How to create a contact group in outlook

Last Updated: Feb 18, 2024 by

Outlook is a powerful email and calendar management tool that is widely used in the business world. One of its useful features is the ability to create contact groups, also known as distribution lists, which allow you to send emails to multiple contacts at once. This can save you time and effort when sending out group emails. In this article, we will guide you through the steps of creating a contact group in Outlook.

Creating a Contact Group

To create a contact group in Outlook, follow these steps:

  1. Open Outlook and click on the “People” tab at the bottom of the screen.
  2. Click on the “New Contact Group” button in the toolbar.
  3. A new window will open where you can enter the name of your contact group and add members.
  4. To add members, click on the “Add Members” button and select the desired contacts from your address book.
  5. You can also manually add new contacts by clicking on the “New E-mail Contact” button.
  6. Once you have added all the desired members, click on the “Save & Close” button to save your contact group.

Sharing a Contact Group

After creating a contact group, you may want to share it with others in your organization. This can be done easily in Outlook by following these steps:

  1. Open the contact group you want to share.
  2. Click on the “Forward Group” button in the toolbar.
  3. A new email will open with the contact group attached as a .msg file.
  4. Enter the email addresses of the recipients and click on the “Send” button.

Sharing a Contact Group via OneDrive

Another way to share a contact group in Outlook is by using OneDrive, Microsoft’s cloud storage service. This method allows you to share the contact group with people outside of your organization. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Open the contact group you want to share.
  2. Click on the “Forward Group” button in the toolbar.
  3. In the new email, click on the “Attach Item” button and select “Share OneDrive Link.”
  4. A link to the contact group will be generated and inserted into the email.
  5. Enter the email addresses of the recipients and click on the “Send” button.

Editing a Contact Group

If you need to make changes to a contact group, follow these steps:

  1. Open the contact group you want to edit.
  2. Click on the “Edit” button in the toolbar.
  3. Make the desired changes to the contact group.
  4. Click on the “Save & Close” button to save your changes.

Deleting a Contact Group

To delete a contact group in Outlook, follow these steps:

  1. Open the contact group you want to delete.
  2. Click on the “Delete” button in the toolbar.
  3. A confirmation message will appear, click on “Yes” to confirm the deletion.

By following these steps, you can easily create, share, edit, and delete contact groups in Outlook. This can help you streamline your communication and save time when sending group emails. Have you used contact groups in Outlook before? Let us know in the comments.

Gulrukh Ch

About the Author: Gulrukh Ch

Gulrukh Chaudhary, an accomplished digital marketer and technology writer with a passion for exploring the frontiers of innovation. Armed with a Master's degree in Information Technology, Gulrukh seamlessly blends her technical prowess with her creative flair, resulting in captivating insights into the world of emerging technologies. Discover more about her on her LinkedIn profile.