Distribution groups & lists in Microsoft 365

How to create and manage distribution groups in Microsoft 365 — so you can email your whole team or a specific department with a single address.

A distribution group (also called a distribution list) lets you send one email to multiple people at once. Instead of typing in ten email addresses, you type the group address — like team@yourcompany.com — and everyone in the group receives the message.

Quick summary

A distribution group is a mailing list — email sent to it is forwarded to everyone in the group. It does not have its own inbox. It's great for "all staff" announcements, team newsletters, or departmental communications. Create and manage groups in the Microsoft 365 admin center under Teams and groups.

Distribution group vs shared mailbox

These two features sound similar but work differently:

	Distribution group	Shared mailbox
Has its own inbox	No	Yes
Recipients receive email in...	Their own inbox	The shared inbox
Can reply from the group address	Only if an admin grants Send as	Only if an admin grants Send as or Send on behalf
Needs a license	No	No, up to 50 GB
Best for	Broadcasting to a team	Managing replies together

Use a distribution group when you need to send to many people. Use a shared mailbox when a team needs to reply from a shared address.

Creating a distribution group (admin)

Admin access required

Sign in to the admin center at admin.microsoft.com.

Select … Show all in the left navigation, then Teams and groups → Active teams and groups.

Select the Distribution list tab, then + Add a distribution list.

Set up the basics. Enter a name and description for the group — for example, "All Staff" or "Sales Team" — then select Next.

Assign owners. Select + Assign owners, choose the people who should be able to manage the group and its members, select Add, then Next.

Add members. Select + Add members, pick the people who should receive the group's email, select Add, then Next.

Edit settings. Enter the group email address — for example, allstaff@yourcompany.com. If people outside your organization need to be able to email the group, also tick Allow people outside of my organization to send email to this Distribution group. Select Next.

Review and finish adding group, then select Create group.

Adding members later

Open the group. Select … Show all → Teams and groups → Active teams and groups, choose the Distribution list tab, and select the group's name.

Go to the Members tab in the pane that opens.

Select View all and manage members, then + Add members.

Find the people you want — you can search by name in the Search for a member box — select them, then select Add and close the Members pane.

To take someone out, follow the same route, select them in the Members pane, and choose Remove members.

Sending to a distribution group

To send an email to the group, type the group's email address in the To field in Outlook, exactly as you would for a single person. Outlook will recognize it as a group name.

Replies go to the sender, not the whole group (by default)

When a group member replies to an email sent to the distribution group, their reply goes to the original sender — not to the whole group. This is usually what people want. If you need everyone to see the replies, ask people to use "Reply All" when they respond.

Managing groups

To edit a group, change members, or delete it, go back to Teams and groups → Active teams and groups and select the group name. From there you can:

Add or remove members
Change the group email address
Update who can send to the group
Delete the group

Microsoft 365 Groups vs distribution lists

You may see Microsoft 365 Groups as an option when creating a group. These are different: Microsoft describes them as being for collaboration, and each one gives its members a group email address plus a shared workspace for conversations, files and calendar events, along with Planner. They can also be connected to Teams — in fact Microsoft Teams uses a Microsoft 365 Group for a team's membership. They are more powerful but also more complex. For a simple mailing list, a distribution list is the right choice.

Common questions

Can people outside our organization email the group?

Only if an admin turns it on. The option is Allow people outside of my organization to send email to this Distribution group, and it appears on the Edit settings page when you create the group; you can also change it later in the group's settings. Be cautious with it: allowing external senders can attract spam.

How do I stop getting emails from a group?

Ask an admin to remove you. Microsoft lets each group be set one of two ways: open, so anyone can leave without the owner's approval, or closed, so only the group's owners can take someone off the list. Your admin can check which yours is and remove you either way.

Can a distribution group have a calendar?

No. If you need a shared calendar, a Microsoft 365 Group includes one, and so does a shared mailbox.

Is there a limit to how many people can be in a group?

Microsoft's published limit is 100,000 members, with a maximum of 100 owners — so no small business is going to run out. One thing to know before a group gets large: once it reaches 5,000 members, Microsoft requires you to set up either a restricted list of approved senders or a moderator who approves messages, and messages to groups of that size are capped at 25 MB.

Need a hand?

If you're stuck, email support@chykalophia.com and we'll help. Include your website address and a screenshot if you can.