The instructions that we outline below only apply to versions of Outlook versions released in 2013 or later. Disclaimer: Building Distribution Lists for Outlook versions released prior to 2013 and Outlook for Mac In some cases, distribution lists are managed centrally for the entire organization, and the emails sent to these lists are usually sent from an associated email address that internal communications or human resources owns, rather than a personal email address.Ĭontact groups can be created personally in an individual email account in Outlook, so you can build custom contact groups. The term “contact group” is newer than “distribution list” and was likely updated to be a bit more self-explanatory so as to not confuse users. Mostly, these terms can be used interchangeably when you’re referring to them in the Outlook / Microsoft technology ecosystem. What’s the difference between distribution lists, distribution groups, and contact groups in Outlook? They will also appear in your Address book, when you press the 'To' button. When you’re looking at your contact list in Outlook, your Distribution Lists will show up as contacts as well, so they're easy to find and use. They’re generally used to send email to groups of people (in your case, employees) without having to manually enter every single email address-which is a big deal when you work for a large organization and are managing communications for more than one location, department, or business unit. Outlook Distribution Lists, also called Distribution Groups or even Contact Groups depending on which version of Outlook you’re running, are groups of email recipients that are addressed as a single recipient.

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What employee distribution lists should you make if you want more effective communications.

How to figure out if you even need to be making distribution lists in Outlook.How to update old distribution lists in Outlook.How to create distribution lists in O utlook.The difference between distribution lists, distribution groups, and contact groups in Outlook.What distribution lists are and how they work.So we’re going to walk you through everything you need to know about creating employee distribution lists in Outlook, including: It’s time-consuming, restrictive, and annoying to manage.īut waiting for IT to build you all of the relevant lists you need to segment and target your internal communications could also take millennia. Download our free Outlook Distribution List Guide here, so you can save it to your desktop and revisit it later whenever you need it.įor many, creating employee distribution lists in Outlook is a necessary evil.

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