How to Create an Email Group in Outlook (Contact Group, List & M365 Group)

• 22 June 2026
• by: Sofia Rossi
• in: Email services
• Tags: business email, contact group, email groups, Microsoft 365, outlook
• note: no comments

If you regularly send the same message to the same set of people, typing out every address one by one is slow and error-prone. Creating an email group in Outlook lets you store a set of recipients under a single name, so you can type one label instead of fifteen addresses. The catch is that Outlook offers more than one kind of “group”, and they behave very differently depending on whether you are working in classic Outlook desktop, new Outlook, or Outlook on the web.

This guide walks through how to create a Contact Group (formerly called a Distribution List) in classic Outlook, how to build a contact list in new Outlook and Outlook on the web, and when you actually need a Microsoft 365 Group instead. We will also cover emailing the group, editing members, and the privacy step most people forget when blasting a large list.

Key Takeaways
• A Contact Group in classic Outlook (formerly the Distribution List) stores multiple recipients under one name in your own mailbox.
• In new Outlook and Outlook on the web, the equivalent is a contact list created from the People area.
• A Microsoft 365 Group is a shared organizational resource with a shared inbox, calendar, and files, not just a personal address shortcut.
• Use BCC when sending to a large group so recipients cannot see each other’s addresses.
• Choose based on ownership: a personal contact group is yours alone; an org distribution list or M365 Group is shared and centrally managed.

What is the difference between a Contact Group, a Distribution List, and a Microsoft 365 Group?

Before clicking anything, it helps to know which “group” you actually need, because Microsoft has used overlapping names over the years.

A Contact Group is the modern name for what used to be called a Distribution List in older Outlook versions. It is a personal collection of email addresses saved in your contacts. When you send to it, Outlook expands the group into individual recipients behind the scenes.

A distribution list (in the organizational sense) and a Microsoft 365 Group are different animals. These are managed centrally by an administrator and shared across the organization. A Microsoft 365 Group goes further, bundling a shared inbox, shared calendar, a SharePoint site, and a Planner under one group identity.

Feature	Contact Group (Distribution List)	Org Distribution List	Microsoft 365 Group
Where it lives	Your own mailbox	Organization directory	Organization directory
Who manages it	You	Administrator	Group owner / admin
Visible to others	No, personal only	Yes, org-wide	Yes, org-wide
Shared inbox	No	No	Yes
Shared calendar / files	No	No	Yes
Best for	Personal recurring sends	Broadcast email to a team	Collaborative teams

How do I create a Contact Group in classic Outlook desktop?

The classic Outlook desktop app (part of Microsoft 365 Apps or older perpetual versions) keeps email groups in the People area. Here is the full process.

1. Open Outlook and go to the People (or Contacts) view. You can usually find it via the navigation icons at the bottom-left or by pressing Ctrl+3.
2. On the Home tab, click New Contact Group. A new window opens.
3. In the Name box, type a clear, descriptive name for the group, such as *Marketing Team* or *Q3 Project*.
4. Click Add Members, then choose where the addresses come from: From Outlook Contacts, From Address Book, or New E-mail Contact for an address not yet saved.
5. Select each person and click Members to add them, then OK.
6. When everyone is added, click Save & Close.

Your new Contact Group now appears in your contacts list and behaves like a single recipient. The next time you start an email, typing the group name into the To field pulls in everyone at once.

Tip: If you add a brand-new address using *New E-mail Contact*, Outlook can also save that person to your main contacts so you can reuse them later.

How do I create a contact list in new Outlook and Outlook on the web?

New Outlook (the redesigned Windows app) and Outlook on the web share the same modern interface, so the steps are nearly identical. Here the feature is called a contact list rather than a Contact Group.

1. Open Outlook and select the People icon from the left-hand navigation bar.
2. Select the dropdown arrow next to New contact and choose New contact list.
3. Give the list a name in the Contact list name field.
4. In the Add email addresses box, start typing a name or address. Matching contacts appear as suggestions; you can also paste addresses directly.
5. Add an optional description if you want context for later.
6. Click Create to save the list.

The contact list now lives in your People area. To email it, start a new message and type the list name into the To field; Outlook expands it into individual recipients automatically.

