How to Create a Distribution List in Outlook: Contact Groups and Contact Lists in Every Version
You email the same people again and again, and typing every address is slow and easy to get wrong. Outlook can save them under one name, but the button has a different name in each version.
In short: in your own Outlook, a contact group (classic Outlook) and a contact list (everywhere else) are the same thing, which Microsoft sometimes calls a distribution list: one name that stands for several email addresses. In new Outlook, Outlook on the web and Outlook.com, go to People, select the arrow next to New contact, choose New contact list, enter a name, add names or email addresses, and select Create. In classic Outlook, go to People and select New Contact Group, then Add Members and Save & Close. On a Mac, go to People and choose New Contact List. To email everyone, type the list’s name in the To line. To keep members from seeing each other’s addresses, put the list in Bcc. A list your whole company can use is usually made by IT.
Microsoft’s own pages use all three names. Classic Outlook says Contact Group, new Outlook, the web and the Mac say contact list, and Microsoft notes that contact lists are sometimes called distribution lists. Microsoft also says new Outlook’s contact lists are what classic Outlook called contact groups. The Outlook app for iPhone and Android has no documented way to create one.
Contact Group or Company Distribution List: Which One You Need
A contact group you make yourself lives in your own contacts, and only you can send to it. A team that needs one shared list wants a distribution list or a Microsoft 365 group, which belong to your organization. See Microsoft’s comparison of group types and its distribution list admin guide.
| Personal contact group or contact list | Organization distribution list | Microsoft 365 group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who creates it | You, in Outlook | Usually IT, in the Exchange admin center. Where your organization allows it, you can also create one in Microsoft’s groups portal | You, with New Group, unless IT has turned Groups off |
| Account | Personal or work | Work or school (Microsoft 365) | Work or school, with a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription |
| Who sees it | Only you, in your Contacts | Everyone, in your organization’s address book, unless IT hides it | Not covered by Microsoft’s comparison; ask IT |
| Who can send to it | Only you. It is stored in your own Contacts | By default, anyone in your organization, and no outside senders | Mail goes to the group’s own address. Outside senders only if IT allows it |
| People outside your company | Any email address | IT can add them as mail contacts | As guests, if IT allows it |
| What else it has | Nothing. It is a list of addresses | Owners, moderation and sender restrictions | A shared inbox, calendar and files |
| Best for | A small group you email yourself | A fixed audience, such as a department | A team that works together |
Ask IT for a distribution list when several people need to send to the same group, when it is large, or when someone should own it as people come and go. Since August 2023, distribution groups can’t be managed in Outlook on the web; Microsoft points non-admins to a groups portal instead. Microsoft 365 groups are made with New Group in Outlook.
How to Create a Contact List in New Outlook and Outlook on the Web
Microsoft’s contact list article gives the same steps for new Outlook for Windows, Outlook on the web and Outlook.com.
- Select People on the side panel.
- Select the arrow next to New contact, then select New contact list.
- Enter a Contact list name.
- Under Add recipients, enter names or email addresses. You can add a description too.
- Select Create.
To start from existing contacts, select them on the People page, then Add to list > New contact list. A list only holds contacts with an email address.
Your lists appear under Your contact lists. Microsoft’s Outlook.com page calls it All contact lists instead, so look for either one.
If you don’t see New contact list, Microsoft says you may still be on classic Outlook; use the classic steps below. Microsoft’s feature comparison, updated September 2026, lists contact lists as available in new Outlook. One undated page, Create a distribution list in Outlook, still says the feature is under development there.
How to Create a Contact Group in Classic Outlook
From Microsoft’s Create a contact group in Outlook:
- Select People on the navigation bar.
- Select Home > New Contact Group.
- Enter a name for the group in the Contact Group box.
- Select Add Members, then choose From Outlook Contacts, From Address Book or New E-mail Contact.
- Pick the people and select OK. Hold Ctrl to pick several at once.
- Select Save & Close.
How to Create a Contact List in Outlook for Mac
From Microsoft’s Mac article:
- Select People in the side bar.
- Open the Contacts folder under the account you want.
- Hover over New Contact and select New Contact List.
- Enter a name. Under Add members, type an email address and select Add. Repeat for each person.
- Select Save.
In legacy Outlook for Mac, the command is New Contact List on the Home tab, and you finish with Save & Close. Microsoft said support for legacy Outlook for Mac would end in October 2026.
