Creating a group in Gmail means setting up a saved list of email addresses so you can send one message to several people without typing each address separately

Gmail does not have a built-in "groups" feature the way some email programs do. Instead, you create a contact group through Google Contacts, which is the address book connected to your Gmail account. Once you set up a group there, you can type the group name into the "To" field in Gmail and the message goes to everyone in that group at once.

The process takes about five minutes and works the same way whether you are using Gmail on a computer or the Gmail app on your phone. You can add people to a group, remove them, rename the group, or delete it entirely whenever you want.

Key Takeaways

  • Gmail groups are created in Google Contacts, not in the Gmail inbox itself, so you need to open contacts.google.com or access Contacts from your Gmail settings.
  • You can add existing contacts to a group or create new contacts as part of making the group, and you can edit the group membership at any time.
  • Once a group is created, typing the group name in the "To" field of a new Gmail message sends that message to every person in the group.
  • Groups in Gmail are private to your account — other people cannot see the group or who is in it, and the group name does not appear to recipients.

How to create a group on a computer

Open Google Contacts by going to contacts.google.com in your web browser, or click the Google apps menu (the grid of nine dots) in the top right of Gmail and select Contacts. On the left side of the screen, you will see a section called "Labels". Below that, click "Create label" and type the name you want for your group — for example, "Book Club" or "Project Team".

After you name the group, click "Save". The group now exists but is empty. To add people to it, click on the group name in the left sidebar. Then click the "Add contacts" button (or the plus sign icon) and either select existing contacts from your address book or type in new email addresses. You can add as many people as you need. When you are done, the group is ready to use.

How to create a group on your phone

Open the Gmail app and tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top left. Scroll down and tap "Contacts". At the bottom of the screen, tap the plus sign to create a new contact. Instead of filling in a person's details, tap "Create label" at the top, give your group a name, and save it.

To add people to the group on your phone, open the group you just created and tap "Add contacts". You can then select people from your existing contacts or type in new email addresses. The process is the same as on a computer, just with touch controls instead of clicks.

Sending a message to your group

Once your group is set up, sending a message to everyone in it is straightforward. Open Gmail, click "Compose" to start a new message, and click in the "To" field. Type the name of your group — Gmail will show it as an option in a dropdown menu. Click on the group name and it will appear in the "To" field.

Write your subject line and message as normal. When you click "Send", the message goes to every person in that group. Each recipient sees only their own email address in the "To" field, not the names of the other people who received it — this is called a blind copy and is the default behavior for Gmail groups.

Editing or removing people from a group

If you need to add or remove someone from a group later, open Google Contacts, click on the group name in the left sidebar, and you will see everyone currently in it. To add more people, click "Add contacts" again. To remove someone, hover over their name and click the trash icon that appears.

You can also rename a group or delete it entirely. Right-click on the group name in the left sidebar and select "Rename label" or "Delete label". If you delete a group, the contacts themselves are not deleted — only the group is removed.

Differences between Gmail groups and mailing lists

A Gmail group is different from a mailing list, which is a more formal setup often used by organizations. A mailing list usually has a single email address that anyone can send to, and messages are automatically distributed to all subscribers. Gmail groups are just your personal saved lists — only you can send to them, and you control who is in them.

If you are part of an organization that uses a mailing list, you would receive messages sent to that list's email address just like any other email. You do not need to set anything up. Gmail groups are for your own use when you want to message the same set of people repeatedly.

Troubleshooting common group problems

If you type a group name in the "To" field and Gmail does not recognize it, the group may not have been saved properly. Go back to Google Contacts and confirm the group exists and has at least one person in it. Sometimes a page refresh fixes the problem — close Gmail and open it again.

If someone tells you they did not receive a message you sent to a group, check that their email address is actually in the group. Open the group in Google Contacts and look for their name. If they are there, the issue may be on their end — their email provider might have filtered the message or there could be a temporary delivery delay. Ask them to check their spam folder.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I send a message to a group and have everyone see who else received it?

No. Gmail groups always send messages as a blind copy by default, so each person sees only their own address in the "To" field. If you want recipients to see each other, you would need to type each email address into the "To" field manually or use the "Cc" field instead of creating a group.

What happens if I delete a group?

The group is removed from your contacts, but all the people in it remain in your address book as individual contacts. You can create a new group with the same people whenever you want. Deleting a group does not send any message to the people who were in it.

Can I create a group that includes other groups?

No. Gmail groups can only contain individual email addresses, not other groups. If you need to message multiple overlapping sets of people, you would create separate groups for each set.

Do people in my group know they are in a group?

No. When you send a message to a group, recipients see only their own email address in the "To" field. They have no way of knowing the message was sent to a group or who else received it unless you tell them.

Can I use a group to receive messages from multiple people?

No. Groups only work for sending — you create them to message other people. If you want to receive messages from a specific set of people and organize them, you would use Gmail filters or labels instead.