Create and Share a Contact List in Outlook

Create and Share a Contact List in Outlook

Create and Share a Contact List in Outlook

Overview

A shared contact list lets a team keep the same set of contacts in one place — clients, vendors, board members — without each person rebuilding the list on their own machine. This guide covers two options: a personal contact list you share, and an organization-wide list managed by your administrator.

Before You Begin

  • Outlook on the web or Outlook for Windows, signed in with your work account.
  • The names and email addresses of the people you want on the list.
  • A clear idea of who should have access.

Steps

Create a Contact List in Outlook on the Web

  1. Open Outlook in your browser at outlook.office.com.
  2. In the left sidebar, click the People icon (looks like two silhouettes).
  3. Click New contact list at the top.
  4. Type a name for the list, such as Project Alpha Team.
  5. Add members by typing names or email addresses. Press Enter after each.
  6. Click Create.
  7. To use the list, start a new email and type the list name in the To field. Outlook expands it to every member.

Share Your Contacts Folder With Coworkers

  1. In Outlook on the web, click People in the sidebar.
  2. Right-click Your contacts in the left pane.
  3. Click Sharing and permissions.
  4. Type the coworker's email address.
  5. Pick a permission level: Can view or Can edit.
  6. Click Share. Your coworker gets an email invitation to open the shared contacts.

Use an Organization-Wide Shared Contact List

If your whole team needs the same list, ask your administrator to create a Microsoft 365 Group or a shared mailbox with a contacts folder. Both options give everyone the same contacts automatically, with no per-person setup.

Troubleshooting

  • If a coworker cannot see the shared contacts: ask them to sign out and back in. The share can take up to an hour to appear.
  • If the contact list does not expand on send: make sure you selected the list from the autocomplete dropdown, not a similar-named contact.
  • If you want to add someone outside your company: type the full external email address. External contacts work the same as internal ones.
  • If the list is for a large team that changes often: switch to a Microsoft 365 Group. Group membership updates automatically when people join or leave.

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