What a group does and when to use it
A group in Outlook Contacts is a saved list of email addresses that you can send a single message to all at once. Instead of typing ten names into the "To" field every time you email your book club or your project team, you create the group once and then just type the group name. Outlook sends your message to everyone in that group automatically.
Groups are useful when you send the same message to the same set of people regularly. You might create one for your family, your work team, a volunteer organization, or friends you always invite to events together. Once the group exists, you can add or remove people from it anytime.
The steps differ slightly depending on whether you use Outlook on your computer (Windows or Mac), Outlook on the web, or Outlook on your phone. This guide covers the desktop version first, then the web version, since those are where most people create groups.
Key Takeaways
- A group in Outlook is a saved list of contacts that you can email all at once by typing the group name in the "To" field.
- On desktop Outlook, you create a group by opening Contacts, clicking "New Contact Group" or "New Group", and adding people from your existing contacts.
- In Outlook on the web, you create a group from the Contacts page using the "New Group" button and then add members one by one.
- After you create a group, you can send an email to everyone in it by typing the group name in the "To" field just as you would type a single person's name.
- You can edit a group anytime to add new people, remove people, or change the group name.
Creating a group on desktop Outlook (Windows)
Open Outlook and click the People icon at the bottom of the left sidebar. This opens your Contacts. At the top of the window, you will see a ribbon with buttons. Look for a button that says "New Contact Group" or "New Group" (the exact wording depends on your Outlook version). Click it.
A new window will open with a blank group form. At the top, there is a field labeled "Group Name". Type the name you want for your group — for example, "Book Club" or "Marketing Team". This is the name you will type when you send an email to the group.
Below the group name, you will see a section for adding members. Click the "Add Members" button. A small window will pop up showing your contacts. Click on each person you want to add to the group, then click "Add" or "OK" (depending on your version). You can add multiple people in one go by holding Ctrl and clicking each name, then clicking Add once.
After you have added everyone, click "Save & Close" at the top of the window. Your group is now created and saved in your Contacts.
Creating a group on desktop Outlook (Mac)
Open Outlook and click People in the left sidebar. At the top of the window, you will see a menu bar. Click File, then look for "New" or "New Contact Group". A new group window will open.
Type your group name in the "Group Name" field. Then click the "Add Members" button. Your contacts will appear in a list. Click each person you want to add, then click the "Add" button. You can select multiple people at once by holding Command and clicking each name.
Once you have added everyone, click "Save" or "Done" at the bottom of the window. The group is now saved in your Contacts.
Creating a group in Outlook on the web
Go to outlook.office.com and sign in with your email and password. Click People in the left sidebar. At the top of the page, you will see a button that says "New Group" or "Create Group". Click it.
A form will appear. Type your group name in the field at the top. Below that, you will see a field that says "Add Members" or "Add People". Click in that field and start typing the name or email of the first person you want to add. As you type, Outlook will show matching contacts. Click the person's name to add them. Repeat this for each person you want in the group.
After you have added all the members, click "Create" or "Save" at the bottom of the form. Your group is now created and ready to use.
Sending an email to your group
Once your group is created, sending an email to everyone in it is simple. Open a new email message. In the "To" field, type the name of your group. Outlook will recognize it and show it in a dropdown list. Click the group name to add it to the "To" field.
Type your subject and message as you normally would. When you click "Send", Outlook will send your message to every person in that group. Each person receives the email as if you sent it to them individually — they do not see the other group members' addresses unless you put the group in the "Cc" field instead of "To".
If you want to send a message to the group but also add one or two other people who are not in the group, you can type both the group name and individual names in the "To" field. Outlook will send the message to everyone.
Editing or deleting a group
To change who is in a group, open your Contacts and find the group name. Double-click it to open it. You will see the list of members. To add a new person, click "Add Members" again and select them. To remove someone, click their name in the list and then click "Remove" or press Delete.
If you want to rename the group, click in the "Group Name" field and type the new name. When you are done making changes, click "Save & Close" (on desktop) or "Save" (on the web).
To delete a group entirely, right-click on the group name in your Contacts list and select "Delete". Outlook will ask you to confirm. Deleting a group does not delete the individual contacts — it only removes the group itself.
Troubleshooting common problems
If you type a group name in the "To" field and Outlook does not recognize it, the group may not be saved properly. Open your Contacts and check that the group appears in the list. If it does not, create it again following the steps above. If the group is there but Outlook still will not recognize it when you type, try closing and reopening Outlook.
If you added someone to a group but they are not receiving emails sent to the group, check that their email address in your Contacts is correct. Open the group, find their name, and verify the email address shown. If it is wrong, edit the contact itself (not just the group) to fix the address, and the group will use the corrected email automatically.
If you are using Outlook on the web and the "Add Members" field is not working, make sure you are typing a name or email that exists in your Contacts. Outlook on the web can only add people who are already saved in your address book — you cannot add a new contact directly from the group creation form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I create a group that includes people outside my organization?
Yes. A group can include anyone whose email address you have saved in your Contacts, whether they work at your company or not. Add their email address to your Contacts first, then add them to the group the same way you would add anyone else.
What happens if I send an email to a group and then add a new person to that group?
The new person will not receive the email you already sent. They will only receive emails sent to the group after they were added. If you need to include them in a conversation that already started, you will have to forward the previous emails to them or add them to a reply.
Can I create a group inside another group?
No. Outlook does not support nested groups — you cannot add a group as a member of another group. You can only add individual contacts to a group. If you need to email multiple overlapping sets of people, create separate groups for each set.
Will people know they are part of a group when I email them?
Only if you put the group in the "To" field where everyone can see it. If you put the group in the "Cc" or "Bcc" field, people will see the group name but not the individual members. If you put it in "Bcc", no one will see who else received the email.
Can I edit a group on my phone?
Outlook on mobile phones does not have a full group creation or editing feature. You can view groups and send emails to them, but to add or remove members, you will need to use Outlook on your computer or Outlook on the web.