Creating Large Contact List in 2024 Outlook 365

Question

I have searched everywhere in an effort to find a way to quickly add a large contact list to the new Outlook 365, which you would think would be a standard thing. But no, the only way I have found to make a contact list is to select each and every email address/contact. I'm flummoxed. It was no problem in the prior Outlook and I can't believe there isn't a similar function in the new software.

Answer 1

Hi @Camors, Casey,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Thank you for reaching out regarding your experience with creating a large contact list in the new Outlook for Microsoft 365.

Based on current behavior, the new Outlook interface does not yet provide the same contact list management capabilities that were available in classic Outlook. At this time, the interface primarily supports adding members to a contact list individually, and there is no built‑in option to bulk add or paste a large number of email addresses directly into a contact list.

As a forum moderator, I hope you understand that I don’t have the ability to modify or escalate product issues directly. If this functionality is important to your workflow, I strongly recommend submitting your feedback through the Outlook (new) · Community portal. This is the most effective way to ensure your voice reaches the product team and can be considered for future improvements.

Once you've submitted your feedback, feel free to share the link here in the comments. I’ll be happy to upvote it to help bring more visibility.

Additionally, since many other users have expressed similar concerns but may not know where to submit feedback, if my response has helped you better understand the situation and guided you toward a possible next step, please mark it as the “Accepted Answer.” Your action will help pin this post to the top, making it easier for others in the community who are experiencing the same issue to find your feedback and support it.

Thank you again for your time and for raising this important usability concern.

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Answer 2

In the new Outlook for Windows, contact lists (formerly “contact groups”) must be built from existing contacts, and the supported method is to add contacts one by one from the People view. There is no bulk-add/import-to-contact-list feature documented for the new Outlook interface comparable to the classic Outlook experience.

To create and populate a contact list in new Outlook 365 (Windows):

1. Open new Outlook and select People on the side panel.
2. Create or identify the contacts that need to be in the list (each email address must exist as a contact).
3. Select a contact to add to a list.
4. Use Add to list (right-click the contact or use the Ribbon) and choose New contact list to create a new list with that contact, or select an existing list to add them to.

This process must be repeated for each contact that needs to be included. The documentation does not describe any way in new Outlook to:

• Paste or import a large set of addresses directly into a contact list, or
• Select a large range of contacts and add them all to a list in a single operation.

If more robust group functionality is needed (for example, shared resources or easier management of members), using a Microsoft 365 Group instead of a contact list is recommended. For simple bulk mail scenarios, classic Outlook still provides richer contact group tools, including creating a contact group and adding members from Outlook Contacts or the Address Book in a more streamlined way.

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References:

• Create, edit, or delete a contact list (or contact group) in Outlook
• Create a contact group in Outlook
• Manage contacts in Outlook
• What's the difference between a Microsoft 365 Group and a contact list in Outlook?