You may need to send email correspondence to a group of people on a regular basis. It is cumbersome to have to repeatedly address the email message to all of them. Outlook allows you to create a Distribution List that you can use to address the message to everyone on the list at the same time.

Distribution lists are stored in your Personal Address Book in Outlook. You need to add a Personal Address Book if one does not exist using the Services command on the Tools menu.

From your inbox:
• On the Tools Menu, choose Address Book

The address book will be displayed:
• Click on the New Entry button (first button on the tool bar.)

The New Entry Dialog box will open:
• Select Personal Distribution List
• Click on OK

New Personal Distribution List Properties window will open

In the name field:
• Type the “Name of the Distribution” list you wish to create
• Click on the Add/Remove Members button

The Edit New Personal Distribution List Members window will open:
• In the “Show Names from the:” box, select the correct address book (if there is more than one to choose from)
• To locate the recipients you want to include, type each name you want to add in the “Type Name or Select from List” box; Outlook will drop down to the nearest match in the address book
• Double-click on each name that you want to add or click on the Members button. You must put each recipient’s name in the Personal Distribution field for it to be added to the distribution list
• When you have finished adding all the names you want to include in the distribution list, click on OK to close the Edit New Personal Distribution List Members window
• Click on OK to close the New Personal Distribution List Properties window
• Click on Control X to close the Address Book

To Edit a Distribution List,
From the Tools Menu of your Inbox:
• Select Address Book
• Click on the “Show Names from the:” drop down box
• Select “Personal Address Book” (Usually found at the bottom of the list of address books)
• Double click on the Distribution List you want to edit
• Click on the Add or Remove Members button

To Add New Members:
• Follow the procedure you used to “Create a Distribution” list
• To Delete Members:
• Select (highlight) the name of the member you want to delete
• Press the delete key on your keyboard

When all of your edits are complete:
• Click on OK to close the Edit Members window
• Click on OK to close the “Named Distribution List” window
• Click on the Control “X” to close the address book

Using a Distribution List

Open a New Mail Message form:
• Click on the New Mail Message button (first button on the Inbox tool bar)
• Click on the To: button on the email message or the Address Book icon on the toolbar
• Click on the drop down arrow for “Show Names from the:” field, select the Personal Address Book (usually found at the bottom)
• Select the distribution lists you want to use, and load it to the message recipient field the same as you would for an individual email address
• Click on OK

Looking at the Distribution List Properties:
If you want to verify the members in the distribution list or need to edit it “on the fly”, you can call up the Properties for the Distribution list directly from the address book while in the email message form.

• Select (highlight) the distribution list you want to view or edit
• Click on the Properties button in the Select Names dialog box
• To edit the list, click on the Add/Remove button as before