How to Edit a Distribution List in Outlook

To edit a distribution list in classic Outlook, select People, double-click the contact group, use Add Members or Remove member, and select Save & Close. In new Outlook and Outlook.com, the same lists are called contact lists: open People, select All contact lists, right-click the list and choose Edit.

These steps cover classic Outlook for Windows (Microsoft 365, 2024 and 2021), new Outlook for Windows, Outlook.com and Outlook on the web, and Outlook for Mac. They also cover organization distribution groups and Microsoft 365 Groups, which you can edit only if you own them. Steps follow Microsoft’s Create, edit, or delete a contact list and Distribution groups pages, checked October 17, 2026.

First, Find Out Which Kind of List You Have

Outlook uses “distribution list” loosely, and the edit steps depend on where the list lives.

List type	Where it lives	Who can edit it	Where to edit it
Contact group (classic Outlook) or contact list (new Outlook, Outlook.com, Mac)	Your own contacts	You	People in Outlook
Distribution group	Your organization’s Exchange directory	Owners and admins	Microsoft’s distribution group portal
Microsoft 365 Group	Your organization’s Microsoft 365	Owners (members can invite)	Groups in Outlook

A quick test: if the list shows up under your own contacts in People, it’s a personal contact group or contact list. If you only see it in the address book that everyone in your company shares, it’s an organization list.

How to Edit a Contact Group in Classic Outlook

1. Select the People icon on the navigation bar. Your contacts appear.
2. Find the contact group and double-click it. The group opens in its own window with a list of members.
3. To add people, select Add Members and choose From Outlook Contacts, From Address Book, or New E-mail Contact.
4. Select the people you want. Hold Ctrl to pick several, then select OK. The new names appear in the member list.
5. To remove someone, select their name and choose Remove member, or press Delete on your keyboard.

6. Select Save & Close. The next email you send to the group goes to the updated members.

To rename the group, change the Name box at the top of the group window before you save. If a member’s email address changed in your contacts, select Update Now in the group window so the group uses the new address.

To start a new group instead, open People, select Home > New Contact Group, type a name, add people with Add Members, and select Save & Close. Microsoft’s contact group instructions cover these classic steps.

How to Edit a Contact List in New Outlook and Outlook.com

New Outlook for Windows, Outlook.com and Outlook on the web use the same steps. Microsoft notes that contact lists were called contact groups in classic Outlook.

1. Select People on the side panel.
2. Select All contact lists. Your contact lists appear.
3. Right-click the list and choose Edit, or select the list and choose Edit on the ribbon. The edit pane opens.
4. Add contacts by typing a name or email address in the pane. To take someone off the list, remove them from the member list in the same pane.
5. Change the list name or add a description if you want.
6. Select Save. The list updates right away.

To add one person to an existing list without opening it, select the contact in People, choose Add to list, and pick the list. The same menu has New contact list if you want to start a fresh one.

How to Edit a Contact List in Outlook for Mac

Microsoft’s Outlook for Mac contact list page gives these steps:

1. Click People in the side navigation bar.
2. Open the contact list.
3. To add someone, type their email address under Add members and click Add.
4. To remove someone, click the Remove (trash can) button next to their name.
5. Click Save.

If New Contact List is grayed out on a Mac, your account may be POP or IMAP. Go to Outlook > Settings > Display, turn on Show On my Computer folders, and use the Contacts folder under On My Computer. Contact lists sync from the server only for Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com accounts.

How to Delete a List

• Classic Outlook: right-click the group in People and select Delete.
• New Outlook and Outlook.com: go to All contact lists, right-click the list, select Delete, and select Delete again to confirm.

Deleting a list doesn’t delete the contacts in it, so the people stay in your contacts.

How to Edit an Organization Distribution Group You Own

Lists that your company created live in Exchange, not in your contacts. Managing distribution groups in Outlook on the web ended in August 2023, so older guides that point to Settings > General > Distribution groups no longer work. Owners use Microsoft’s portal instead.

1. Go to the distribution group portal at go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2236662 and sign in with your work account. Microsoft links this portal from its Distribution groups article.
2. Select the Groups I own tab. Groups you own are listed.
3. Select the group. Its details open.
4. Select Edit general settings or the Settings tab, and change the members or options.
5. Select Save. Your changes apply to everyone who sends to the group.

From the same group, owners can choose who can send to it with Edit delivery management, and require approval before messages go out with Edit message approval. By default, only people inside your organization can send to these groups.

If you’re only a member, use the Groups I belong to tab to Join or Leave a group. You can’t change the member list. Ask the owner or your IT team.

How to Edit a Microsoft 365 Group

Microsoft 365 Groups look like distribution lists, but they also come with a shared mailbox, calendar and files. They need a work or school account. Microsoft’s add, edit and remove members page describes these steps in new Outlook:

1. Select Groups in the app bar on the left.
2. Select the group under Groups.
3. Select the member count under the group name. The member list opens.
4. Select Add members to add someone, or select Remove from group next to a person and choose Yes to remove them.

Any member can invite people, but only owners can remove members. To make someone an owner, select the arrow next to Member and choose Owner. It’s a good idea to have at least two owners.

Calendars are shared with individual people rather than lists, so if you want coworkers to see your schedule, share your Outlook calendar with them.

Why You Can’t Edit a List

• Add Members or Edit is missing. You’re probably looking at an organization list, not your own. Check the table at the top of this page.
• You don’t see the Groups I own tab or your group. You aren’t an owner. Ask the owner or your IT team to make the change or to add you as an owner.
• The list isn’t in People in new Outlook. Organization groups don’t appear there. Use the portal for distribution groups or Groups for Microsoft 365 Groups.
• It’s in a shared or delegated mailbox. You need edit permission on that mailbox’s contacts.
• The change doesn’t show for other people yet. Organization groups update on the server, so give it a little time, then restart Outlook.

How to Check That Your Edit Worked

Start a new email and type the list name in To. In classic Outlook, select the plus sign next to the list to expand it and see each member. Remove the list from the message if you don’t want to send it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share my contact group?

In classic Outlook, open the group and select Forward Group to send it as an attachment. The person receiving it can save it to their own contacts.

How do I email the whole list?

Type the list’s name in the To box of a new message. To hide recipients from each other, put the list in Bcc. The Options tab that turns on Bcc is also where you show the From field in Outlook. To ask the whole list a quick question and count the answers, add voting buttons in Outlook.

Can I add a lot of people at once?

Yes. Add them as contacts first, then add them to the group. For a long list of new people, you can import an Excel list into Outlook contacts.

Can I put one list inside another?

Yes for personal lists. In Outlook for Mac, contact lists can be included in messages, meeting requests and other contact lists. A list inside a list is handy for a large group made of smaller teams.

What’s the difference between a contact group and a distribution group?

A contact group (or contact list) is personal and lives in your contacts, so only you can see and edit it. A distribution group is created in your organization’s Exchange and appears in everyone’s address book.

Next step: to sort the mail that comes in from a group automatically, create an email rule in Outlook.