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How to create a contact group in Outlook

Outlook lets you save a set of people under one name and email them all by typing that name. New Outlook calls it a contact list; classic Outlook calls it a contact group. Same idea, different buttons.

Updated October 17, 2026 · 1 min read

Quick answer

New Outlook / Outlook.com: open People, use the menu next to New contact, choose New contact list, add members and click Create. Classic Outlook: People › Home › New Contact Group, add members, then Save & Close. Type the list name in the To field to email everyone.

Which Outlook do you have?

New Outlook, Outlook on the web and Outlook.com

  1. Click the People icon in the left bar.
  2. Open the drop-down next to New contact and choose New contact list.
  3. Type a name for the list.
  4. Add members by name or email address.
  5. Click Create.

Your lists appear under All contact lists. Only contacts with an email address can be added. In new Outlook you can also select a contact and choose Add to list › New contact list.

Classic Outlook for Windows

  1. Click People at the bottom of the window.
  2. On the Home tab, click New Contact Group.
  3. Type a name for the group.
  4. Click Add Members and choose From Outlook Contacts, From Address Book or New E-mail Contact.
  5. Click OK, then Save & Close.

Send an email to the group

  1. Start a new email.
  2. Type the group or list name in the To box and choose it from the suggestions.
  3. To stop people seeing each other's addresses, put the group in Bcc. See how to email many people without showing addresses.

Questions people ask

Is a contact group the same as a distribution list?
In everyday use, yes. In a company, an admin can also create a distribution list in Microsoft 365 that has its own email address and is shared by everyone; a contact group only lives in your own Outlook.
Can I create a contact group in the Outlook phone app?
Not reliably. Create it on a computer or at outlook.com; you can then use it when you write email in the app.
Why can I not add someone to my contact list?
Only contacts with an email address can be added. Edit the contact, add an address, then try again.

Sending one email to a whole list? Check the addresses first with Veml, which removes bad and risky emails before you hit send. (Veml and EmailNa have the same owner.)

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