Gmail's mailing list feature lets you send one email to multiple people at once by typing a single name

A mailing list in Gmail is a group of email addresses you save under one name. Instead of typing five or ten addresses every time you want to email the same people, you type the list name once. Gmail calls these "groups" in your contacts, and they work in the compose window just like a regular email address.

You create a mailing list by opening your contacts, adding people to a new group, and naming it. Once it exists, you can type that name in the "To" field and Gmail fills in all the addresses at once. You can add or remove people from the list anytime, and changes take effect the next time you use it.

Mailing lists are useful if you email the same set of people regularly — a book club, a team project, a family group, or coworkers on the same task. They save time and reduce the chance you'll forget someone or type an address wrong.

Key Takeaways

  • Create a mailing list by opening Gmail contacts, clicking "Create label", naming the group, and adding people to it.
  • Type the group name in the "To" field when composing an email, and Gmail will auto-fill all the addresses in that group.
  • Edit a group anytime by opening contacts, finding the group name, and adding or removing people.
  • Gmail groups are private to your account — other people cannot see the group name or who is in it unless you tell them.
  • A person can belong to multiple groups, so you can organize the same contact in different ways depending on context.

How to create a new mailing list in Gmail

Go to contacts.google.com in your browser. This is separate from Gmail itself — it is Google's contact manager. On the left side, you will see a menu. Click "Create label" (or "Create group" depending on your version). A box will appear asking you to name the group.

Type a name that makes sense to you: "Book Club", "Project Team", "Family", or "Monthly Report Reviewers". Keep it short and clear so you remember it when you are composing an email. Click "Save" when you are done naming it.

The new group now exists but is empty. You will see it listed on the left side of your contacts. Click on it to open it, then click "Add members" or the plus icon. A search box will appear. Type the name or email address of the first person you want to add. Gmail will show you matching contacts. Click the person's name to add them. Repeat this for each person in the group.

You can also add people by opening an existing contact card, scrolling down, and clicking "Add to group". Select the group name from the list. This method is slower if you are adding many people at once, but it works if you are building the list gradually.

How to use a mailing list when sending email

Open Gmail and click "Compose" to start a new email. In the "To" field, start typing the name of your group. Gmail will show you the group name as an option. Click on it, and all the addresses in that group will appear in the "To" field at once.

You can see exactly who is in the group by looking at the "To" field — each person's name or address will show up. If you need to remove someone from this email only, click the X next to their name. This removes them from the email but does not remove them from the group itself.

If you want to add a few extra people to this email beyond the group, type their addresses in the "To" field as well. The group members and the extra people will all receive the email. Type your subject and message as normal, then click "Send".

How to edit or delete a mailing list

Go back to contacts.google.com and click on the group name on the left side. You will see all the people currently in that group. To add more people, click "Add members" and search for their names. To remove someone, hover over their name and click the X that appears.

If you want to rename the group, right-click on the group name in the left menu and select "Rename label". Type the new name and press Enter. The group will update everywhere you use it.

To delete the entire group, right-click on it and select "Delete label". Gmail will ask you to confirm. Deleting the group does not delete the people in it from your contacts — it only removes the group itself. The individual contact cards stay in your contacts.

Mailing lists versus email forwarding and CC

A mailing list is different from putting multiple addresses in the "CC" field. When you use CC, everyone can see everyone else's email address. With a mailing list, each person receives the email as if it was sent to them directly — they do not see the other recipients' addresses unless you also put them in CC or BCC.

A mailing list is also different from setting up email forwarding or creating an email alias. Forwarding sends emails from one address to another automatically. A mailing list sends one email you compose to many addresses at once. They serve different purposes.

If you want people to reply to each other and see the conversation, use CC or Reply All. If you want to send the same message to a group but keep their addresses private from each other, use a mailing list.

Mailing lists and privacy

Your mailing lists are private to your Gmail account. No one else can see the group name or who is in it unless you tell them. When you send an email to a group, the recipients see the email came from you — they do not see that you used a group to send it.

If you put the group name in the "To" field, each recipient sees their own name in the "To" field on their copy of the email, not the group name. This is different from putting the group name in the "To" field and having it expand visibly — Gmail handles it invisibly on the recipient's end.

If you want recipients to know they are part of a group, you can mention it in the email itself. But Gmail does not automatically tell them.

Troubleshooting mailing lists

If you type a group name and Gmail does not show it as an option, the group may not exist yet or you may have misspelled the name. Go back to contacts.google.com and check the exact spelling of the group name on the left side. Type it exactly as it appears.

If you added someone to a group but they do not appear in the "To" field when you use the group, refresh your browser or sign out and back into Gmail. Sometimes the contact list takes a moment to sync. If that does not work, remove the person from the group and add them again.

If an email bounces back saying an address in the group is invalid, go to the group in contacts and check that person's email address. You may have typed it wrong when you added them. Delete the contact and add them again with the correct address.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I create a mailing list on my phone?

You can view and use existing groups on the Gmail app for iPhone or Android, but creating a new group works better on a computer. Open contacts.google.com in your phone's browser to create groups, or use the Contacts app if you have it installed. The web version is more reliable.

What happens if I remove someone from a group after I send them an email?

They keep the email you already sent them. Removing someone from the group only affects future emails. The next time you use that group, their address will not be included.

Can I have the same person in multiple groups?

Yes. A contact can belong to as many groups as you want. You might put your manager in both "Leadership Team" and "Monthly Budget Review", for example. Adding them to one group does not remove them from another.

Is there a limit to how many people can be in one group?

Gmail does not publish a hard limit, but groups with hundreds of people work fine. If you are sending to more than 500 addresses at once, Gmail may take longer to process the email, but it will send.

Can I send a mailing list email to myself as a test?

Yes. Add your own email address to the group, compose an email to the group, and send it. You will receive a copy just like everyone else. You can then remove yourself from the group if you do not want to be part of it going forward.