Microsoft 365 Outlook Basics IV -- Microsoft 365 Outlook Group

The previous article gave a detailed understanding of how to handle a Microsoft 365 Outlook mail using the available toolbar options. Now we move to the next best thing that helps organizations communicate – Microsoft 365 groups. Let’s understand how you can create a Microsoft 365 Outlook Group (that groups a bunch of people under a common email address), add members to it, and let members share files with each other to get the job done.

Note: Microsoft Teams is Microsoft 365’s preferred communication tool now, as it supports real-time communication – via video conferencing and voice calls – and offers all the benefits that a Microsoft 365 Group does. But if your requirement is simple enough that you don’t need advance communication features, then read on.

What is a Microsoft 365 Group?

Microsoft 365 Groups bring together a bunch of individuals under a common email address so that they can exclusively communicate with each other and share their work as files, folders or links. You can create groups across Microsoft 365 apps like Planner, SharePoint, Bookings etc., The one we are going to discuss here is a Microsoft 365 Outlook-based group you can create using the Microsoft 365 Outlook app.

Accessing Microsoft 365 Outlook Groups tab

The Microsoft 365 Outlook Groups tab (check the image below) helps you create Outlook-based groups. Once you select this tab, the Outlook-Groups home page opens as shown in the image 2.

Note: If you are accessing this tab the first time and nobody in your organization has created or shared a Microsoft 365 Group with you, the home page would be empty (as shown in the image above).

How to create a Microsoft 365 Outlook Group?

Click the New group button (on the left) or the Create group button (on the right). Both open the New group dialog box shown below.

Enter the group name. The email address gets created based on the group name (you can modify this, if required). Provide a simple description for the group.

The group you are creating can be public or private. The Private setting (or sensitivity label) is selected by default. If you wish to modify this, click the Edit icon.

Note: Private groups are visible only to its members and new members can join only by invite. Public groups are open to everyone.

This opens the Edit Settings section where you can select the public setting. You can also modify the Language for group-related notifications if required. (It is recommended you leave the enabled checkbox as it is). Click Create to create the Microsoft 365 Outlook group.

Next select the members who are going to be part of the group by typing in their email addresses. Then click Add button.

The Outlook group gets created and becomes available for use.

Accessing the newly created Microsoft 365 Outlook Group

Clicking the Outlook Group card takes you to the Outlook group’s page as shown in image 2. First thing you’ll notice is that you would have received a welcome mail from the group (though you were the one who created it). This mail gets sent to all the group members as well.

Note:

• Ensure you click the group’s card and not its name. Because when you click its name, you are taken to group overview page.
• You can also reach the Outlook Group’s page by selecting it from the Groups section.

Sending mail to the group

Click the Send email button. The mail composer opens with the group email address selected. Type in the email subject and body and click the Send button.

Following/Unfollowing Group from Inbox

By default, all your outlook group emails go to your personal inbox too. You can prevent this by selecting Don’t receive any group messages under the Stop following in inbox option from the Following in Inbox dropdown as shown in the image.

Note: You’ll still receive your outlook group’s mails. But only in the inbox dedicated for the outlook group within the Outlook groups tab. Not in your personal inbox directly. As the name suggests, you’ll be unfollowing the group only from your personal inbox, keeping it clean.

You can also choose to receive specific group mails in your personal inbox by choosing one of the two following options.

• Receive only replies to you and group events – This ensures only the replies to group events along with replies to group conversations initiated by you fall in your personal inbox
• Receive only replies to you - This ensures only replies to group conversations initiated from your side fall in your personal inbox.

Accessing Group Settings

The Group Settings pane opens when you click the Settings icon.

It lets you manage the following Outlook Group related settings.

• Manage group email: Lets you decide the kind of group-related mails you will receive. These are the same options you saw under the Following in Inbox dropdown.
• Connectors: Lets you connect your group to popular services or apps like Jira Cloud, Asana etc., that help improve your Outlook Group’s productivity.
• Edit Group: Lets you edit the Outlook Group’s details like the group name, description, privacy settings and even lets you add members.

