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Create a distribution list in Outlook 2007

 

Creating a distribution list (aka mailing list, or group list) in Outlook 2007 can be accomplished in one of two ways:

Method 1: Type in the email addresses one at a time; or

Method 2: Select email addresses from the Outlook Contacts folder.

 

Method 1: Manually type in the addresses:

  1. Within Outlook 2007, click on File > New > Distribution List.
  2. In the Distrubution List window, enter a name for your list.
  3. On the ribbon, click on the Select Members button.
  4. In the Select Members window, in the Members text entry box, type in the full email addresses of the members of the email list, separated by semicolons. Then click OK.
  5. Click Save and Close.
  6. To use your mailing list, start a new email, and address it to the name you gave your list in step 2.NOTE: A “+” sign appears next to the name to indicate that it is a mailing list. You can click the plus sign to see a list of all the individual recipients who will receive the email.

    NOTE:
    The very first time you use your mailing list, there may be a slight delay as Outlook looks up your new mailing list in the address book. You can force/speed up that process by pressing Control-Kimmediately after you type in the mailing list name. In subsequent uses, the list name will have been stored in Outlook’s “autocomplete cache” and will immediately appear in the dropdown box when you begin typing it.

 

Method 2: Select members from the Outlook Contacts folder:

NOTE: In order to be able to select members from Outlook’s Contacts folder, you will need to first ensure that each address has been added to the Contacts folder in the first place. For instructions on how to do this, see Step 1 below.

In Outlook 2007, when you type in an email address in a new email message, there are three places where the email address is potentially stored/retrieved.

  • Outlook’s “autocomplete cache”. For more information, see here (link to “Autocomplete cache“). These are shortcuts to common email addresses.
  • Columbia University’s LDAP server. For more information, see here (link to “Define LDAP“). This is a list of all Columbia UNIs.
  • Outlook’s Contacts folder. This is Outlook’s own address book. Unlike other email programs, Outlook does not provide an option to automatically add email addresses to its Contacts list. To add an email address to the Contacts folder (aka address book), you will need to right click an email address and select Add to Outlook Contacts. (You can also add contacts via the New Contact option on the Contacts page).

NOTE: Currently many Outlook 2007 users at Columbia report experiencing excessive delays while using the LDAP server’s lookup system. (For more information, click here (link to “Define LDAP“)). So the instructions that follow will assume that Outlook’s Contacts folder will be used as the main contact list.

Step 1: Ensure that the addresses on the mailing list have been first entered into the Outlook Contacts folder:

  1. Find an email with the address(es) you are interested in adding.
  2. Right click each address and select Add to Outlook Contacts. If you do not see that option, it means that address is already in the Contacts folder, and you can move on to the next address.
  3. In the Contact window, review and optionally modify the pre-filled information, and then click Save & Close.
  4. Repeat steps (b) and (c) until all the addresses for the mailing list have been entered into the Outlook Contacts folder.

Step 2: Create the mailing list by selecting addresses from the Contacts folder.

  1. Within Outlook 2007, click on File > New > Distribution List.
  2. In the Distribution List window, enter a name for your list.
  3. On the ribbon, click on the Select Members button.
  4. In the Select Members window, make sure that Address Book is selected as Contacts, and that Name Only is selected. Then type in the address you are looking for (as in the red box below), and it will automatically appear in the resulting contacts list. Press Enter to add it to the Members List below.
  5. Repeat for each email address or contact that you would like to add to the mailing list. When finished, clickOK.
  6. Click Save and Close.
  7. To use your mailing list, start a new email, and address it to the name you gave your list in step (b).NOTE: A “+” sign appears next to the name to indicate that it is a mailing list. You can click the plus sign to see a list of all the individual recipients who will receive the email.

    NOTE:
    The very first time you use your mailing list, there may be a slight delay as Outlook looks up your new mailing list in the address book. You can force/speed up that process by pressing Control-Kimmediately after you type in the mailing list name. In subsequent uses, the list name will have been stored in Outlook’s “autocomplete cache” and will immediately appear in the dropdown box when you begin typing it
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