How to Create an Email Group and Distribution List in Outlook

Sending emails to a group is more common in both our business and personal lives. You may use groups for your project team at work and your immediate family members at home. Creating an email group for a distribution list in Microsoft Outlook can save you a lot of time.

Once the group is set up, you can just pop it into the email and contact several people with a single message. If you’ve never done this before, we’re here to help. Here’s how to create a group in Outlook for both Windows and Mac.

Differences Between Contact Group, Contact List, Email Group, and Distribution Lists

There really is no difference between a contact group, contact list, email group, or distribution list when talking about Microsoft Outlook. The terms are used interchangeably.

As a matter of fact, the Microsoft Office support site now offers up the term “Contact Group” as opposed to “Distribution List”:

Use a contact group (formerly called a “distribution list”) to send an email to multiple people…

The Outlook application itself uses the terms Contact Group (Windows) and Contact List (Mac) on its ribbon, in its menus, and in its support documents. So, as we move through the steps below, those are the phrases you’ll see most often.

And before you move onto the steps, if you need help exporting your Outlook contacts at some point, check out our guide.

How to Create a Contact Group in Outlook on Windows

Open Outlook on your Windows computer and prepare to create your contact group.

1. Select People from the bottom left of the Outlook window.
2. Click New Contact Group from the ribbon.
3. Give your group a name.

You can also select New Items > More Items > Contact Group from Home tab menu.

To add contacts to your group, click Add Members from the ribbon. You can add members from your Outlook contacts or address book, or you can create new contacts.

To add members from your Outlook contacts or address book, just double-click their name in the popup window and it will be added to the Members area at the bottom. When you finish, click OK.

For new contacts, enter the name you’d like to display for them in the window, insert in their email address, and click OK.

When you’re done adding members to the group, click Save & Close from the ribbon.

Not seeing these buttons or interested in customizing your ribbon? Here’s how to make the most of the ribbon and menu in Office 2016.

Compose an Outlook Group Email on Windows

After you create your email group in Outlook, you have a couple of methods for sending the members a message.

Compose an Email from the Mail Section

In the Mail section of Outlook, you can send an email to that contact group you created by doing the following.

1. Click New Email.
2. In the To field, begin typing the name you gave to the contact group. Or, you can click the To button and search for the group or select the group name from the list.
3. When you see the group, select it and click OK.

Compose an Email from the People Section

If you are in the People section of Outlook, click the contact group in your list. Then, select the Email icon and a new email will open with the group populated in the To field for you.

How to Create a Contact List in Outlook on Mac

Open Outlook on your Mac and get ready to create your contact list.

4. Select People from the bottom left of the Outlook window.
5. Click New Contact List from the ribbon.
6. Give your list a name.

You can also select File > New > Contact List from the menu bar.

To add contacts to your list, just begin typing in the Name and E-mail fields in the popup window. If you add a name that’s recognized as an existing contact, you’ll see the suggestion for that contact display. Then you can just select it to add that contact to the list.

If you are adding new contacts, just enter their names and email addresses. Before you exit, you can also assign a Category to the group from the ribbon. You’ll see options like family, friends, and team.

When you finish adding members to the list, click Save & Close from the ribbon.

New Contact List Button Grayed Out on Mac?

If you are unable to click the New Contact List button in the ribbon of the People section, this is a simple fix.

1. Click Outlook > Preferences from the menu bar.
2. Select General.
3. Uncheck the box next to Hide On My Computer

Compose an Outlook Group Email on Mac

After you create your email group in Outlook, you have a couple of ways to send a message to them.

Compose an Email from the Mail Section

You’ll probably be in the Mail section of Outlook most often, so to send an email to that distribution list you created, follow these steps.

4. Click New Email.
5. In the To field, begin typing the name you assigned to the contact list. Alternatively, you can click the Search button on the right side of the field. Search for the list in the box at the top.
6. When the list displays, select it and it will pop right in.

Compose an Email from the People Section

If you happen to be in the People section of Outlook, simply mouse over the contact list and when you see the Email icon display, click it.

A new email will open with that contact list in the To line, ready for you to compose your message.

Speed Things Up With Outlook Groups

It’s so easy to create a group in Outlook that if you email the exact same people on a regular basis, it can really speed up your process.

For doing even more with your emails and inbox, check out these 10 tips for getting better at Outlook.

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