Contact Lists & Contact Groups

Outlook for Mac

Learn how to use the Contact List feature in the Outlook 2016 for Mac desktop application.

Note: In order to use the contact list feature in Outlook for Mac, you must have 'On My Computer Folders' available. See instructions below.

1. In your Outlook 2016 for Mac desktop application, click the Outlook button in the top left hand corner, then select Preferences.

2. In the Outlook Preferences window, under Personal Settings, select General.

3. Ensure that the 'Hide On My Computer folders' checkbox is unchecked.

4. You will now see the New Contact List button available in the ribbon, and the On My Computer folder on the left hand side.

Creating a Contact List

1. Within the people module, click the New Contact List button in the ribbon.

2. This will open a new window for creating your contact list. Give your list a Name using the box at the top of the window.

3. To add members to the list, click the Add button in the ribbon. 

4. This will provide a text box in which you can begin typing users' names into. As you start typing, you will be provided with suggestions of people to add. Click the name of the user you want to add to your list. 

5. Once you have added all the people you want to your list, click Save & Close in the ribbon. 

Emailing a Contact List

1. When composing a new message, begin typing the name of your contact list into the To field. Select your contact list when it appears 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 down arrow 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 Group

1. In the People module, find your contact list within your contacts and double-click it. 

2. This will open the same window you saw when creating the contact group. Here you can add people to your contact group by clicking Add button in the ribbon, or remove members by selecting them in the list and clicking Remove in the ribbon. Should you wish to delete the list, you can click Delete in the ribbon. 

3. You can also change the name of the contact group by simply typing in the Name field. Save your changes by clicking Save & Close in the ribbon.