If you decided to transfer your work life to Microsoft Outlook, this is totally explainable. There is nothing more important than efficient operations when it comes to our professional lives. The more automated the processes become, the more likely that our future jobs will be nothing but a routine. So, if you are already tired of inefficient email writing to a group of people, it is high time you started using Microsoft’s solution: outlook distribution list.
This article describes the following:
- How To Create Distribution List In Outlook
- Tips On Importing Distribution List Into Outlook
- Why Use Outlook For Greater Efficiency?
To begin with, let us define the outlook distribution list and point out its unique features. Basically, it is a contact group enabling you to send an email to multiple people. Be it your team, the board of directors, or even just a group of fellows, you do not have to add each address separately and this is going to save you lots of time.
How To Create Distribution List In Outlook
Outlook enables you to establish a distribution list just in a few easy steps. Depending on the version, you will generally need to take 6-10 steps to add distribution list. However, for the latest version we have prepared a list of actions for you hereinafter:
- click “People” on the Navigation Bar, either an icon or a word;
- go to “My Contacts” and choose the folder where the contact group is to be saved. It is easier if you simply select “Contacts”;
- click “New Contact Group” and name it with regard to your needs;
- choose “Add Members” and simply add people from your contact list who you want to see in this very list;
- save and close the function.
However, for this action to be performed in less than 5 minutes as it is described, you should have all the contacts in the program’s database. And what if you do not? It is not a big deal as there is a way to import these from Excel files as well as from different group list files like MSG. You cannot directly import the distribution list to Outlook 2019 but only contacts from which these can be done. Below we explain in more detail the complete importing process.
If you need to import contacts first, we suggest you to use the vCard to Outlook Transfer software which easily imports VCF (virtual contact) files into Outlook or standalone PST file. Read the description of the contacts importing procedure here.
Tips On Importing Distribution List Into Outlook
However, sometimes there may be challenges along the way, so we want to explain to you all the tips and trick to make this process as smooth as possible. Below is our step-by-step guide on how to import contact group to outlook from Excel, again for the newer versions of the program:
- choose “File” on the ribbon of the 2013 or 2016 program version;
- proceed with Open & Export, namely Import/Export function;
- in the pop-up window with the options for actions to be performed, select “Import from another program or file” and proceed;
- choose “Comma Separated Values” in the next step which indicates the type of the file to be created;
- select the file to be imported and pay special attention to duplication options. These include allowing replacement of duplicates with items imported, allowing duplicated to be created, and no import of duplicate items;
- proceed by choosing the destination folder. Most naturally, it is the “Contacts” one;
- save and finish your actions.
Once you have performed all the actions described above you should be able to see the contacts under the People icon. If this is not so, then make sure that the chosen file was complete. For instance, Outlook requires the column headings in the first row so check these first. Luckily, you can edit the .csv file using Excel to add names and other missing information, so fixing the problem will not take long.
Why Use Outlook For Greater Efficiency?
As already described, there is a variety of things one can do to decrease the number of routine tasks at work or at home when using outlook. Apart from the establishment of the simple lists, one can also create the shared distribution list which will be available to other members of your team or even the whole company. This is of special value if all team members have to send some emails to the whole team as time savings for the whole team are incredible.
The most important issue here is that almost anything you want to do in Outlook is possible and does not take much time. You only have to do a bit of reading and preparations, and the greater efficiency is guaranteed.
More Knowledge Base articles
I assume there is no way to move my 2900 member contact list to a distribution list without selecting every entry manually. Really sucks.