Contact Lists & Contact Groups

Outlook Web App

Learn how to use the Contact List feature in the Outlook Web Application, as well as how it differs from contact groups created in the Outlook 2016 for PC desktop application.

Using a desktop application?

Maillists vs. Contact Lists

If you would like to create an SFU Maillist that allows other users to send messages to it, see instructions and usage guidelines on the Setting up Maillists.

As another option, you can create contact lists in SFU Mail. The Contact List feature allows you to save a collection of email addresses. When you select a contact list while composing a message, everyone whose address is included in the group list is automatically added to the address field of the message.

Contact Lists vs. Contact Groups

Contact groups and contact lists both perform the same funciton; they allow you to create a group of people that you can send emails to without having to enter each of their names individually. This differs from SFU's maillist application, which is an application separate from SFU Mail that manages maillists. Contact lists/groups are created in your account and can only be seen and used by you.

Contact Lists are available in the Outlook Web App and Outlook 2016 for Mac. 

Contact Groups are available in the Outlook 2016 for PC desktop application. 

Creating a Contact List

1. Open your People module by clicking the waffle icon in the top left-hand corner and clicking People.

2. Within the people module, click the drop-down arrow beside the New button in the ribbon. Click Contact list.

3. Give your contact list a Name and add users to the list by typing in their name or email address in the Add members field. As you type in their names and hit Enter, they will be added in a list below that field.

4. When you are finished adding members to your contact list, click Save.

5. Your new contact list will now appear in your list of contacts.

Emailing a Contact List

1. When composing a new message, begin typing the name of your contact list into the To field. If this is your first time emailing this contact list, you may have to hit Enter for the list to appear as a suggestion.

2. Once you select the contact list from the list of suggestions, it will then appear as an address bubble in the To field.

3. To see the members of that contact list, click the + sign on the left-hand side of the address bubble. You will then see each of the members of that contact list in separate address bubbles.

4. Compose your message as normal, then click Send.

Modifying a Contact List

1. In the People module, find your contact group within your contact list and click on it. Click Edit in the ribbon to begin editing the list. Here you can also delete the group by clicking Delete in the ribbon. 

2. This will open the same window you saw when creating the contact list. Here you can add people to your list by typing their names into the Add members box, or remove members by clicking the small x beside their names listed below the add members box.

3. You can also change the name of the contact list by simply typing in the List name field. Save your changes by clicking Save in the ribbon.