Microsoft says syncing lists from the server works only for Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com accounts. With a Microsoft Exchange account, contact lists are not saved to the Exchange server: Microsoft says they are saved on your computer and available only in Outlook for Mac. With a POP or IMAP account, use the Contacts folder under On My Computer. If New Contact List is grayed out, turn on Show On my Computer folders under Settings > Display.
Can You Create a Contact Group on iPhone or Android?
Microsoft documents no way to do it in the app. Its Outlook for iOS and Android page covers creating and editing single contacts only. Create the list in Outlook on the web, in your phone’s browser or on a computer, or in Outlook for Windows or Mac.
How to Add or Remove People in an Outlook Contact Group
- New Outlook, web and Outlook.com: in People, open Your contact lists, hover over the list and select Edit (the pencil). Enter new names in Add recipients, or select the X next to someone to remove them. Select Save.
- Classic Outlook: double-click the group to open it. Select Add Members to add people. To remove someone, select them and choose Remove Member, as Microsoft’s removal steps describe. Select Save & Close.
- Mac: open the list, select the Remove (trash) button next to a member, and select Save.
Deleting a list doesn’t delete the contacts in it, only the list.
How to Email a Distribution List and Hide Addresses With Bcc
Start a new email and type the list’s name in the To line. Outlook sends the message to every member. In classic Outlook, Microsoft also gives a longer route: select To, type the group’s name in the Search box, double-click it, and select OK.
A list in the To line is not private. Microsoft says you can’t show a list’s name in To without letting recipients expand it and see every name and address. To hide members from each other, put your own address in To and the list in Bcc.
- New Outlook: in the message, go to Options > Show fields and select Show Bcc.
- Classic Outlook: select Options > Bcc, or Bcc on the ribbon if the message opens in the reading pane.
- Legacy Outlook for Mac: a list has its own Use Bcc to hide member information setting.
Recipients don’t see who is on the Bcc line. If you send the same message often, save it as an Outlook template.
Outlook Distribution List Limits
Microsoft publishes no member limit for a personal contact group. The limit is how many recipients you may send to, as of November 2026:
- Work or school account (Exchange Online): up to 1,000 recipients per message, set by your admin, and 10,000 recipients a day, per Microsoft’s Exchange Online limits. Each member of a personal contact group counts separately. An organization distribution list counts as one recipient.
- Organization distribution list: up to 100,000 members. A list with 5,000 or more members must have restricted senders or message approval set up.
- Outlook.com: for Microsoft 365 subscribers, 500 recipients per message and 5,000 a day, according to Sending limits in Outlook.com. Microsoft says limits are lower without a subscription.
Why Your Contact Group Doesn’t Work
- The name doesn’t come up as you type: in classic Outlook, select To and search for the group there. Elsewhere, check the list’s exact name in People.
- Someone is missing: a list only holds contacts with an email address. Open the list and add the address directly.
- Outside senders can’t reach a company list: by default, an organization distribution list only accepts mail from inside the organization. Ask IT to change it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a contact group and a distribution list in Outlook?
For your own use, none. Classic Outlook calls it a contact group, new Outlook and the web call it a contact list, and Microsoft notes that contact lists are sometimes called distribution lists. An organization distribution list is different: it is usually made by IT, it sits in the company address book, and by default anyone in the company can send to it.
Can the people on my contact group see each other’s addresses?
Yes, if the list is in the To line. Microsoft says recipients can expand it and see every name and address. Put your own address in To and the list in Bcc to keep members hidden from each other.
Can I create a distribution list in the Outlook app on my phone?
Microsoft’s help for Outlook on iPhone and Android covers single contacts only. Create the list in Outlook on the web, from your phone’s browser or a computer, or in Outlook for Windows or Mac.
How many people can be in an Outlook contact group?
Microsoft publishes no member limit for a personal contact group. As of November 2026, a work or school account can send to up to 1,000 recipients per message, as set by the admin, and each member counts separately. Outlook.com allows 500 per message for Microsoft 365 subscribers. An organization distribution list can hold up to 100,000 members and counts as one recipient.
Can I share my contact group with a coworker?
Microsoft documents no step for sending a personal contact group to someone else. If a team needs the same list, ask IT for a distribution list, or create a Microsoft 365 group with a work or school account.