Contact Problems

How to Create and Share a Group Email List in Outlook

Bushra Parveen Oct 7, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user wants to know how to create a contact group in Outlook to email multiple people at once, and how to share this group list with team members and leaders.

How to Create and Share a Group Email List in Outlook

Product: Microsoft Outlook
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Creating a bulk email contact list for team communication and distributing the list to colleagues for their use.
Observed behavior: The user needs a straightforward method to set up a new contact group from the People tab, populate it with contacts, and successfully export or forward it to others.

Before you start

Ensure that the email addresses of the people you want to include in your group are already saved in your Outlook Contacts.

Solution 1Recommended

Create a New Contact Group in Outlook

Use the Outlook People tab to group multiple contacts under a single name for quick and easy bulk emailing.

A contact group (formerly called a distribution list) allows you to send an email to a large group of people by typing just one name in the 'To' field. This saves time and ensures no one is accidentally left off important team communications.

Open Outlook People

Launch Microsoft Outlook and navigate to the 'People' or 'Contacts' view, usually found at the bottom left corner of the Outlook window.

Start a New Contact Group

On the Home tab in the ribbon, click on the 'New Contact Group' button.

Name the Group

In the new window, type a clear and descriptive name for your email list in the 'Name' box.

Add Members

Click 'Add Members' on the ribbon, and choose 'From Outlook Contacts' or 'From Address Book'. Select the individuals you want to include, click the 'Members' button, and then click 'OK'.

Save the Group

Once all members are added, click 'Save & Close' in the ribbon. Your new group email list is now ready to be used in the 'To' field of a new message.

Using Your New Group: To email the group, simply create a new message, click 'To', search for your newly created group name, and add it.

Solution 2

Share the Contact Group with Team Members

Distribute your newly created contact group to team leaders or members so they can use the same synchronized email list.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hide the email addresses of the people in my Outlook contact group?

Yes. When composing a new email, put the contact group name in the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) field instead of the 'To' field. This will hide individual email addresses from all recipients in the group.

Why can't my team members open the contact group I shared?

If recipients are using an email client other than Outlook, they may not be able to open the native Outlook Contact format. Ensure they are using Outlook and are saving the attachment directly to their Contacts folder rather than just trying to open the file.

How do I add or remove members from an existing contact group?

Navigate to the People tab, double-click the contact group you want to update, and use the 'Add Members' or 'Remove Member' buttons on the ribbon. Click 'Save & Close' to apply the changes.

Outlook & Email Problems