• Rules: Lets you configure group-related inbox rules. Click the Add new rule button to create a group-related rule. The Add new rule box opens as shown in the image 2.

Note:

• Group-related inbox rules can be created only by group owners.
• Group-related inbox rules can be also be accessed from the Rules dropdown available in the Groups page toolbar.


Enter the rule name. Select a condition for the rule from Add a condition dropdown and Select the action from Add an action dropdown. Example: you could configure a rule like if the Subject includes the word urgent, move it to important mails folder as shown in the image.



Note: Only group owners can add new subfolders under the group Inbox folder. To add a new folder, right click the Inbox folder >> select Create new subfolder option like you would do in your personal inbox.


• Leave Group: Lets you leave the group. The group you leave will no longer appear in the Outlook Groups home page. If you are the group’s owner, then you will be requested to transfer the ownership before you leave the group. You can always rejoin a group you left by sending a request to join the group.

Adding group members and guests

Group members can be added any time by clicking the Add Members icon. This opens the Add members box. Type in the user email addresses, select them from the user list and click the Add button to add the users as members.

You can also add external users (guests) to your Outlook group. These guests can not only send mails to the group but can work on the Outlook group’s files and folders by logging into the Microsoft 365 portal via security codes.

Note: Guests have limited permission compared to group owners and members.

Accessing integrated apps Notebook, Planner and SharePoint

Microsoft 365 apps OneNote, Planner and SharePoint get provisioned when you create a Microsoft 365 Outlook group. You can use them by clicking on their icons. Read Microsoft 365 OneNote, Microsoft 365 Planner and Microsoft 365 SharePoint to know more.

The 4 Tabs – Email, Files, Events, Members

The following 4 tabs help you work with your Outlook Group.

• Email – Your Outlook Group inbox where you can access all your group mails.

• Files – All your files (both created by you and shared with you) get listed here. You can also create new files and upload files too from this section.

• Events – This is your group calendar which you can check for any group-related events. Note: You can also create a new event by selecting New event dropdown  and selecting New event option.

• Members – All your group members get listed here. You can also change their group role (from member to owner or owner to member) and delete them if you want to.

Group-related Actions you can perform from the Outlook Group’s Overview Page

Clicking the group’s name from the Outlook Group’s tab home page opens group’s overview page as shown in the image. You can send a group mail by clicking the Send Mail button. You also have More Options button that lets you to: i) Add members, ii) Invite Others, iii) Stop following the group in Inbox and iv) Leave the group.

Note: Invite others option within the More Options button lets you email group invites link (as shown in the image 1). When users click this link, the group owner receives a request for approval. When the group owner approves, either using Outlook mail (as shown in the image 2) or from within the Groups Overview page (as shown in the image 3), the user becomes a member.

The group overview page also contains 2 tabs – Overview and Members.

• Overview tab: This is the default page (shown in the image above). Here you get to view the group’s description, email address, its members. You can also find links to useful some Microsoft 365 apps the Outlook Group integrates with.
• Members tab: This page lists group’s members. You can also add new members, change member roles and delete them, if necessary.

Group-related Actions you can perform from the Outlook Group’s Home Page

You can perform the following actions from the Outlook Groups home page:

• Mark a Group as Favorite: When a group is marked as favorite, it appears under the Favorites folder. This is especially useful if you are a member of multiple groups.


Note: You can also mark a group as favorite from within the Groups page too.

• Access Group mails, files, events and members: The Outlook Group cards also contain buttons that help you access the group mails, files, events and group members.

• Access your recent files across Groups: The files you recently accessed across the groups you are part of get listed under the Recent files section. You can click on these files to access them. You can also share these files with others by clicking the link icon shown in the image.

• Discover/Join New Groups: You can also discover or join new groups from the Outlook Groups home page by clicking the Join button. Groups that get listed are public groups that are open to other users.

Working with Microsoft 365 Outlook Groups from Groups mail folder

Microsoft 365 Outlook Groups also get listed in your personal inbox under the Groups folder. You can open the Group inbox by clicking on it.