The detail that trips most people up: a personal Contact Group or contact list lives only in *your* mailbox. It is essentially a private shortcut. Nobody else on your team can see it, use it, or update it. If a colleague needs to email the same set of people, they have to rebuild the group from scratch in their own account. The moment more than one person needs to use or maintain the same group, a personal contact group is the wrong tool, and you should reach for a shared org distribution list or a Microsoft 365 Group instead. Pick based on a single question: does anyone other than you need to send to or manage this group?

When should I use a Microsoft 365 Group instead of a Contact Group?

A personal contact group is perfect for your own recurring sends, such as a weekly note to five clients or a reminder to your immediate team. It costs nothing to set up and stays under your control.

A Microsoft 365 Group is the right choice when a group needs to be a shared, long-lived organizational resource. Because it includes a shared inbox and calendar, messages sent to the group are visible to all members, and the group survives even if the person who created it leaves. This makes it ideal for project teams, departments, or any group where continuity and collaboration matter.

To create a Microsoft 365 Group, you typically use the Groups section in Outlook (look for New Group under the Groups heading in the navigation pane) or your administrator provisions it through the Microsoft 365 admin center. Creating these may require permissions your organization controls, so check with your IT team if the option is missing.

In short: personal need, use a Contact Group; shared organizational need, use a Microsoft 365 Group or org distribution list.

How do I email the group once it is created?

Sending to your group is the easy part:

1. Start a New Email.
2. In the To field, begin typing the group’s name. It appears as a single entry, often shown in bold or with a group icon.
3. Select it and finish your message as normal.

When you send, Outlook expands the group into its individual members. If you want recipients to remain hidden from one another, place the group in the BCC field instead of To (more on that below).

How do I edit, add, or remove members from a group?

Groups are not static. To update a Contact Group in classic Outlook:

1. Open the People view and double-click the group to open it.
2. Use Add Members to bring in new people, or select a member and click Remove Member.
3. Click Save & Close.

In new Outlook or Outlook on the web, open the People area, select your contact list, choose Edit, then add or remove addresses and save. Changes apply the next time you email the group, so you never have to re-type the list.

Why should I use BCC when emailing a large group?

Privacy is the step people overlook. When you put a group in the To or CC field, every recipient can see every other email address in the group. For internal teams that may be fine, but for a list of clients, customers, or unrelated contacts, exposing everyone’s address is a privacy problem and can even breach data-protection expectations.

The fix is simple: put the group in the BCC (blind carbon copy) field. Each person still receives the message, but none of them can see the other recipients. A common practice is to put your own address in the To field and the entire group in BCC, so the message has a visible sender without exposing the list. When you are blasting any group beyond a small, mutually familiar team, default to BCC.

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Professional email groups on your own domain with DarazHost

Personal contact groups solve the one-person problem, but growing businesses often need email groups that work across the whole organization and live on a branded domain. DarazHost provides professional business email hosting on your own domain that works seamlessly with Outlook through standard IMAP and SMTP, so your team keeps the familiar Outlook experience while sending from a professional address like *[email protected]*.

For organization-wide needs, DarazHost email supports group aliases and forwarders at the domain level, letting you create addresses such as *[email protected]* or *[email protected]* that fan out to multiple people. That gives you a shared, centrally managed group without depending on each person’s personal contact list. And if you would rather have help wiring it all up, our 24/7 support team can assist with setting up email groups, aliases, and Outlook configuration.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a Contact Group and a Distribution List in Outlook? They are the same thing. Distribution List was the older name used in earlier Outlook versions; Microsoft renamed it to Contact Group. Both store multiple email addresses under one name in your personal mailbox.

Can other people use the Contact Group I created? No. A personal Contact Group or contact list is stored in your mailbox only. Colleagues cannot see or use it. For a group multiple people need to share, use an organizational distribution list or a Microsoft 365 Group.

How many people can I add to an Outlook Contact Group? A personal Contact Group can hold a large number of contacts, though very large lists are better served by an org-managed distribution list or alias. Sending limits set by your email provider or organization also apply, so check those before bulk sends.

How do I keep recipients’ addresses private when emailing a group? Put the group in the BCC field instead of To or CC. Each recipient gets the message, but no one can see the other addresses in the group.

Can I use Outlook email groups with a custom domain? Yes. With business email hosting such as DarazHost connected to Outlook via IMAP/SMTP, you can manage personal contact groups in Outlook and use domain-level aliases or forwarders for shared, organization-wide groups.