Managing M365 Contacts and Distribution Lists

by | Mar 18, 2026 | Microsoft Office, email

Summary

  1. Sign into Microsoft 365 on the web: https://outlook.office365.com/mail/
  2. To manage contacts, open the Exchange Admin Center contacts page: https://admin.exchange.microsoft.com/#/contacts
    If the page doesn’t load on the first click, try clicking the link again.
  3. To manage distribution lists, go to: https://admin.exchange.microsoft.com/#/groups and select the Distribution List tab.
  4. To send email to a global contact or distribution list, start a new message in Outlook or Outlook on the web and type the contact or list name in the To field — it will resolve from the directory automatically.
  5. To send a calendar invitation, create a new meeting request in Outlook or Outlook on the web and add contacts or distribution lists as Required or Optional attendees.

Section 1: Managing Global Contacts

Global contacts (also called mail contacts) are entries in your organization’s shared address book that represent external email addresses — vendors, clients, partner organizations, or any outside party you want your users to find easily in Outlook’s autocomplete and directory. They are managed through the Exchange Admin Center.

1.1  Prerequisites

  • You must have Global Administrator or Exchange Administrator privileges in your M365 tenant.
  • Use a modern browser (Edge or Chrome recommended) and sign into M365 first.

1.2  Accessing the Contacts Management Page

  1. Sign into M365 on the web: https://outlook.office365.com/mail/
  2. Open the Exchange Admin Center (EAC) contacts page: https://admin.exchange.microsoft.com/#/contacts
    If the page loads blank or redirects, click the link a second time — this is a known EAC behavior.

1.3  Adding a New Contact

  1. On the Contacts page, click Add a contact.
  2. Fill in the required fields:
    • Display Name — how the contact will appear in the address book (e.g., “Acme Corp Billing”)
    • First name / Last name — optional but recommended for sorting
    • External email address — the actual outside email address
    • Alias — a short internal identifier (no spaces, no special characters)
  3. Optionally expand Contact information to add a title, company name, department, phone numbers, and a physical address. This information is visible to users who look up the contact in Outlook.
  4. Click Save. The contact will appear in the directory within a few minutes and will show up automatically in Outlook autocomplete and the global address book.

1.4  Editing an Existing Contact

  1. On the Contacts page, click the contact’s Display Name to open their properties panel.
  2. Click the Edit (pencil) icon next to the section you want to update.
  3. Make your changes and click Save.

Note: Changing the external email address is supported. Changing the alias is not possible after creation — if the alias needs to change, delete and recreate the contact.

1.5  Deleting a Contact

  1. On the Contacts page, check the box next to the contact you want to remove.
  2. Click Delete.
  3. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

Note: Deletion is permanent and immediate. The contact will disappear from the address book within a few minutes for all users.

1.6  How Users Access Global Contacts

Users do not need to manually add global contacts to their personal address books — they are available organization-wide automatically:

  • In Outlook desktop or Outlook on the web, typing the contact’s name or email in the To/CC/BCC field will suggest the contact via autocomplete.
  • Users can also search for contacts from People in the M365 app launcher.
  • Global contacts are also available as attendees when scheduling calendar meetings.

Section 2: Managing Distribution Lists

Distribution lists (DLs) allow you to send an email to a group of recipients using a single address — for example, [email protected] or [email protected]. They are managed through the Exchange Admin Center Groups page.

2.1  Prerequisites

  • You must have Global Administrator or Exchange Administrator privileges.
  • Distribution list email addresses must use a domain verified in your M365 tenant.

2.2  Accessing the Distribution Lists Page

  1. Sign into M365 on the web: https://outlook.office365.com/mail/
  2. Open the Exchange Admin Center Groups page: https://admin.exchange.microsoft.com/#/groups
  3. Click the Distribution list tab (other tabs show Microsoft 365 Groups, Mail-Enabled Security Groups, and Dynamic Distribution Groups).

2.3  Creating a New Distribution List

  1. Click Add a group.
  2. Select Distribution as the group type, then click Next.
  3. Fill in the basics:
    • Name — the friendly display name (e.g., “All Staff” or “Board of Directors”)
    • Description — optional, but helpful for administrators
  4. Set the email address: enter the alias portion (left of the @), then select your domain from the drop-down. This becomes the address senders will use.
  5. Configure owners: add at least one owner (typically yourself or a delegate). Owners can manage list membership without full admin access.
  6. Add members: search for and add internal users, other distribution lists, mail contacts, or mail-enabled security groups. Members can be added or changed at any time after creation.
  7. Review settings and click Create group.

Note: New distribution lists can take up to 30 minutes to propagate fully across M365 services.

2.4  Adding or Removing Members

  1. On the Distribution Lists tab, click the list’s Display Name to open its panel.
  2. Click the Members tab.
  3. To add members: click Add members, search for the user or contact, select them, and click Save.
  4. To remove members: check the box next to a member and click Remove.

Note: Both internal M365 users and external mail contacts can be members of a distribution list.

2.5  Editing Distribution List Settings

  1. Click the list’s Display Name to open its panel.
  2. Click Settings to adjust:
    • Who can send to this list — default is anyone (inside or outside the organization). You can restrict to members only or specific senders.
    • Delivery management — allow or block external senders.
    • Message approval — optionally require a moderator to approve messages before delivery.
  3. Click Save after making changes.

2.6  Deleting a Distribution List

  1. On the Distribution Lists tab, check the box next to the list.
  2. Click Delete group.
  3. Confirm the deletion.

Note: Deleting a distribution list is permanent. Any emails sent to that address afterward will bounce. If you may need the list again, consider removing all members and disabling external delivery instead.

2.7  Sending Email to a Distribution List

  1. Open Outlook desktop or Outlook on the web and start a new message.
  2. Click in the To field and type the list’s name or email address — it will appear in autocomplete.
  3. Select the list and compose your message normally.

All current members will receive the message individually. Replies go to the original sender by default (not the whole list) unless the list is configured otherwise.

2.8  Inviting a Distribution List to a Calendar Meeting

  1. Open Outlook desktop or Outlook on the web and create a new meeting request.
  2. In the Required or Optional attendee field, type the distribution list name and select it from the suggestions.
  3. Complete and send the meeting invitation as normal.

All current members will receive the invitation and can accept, decline, or tentatively accept individually.

Note: Outlook expands the distribution list into individual attendees at the time the invitation is sent. If members are added to the list later, they will not automatically receive the invitation — you would need to forward it to new members manually.

2.9  Quick Reference: Contacts vs. Distribution Lists

Feature Global Contact Distribution List
Purpose Single external address in directory Send to multiple recipients at once
Has its own mailbox? No No
Can receive email? Delivers to external address Delivers to all members
Can contain members? No Yes
Visible in address book? Yes Yes
Use for calendar invites? Yes (single person) Yes (expands to all members)
Admin location EAC → Contacts EAC → Groups → Distribution List
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