How To Create An Outlook Contact Group (Distribution List) From Excel Data?

Share
How To Create An Outlook Contact Group (Distribution List) From Excel Data?

You can easily make a contact group, formerly known as a distribution list, in Outlook by copying and pasting Excel data into Outlook. A Contact Group is handy if you email the same group of people frequently. The group can be your team, a project team, a committee, or even just a group of friends.

Contact Group - formerly called Distribution List in Outlook

**Contact Group -** formerly called Distribution List in Outlook

By creating a contact group in Outlook, you can email the contact group instead of individual emails. If you need to email 50 vendors, you don't have to type in 50 email addresses after creating a contact group. Just type in the contact group name. A contract group was previously known as a distribution list.

Emailing a contact group in Outlook

Sending an email to a **Contact Group** in Outlook

How do I create a contact group from an Excel list?

1. In Excel, copy the names and email addresses from your Exccel data. 2. Create a contact folder in Outlook and name it. Click **Contacts** in the navigation bar, and select **New Contact Group**.

Examples of names are vendors, customers, clients, coworkers, etc. 3. Click **Add Members** – **From Address Book**. 4. Click in the **Members** area and paste the Excel data you copied in step 1. 5. Click **OK** 6. Click **Save & Close**

Outlook - Add a Contact Group

Add a New Contact Group in Outlook

Name Contact Group and Add Members - Outlook

Name your Contact Group and Add Members

Paste data from Excel in the Members field

Paste data from Excel in the Members field

Emailing the Contact Group

Three methods to send an email to a contact group:

- Click the Contact Group and then click **Send Email**. See the screenshot below. - You can also in the email message click TO and find the Contact Group. - You can drag and drop the Contact Group to the email icon.

Email a Contact Group in Outlook

Email a Contact Group in Outlook

When to use BCC in Outlook?

BCC stands for Blind Carbon Copy. Use the BCC field when you want to email a group of people and them not know who all received the email. For example, if you email 50 vendors or clients, you probably don't want them to know about each other. Put the Contact Group on the BCC line. Another great advantage of BCC is no one can use Reply to All. Reply to All when only to the sender of the email.

BCC in Outlook - Blind carbon copy

Email going to Vendor in the **Blind Carbon Copy** field

How to turn on BCC in Outlook?

1. Start a new email message 2. Click **Options** Tab 3. Click **BCC**

_BCC is now on for all emails._

Turn on BCC in Outlook

BCC in Outlook - **Options** click **BCC**

**1) BCC on 2) BCC off**

Read more

Copilot Skills in PowerPoint - Live Stream on October 20, 2026

Copilot Skills in PowerPoint - Live Stream on October 20, 2026

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀. 𝗙𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟴 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁-𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱, 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗸. Join me live on October 20, 2026, at Noon Eastern as I demonstrate each Copilot Skill and show practical ways to use them in your presentations. PDF of the 8 Copilot Skills in Pow

By Chris Menard