organisation, you might run across an option to Add together members straight from the More icon.)
  1. In the Group Settings panel that appears on the correct, select Edit group.
  1. Select the Members tab.
  2. From in that location, you lot can add members or delete them from the group past selecting the 10 icon next to the entry for the person yous desire to remove.
  1. If yous've added members to the group, select the Add button. Otherwise, choose Close.

Another Way to Edit Contact Groups in Outlook Online

Depending on how Outlook is configured, yous may also be able to edit contact groups by following these steps:

  1. Get to the People department of Outlook (to the correct of the Calendar icon).
  1. In the left pane in the Groups section, select Owner to display the groups you accept created.
  1. Select the group you want to edit from the list.
  2. Select Manage grouping members.
  1. From at that place, you can add members or delete existing members by selecting the 10 adjacent to an entry.

How to Create a Contact Group in Outlook's Desktop App

Creating a contact group in the desktop version of Outlook is even more than straightforward than information technology is in the online version.

  1. Launch Outlook, and select the People icon near the lower-left corner (where you switch betwixt email, tasks, people, and calendar).
  1. Side by side, from the toolbar, select New Contact Group. (If your organization is using Microsoft 365, yous may too see a New Group push button. For our purposes, we'll use New Contact Group to facilitate group emails.)
  1. In the Contact Grouping window that appears, requite your contact group a name, and then select Add Members and choose where y'all want to get your new members from. Options might include From Outlook Contacts, From Accost Book, or New Email Contact.
  1. One by i, search for the people you lot want to add to the contact group. Make certain their entry is highlighted, and select the Members push (or double-click their entry) to add them. When you're finished, select OK.
  2. Close out the window, making sure to reply Aye if prompted to save your changes.
  3. Now, when you address a new e-mail, y'all can type the name of the contact group in the To field. Your contact group volition exist added. If you wish, you can expand the group list, and Outlook will replace the list with its members. Be warned, though, you will not be able to collapse the list once more.

Contact groups appear as entries in the Outlook address book, so y'all'll be able to notice them in that alphabetized listing.

How to Edit a Contact Grouping in Outlook'due south Desktop App

Now let's edit an existing contact grouping in the desktop version of Outlook.

  1. Launch Outlook, and select the People icon near the lower-left corner.
  2. Notice and select the grouping you lot want to edit in your contact list.
  3. In the pane on the right, select Edit. That volition bring you dorsum to where you tin can manage the group by adding and/or removing members.

Whether yous're using the online version of Outlook or the desktop app, it'southward definitely worth information technology to accept a few minutes to create Outlook distribution lists you'll use repeatedly. Y'all'll be glad you did.