You can perform the following actions:

• Send mail to the Group: Click Send email button to compose and send group mails .
• Access the Group’s files and Calendar: Click the File icon to access the Group’s files and Click the Calendar icon to access the Group’s calendar.
• Mark the Group as Favorite: Click the Star icon to mark the group as favorite.Groups marked as Favorite appear under the Favorites folder in your personal inbox.
• Modify Group’s Settings: You can also modify the Group’s settings by clicking the More button >> and selecting the Settings option.

Note: You also get to access integrated apps Notebook, Planner and Site from the More button.

How Groups can be accessed from Microsoft 365 admin center

Previously, we just had a brief look at the Microsoft 365 admin center. Let’s start exploring it further by looking for the Microsoft 365 Outlook Group you just created in the admin center. You’ll be able to find it under the Teams & Groups dropdown.

Do the following to access the group you just created in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Click the Admin tab in the Microsoft 365 home page.

2. The Microsoft 365 Admin Center opens. Select Teams & Groups >> Active Teams & Groups.

3. You’ll find the Microsoft 365 Outlook Group you created in the list of available groups.

Microsoft 365 Admin Center Offers More Granularity

In the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, you have the following additional options for Outlook Groups:

• Making the Group a Teams-Enabled Group: You can turn the Outlook group into a Teams-enabled group. A teams-enabled group is a Microsoft Teams group with video conferencing and voice call facilities available to its members. Read Microsoft Teams to know more. To convert an Outlook Group to Microsoft Teams-enabled group, select the group and click the Add Teams button.


You can also confirm your action by checking for the Teams icon. Microsoft 365 groups that contain the Teams icon are Teams-enabled groups.


• Adding View Only Visitors to the Group Site: You can also add view-only visitors to the Outlook group site. This is especially useful if you want members outside of the group to view (or maybe monitor) the group’s activities.

Note: Outlook group site is the page you can access when you click the SharePoint app icon from the Outlook group’s page.

To add visitors to the Outlook Group site, click open the Outlook group >> select the Membership tab >> Select Site Visitors option. Use Add site visitors button to add visitors as shown in the image.


• Allowing People Outside the Organization Email the Group: By default, only members and guests you added can mail the group. But even people outside the organization can be allowed to mail the group by enabling the Let people outside the organization email this team option.
• Allowing Files to be Shared with Outsiders: By default, the group’s external file sharing capabilities extends only to New and existing guests. But this can be changed and even outsiders can be granted access to the group files using the External file sharing dropdown.

• Editing the Outlook Group details and Add Group Owners/Members: You’ll find edit links that help you edit group details like the name, description, and the email address under the General tab. You can also add group owners and group members from under the Membership tab.

Note:

• Read How to add Microsoft 365 groups using Microsoft Admin Center to understand the exact steps involved better.
• Also remember that your Outlook inbox will list not just Outlook-based groups, but also other Microsoft 365 groups – be it Teams-based, Planner-based, SharePoint based etc., - that you are a part of in some capacity.

How to delete Microsoft 365 Outlook Groups?

This can be done in two ways:

• Using the Microsoft 365 Admin Center: Select the Microsoft 365 Outlook group and click the Delete group button as shown in the image.

• From Microsoft 365 Outlook Groups Tab: Click the Settings icon (from within the Group’s page) >> Select Edit group option. Then select the Delete group button from the Edit group page.

Microsoft 365 Beginner Series -- Read More

What is Microsoft 365? What does it offer? How to sign up?
Microsoft 365 Home Page
Microsoft 365 Home Page Continued
Microsoft 365 Admin Center Basics
Learning Microsoft 365 Outlook Basics I
Microsoft 365 Outlook Basics II -- Using the Microsoft 365 Outlook Toolbar
Microsoft 365 Outlook Basics III -- Microsoft 365 Outlook Meetings and Scheduling Poll
Microsoft 365 Outlook Basics IV -- Microsoft 365 Outlook Group
Microsoft Teams Basic Training