What a contact group does and why you might need one
A contact group in Outlook is a folder that holds multiple email addresses under a single name. When you send a message to the group, everyone in it receives a copy. This saves you from typing ten addresses by hand or hunting through your contacts each time you email the same people.
Contact groups are useful for recurring situations: a team at work, a book club, a family chain, a project committee. You create the group once, add people to it, and then use it whenever you need to reach that whole set of contacts at the same time.
The process differs slightly depending on whether you use Outlook on the web, Outlook on Windows, or Outlook on Mac. This guide covers all three.
Key Takeaways
- A contact group bundles multiple email addresses under one name so you can send to everyone at once without retyping addresses.
- On Outlook on the web, you create a group from the People section and add members by searching for them one at a time.
- On Windows Outlook, you use the People tab, right-click to create a new group, and drag contacts into it or add them by typing their names.
- On Mac Outlook, you access groups through the File menu and add members the same way as Windows.
- Once created, a group appears in your contact list and in the To field autocomplete whenever you start typing its name.
Creating a group in Outlook on the web
Open Outlook in your web browser and sign in. Click the People icon in the left sidebar — it looks like a person's silhouette. This takes you to your contacts.
At the top of the contacts list, click New Contact and then select New Group from the dropdown menu. A form appears asking for a group name. Type a clear, descriptive name — "Marketing Team" or "Monthly Dinner Group" — and click Create.
The group now exists but is empty. To add members, click Add Members. A search box appears. Type the name or email address of the first person you want to add. Outlook shows matching contacts below the search box. Click the person's name to add them. Repeat this for each member you want to include.
When you are finished adding people, click outside the search box or press Escape. The group is now ready to use. You will see it listed in your contacts under the name you gave it.
Creating a group in Outlook on Windows
Open Outlook and click the People tab at the bottom of the window. Your contacts appear in the main panel. Right-click in the empty space below your existing contacts and select New Group from the menu.
A dialog box opens asking for the group name. Type the name and click OK. The group now appears in your contacts list, and a new window opens showing the group's details.
To add members, click Add Members in the group window. You have two options: click From Outlook Contacts to choose from people already in your contacts, or click New Email Contact to add someone who is not yet saved. If you choose the first option, a list of your contacts appears. Select the people you want to add by clicking their names, then click OK. If you choose the second option, type their name and email address and click OK.
You can also drag contacts directly into the group window if it is open. Close the group window when you are done, and the group is saved automatically.
Creating a group in Outlook on Mac
Open Outlook and click File in the top menu. Select New and then Contact Group. A window opens with a blank group form.
Type the group name in the field at the top. Below that, you will see an Add Members button. Click it to open a list of your existing contacts. Select the people you want to add by clicking their names while holding the Command key (to select multiple people at once), then click Add.
If you want to add someone who is not yet in your contacts, click the plus sign button next to the member list and type their name and email address. Close the group window when you are finished, and Outlook saves the group automatically.
Using your group to send messages
Once your group is created, sending a message to everyone in it works the same way as sending to a single contact. Open a new email message. In the To field, start typing the group name. Outlook shows the group in the autocomplete suggestions. Click the group name to add it to the To field.
Type your message and send it as usual. Everyone in the group receives a copy. They see the message as coming from you, not from the group itself — the group is just a shortcut on your end.
If you need to send a message to the group but want to hide the member list from recipients, use the Bcc field instead of To. Type the group name in Bcc, and recipients will not see who else received the message. (On Outlook on the web, you may need to click Cc & Bcc to reveal the Bcc field.)
Editing or removing a group
To add or remove members from an existing group, open your contacts and find the group. On Outlook on the web and Windows, double-click the group name to open it. On Mac, right-click the group and select Edit Group. The group window opens showing current members.
To add someone new, click Add Members and follow the same steps as when you first created the group. To remove someone, click their name in the member list and press Delete (or right-click and select Remove).
If you want to delete the entire group, right-click it in your contacts list and select Delete. This removes the group but does not delete the individual contacts inside it — they remain in your contacts folder.
What happens when group members change jobs or email addresses
If someone in your group changes their email address, you need to update the group manually. Open the group, find the person whose address changed, and edit their contact information. The change applies only to that person's entry in the group, not to their main contact card (unless you also update their main contact separately).
If someone leaves your organization or you no longer need to include them, open the group and remove them. They will not receive future messages sent to the group, but their contact card remains in your main contacts folder if you want to reach them individually later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I create a group that includes other groups?
No. Outlook does not support nested groups — you cannot add a group as a member of another group. You can only add individual contacts. If you need to email multiple overlapping sets of people, create separate groups for each set.
What if I send a message to a group and someone's email bounces?
Outlook will not automatically remove them from the group. You will receive a delivery failure notice for that person's address. Open the group and remove them manually, or update their email address if you have a new one.
Can someone tell if I added them to a group?
No. Adding someone to a group does not send them a notification. They only know they are in a group when they receive a message sent to it and see the group name in the To field.
Do groups sync across my devices?
Yes, if you use the same Outlook account on multiple devices. Groups created in Outlook on the web appear in Outlook on Windows and Mac, and vice versa. Groups created in the desktop version may take a few minutes to appear on the web.
Can I share a group with someone else?
Not directly. Outlook does not have a built-in feature to share groups between accounts. If you need someone else to have access to the same group, you can tell them the names and email addresses of the members, and they can create their own group with the same people.