Create and Manage Contact Groups in Outlook for Windows


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Contact Groups allow you to distribute emails to groups of people without having to enter each email address individually. This is especially useful when working with large groups of people that you distribute announcements to frequently.

Create a Contact Group or Distribution List in Outlook

  1. In Outlook, click the People (People (contacts) icon) icon located in the left navigation bar. 
  2. Under My Contacts, pick where you want to add the contact group.
  3. Click Home > New Contact Group.
  4. On the Contact Group tab, type a name for the group in the Name box.
  5. Click Add Members, and then add people from your address book or contacts list.
  6. Select Save, then Select Close.

Add People to a Contact Group

  1. In Outlook, select the People  ()  icon to view your contacts.
  2. Under My Contacts, select Contacts.
  3. Double-click the contact group to which you want to add members.
  4. Select Add Members, and then choose the list or choose from Outlook Contacts.
  5. In the Search box, type the name.
  6. Double-click the name to add it to the Members box, and then select OK.
  7. Select Contact Group > Save > Close.

Edit a Contact

  1. In Outlook, click People (People (contact) icon) icon.
  2. Select a contact. Information for that contact appears in the People pane.
  3. Click the Edit Contact button to update contact information, or 
  4. In the Actions group, select Save > Close.

Modify a Contact in a Group

Contact Exists within your Personal Outlook Contacts

  1. Use the Edit a Contact instructions to modify the desired contact.
  2. Find the group that contains the contact you just modified and double-click the group to open it.
  3. Within the Members area, click Update Now.
  4. The modified contact will be updated within the group.
  5. Select Save > Close to save your changes.

Contact Does Not Exist within your Personal Outlook Contacts

  1. Find the group that contains the contact you want to modify and double-click the group to open it.
  2. Select the member and click Remove Member.
  3. Within the Members area, select Add Members and add or remove members.
  4. Select Add Members, then select New Email Contact.
  5. Enter the necessary information for this contact, which includes the new values you made, then click OK.
    Tip: Add this person to your personal contacts for ease of modification in the future.
  6. Select Save, then Close to save your changes to the contact group.

Related Resources

View these Microsoft articles for additional information.