Use the People page to create, view, and edit contacts, contact lists, and groups. Create new contacts from scratch, or add someone as a contact from their profile card. You can create a simple contact list for sending email to a group of people, or create groups for group-based collaboration.
Note: Many of the features in the new Outlook for Windows work the same or similarly as Outlook on the web. If you’re interested in trying the new experience, check out Getting started with the new Outlook for Windows.
Note: If the instructions don't match what you see, you might be using an older version of Outlook on the web. Try the Instructions for classic Outlook on the web.
Create contacts in Outlook
New contacts are saved in your default Contacts folder, and you will also see them under Your contacts. If you want to save the contact in a different folder, select the folder before creating the contact.
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Select the People icon
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On the People page, on the toolbar, select New contact.
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Enter details for the contact. Select Add more to add more information, such as the contact's address and birthday.
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Select Create.
Add a new contact from scratch in new Outlook:
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On the side panel, select the People icon
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On the People page, on the toolbar, select New contact.
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Enter details for the contact.
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Select Save.
When you click someone's name or picture in Outlook or other Office apps and services, you'll see their profile card with information about them. From their profile card, you can save them to your own contacts, for example if you want to add Notes or other information.
Here's how you can add a contact from an email message:
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In Mail, open an email message in the reading pane, and then select the name of the sender or recipient you want to add to your contacts.
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On the profile card that opens, select
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Add more information if you want. Select Add more to add more information, such as the contact's address and birthday.
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Select Create.
Note: The contact is automatically saved in your default Contacts folder on the People page.
Add a contact from someone's profile card in new Outlook:
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In Mail, open an email message in the reading pane, and then select the name of the sender or recipient you want to add to your contacts.
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On the profile card that opens, at the bottom of the card, select Add to contacts.
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Enter details for the contact.
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Select Save.
If your company has a directory set up, you'll be able to see information about your colleagues without saving them as contacts. You can search for them or select their name or picture from an email message. Their profile card will show information collected from other systems (directory). If you want to add other information, such as notes, you can save your colleagues to your own contacts. The new contact is auto-linked to the existing directory contact. Only you will see the information you add.
To add someone to your favorites, select the contact, and then select Add to favorites on the toolbar.
Tip: Favorite contacts who have an email address will also show up in the navigation pane in Mail, so you can see all their email in one place.
Here are some ways to find a contact on the People page:
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Use Search.
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Select Favorites at the top of the page to see people you've added as favorites.
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Select Your contacts.
Tip: Select a letter in a list separator to quickly move between contacts in the list.
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To find people in your organization (Directory) that aren't in your saved contacts, use Search.
On the People page, select a contact in the middle pane to see or edit information about them. What you see is a version of the profile card. What tabs and sections you see may vary.
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Files: Recent files that the contact has shared with you.
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Email: Recent email messages and email attachments between you and the contact.
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LinkedIn: If the contact has a public LinkedIn profile with the same email that you've saved for that contact, you'll see LinkedIn information here.
To edit a contact, select Edit contact next to Contact Information, or select Edit on the toolbar.
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On the People page, select a contact.
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Select the camera icon.
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Select Upload a new photo, choose the file you want to use, and then select Open to upload.
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If you want to reposition the photo, click inside the circle and drag the pointer. To zoom in or out, use the slider below the photo.
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Select Apply, and then select Done.
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To change how contact names are displayed, select Settings and then Display contacts by > First name or Last name.
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To select sorting, use the sort menu at the top of the list . For example, select Sort by > Last name.
You can link contacts to indicate that they're related, for example if you have several entries for the same person. Linked contacts appear as a single contact.
To link contacts:
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On the People page, select two or more contacts, and then select Link contacts in the panel that appears.
To unlink a linked contact:
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On the People page, select the contact, select Linked contacts on the toolbar, and then select Unlink.
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Select one or more contacts, and then select Delete.
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Select Delete to confirm.
See also: Restore deleted contacts in Outlook
Create contact lists in classic Outlook
A contact list is a collection of email addresses, and is useful for sending email to a group of people. Contact lists are sometimes referred to as distribution lists.
For example, create a contact list named My Book Club and add all the members of your book club to it. When you want to send an email message to everyone in the club, just enter "My Book Club" in the To line of the email.
By default, contact lists are created in the default Contacts folder, and you can also see them under Your contact lists. If you want to save the contact list in a different folder, select the folder before you select New contact list.
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On the People page, on the toolbar, select the arrow next to New contact, and then select New contact list.
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Enter a name for the list, and then add names or email addresses.
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Select Create.
You can add people (email addresses) to a contact list in two ways: By editing a contact list and adding people to it from within the list, or by selecting one or more contacts and adding them to a list from the Add to list option on the toolbar.
Note: Because a contact list is just a collection of email addresses, you can only add contacts that have an email address.
Add people to a contact list by editing the contact list:
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On the People page, select Your contact lists in the navigation pane, or search for the contact list name.
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Select the contact list, and then select Edit.
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Enter names or email addresses.
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Select Save.
Add one or more contacts to a contact list by using the Add to list option:
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On the People page, select the contacts you want to add to a list.
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On the toolbar at the top, select Add to list.
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Select the plus sign next to the contact list you want to add the contacts to.
or
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Select New contact list to add the selected contacts to a new list, and then enter a name for the new contact list.
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Click outside the pane to close it when you're done.
You can remove people (email addresses) from a contact list in two ways: By editing the contact list, or by selecting a contact and removing them from a list using the Add to list option on the toolbar.
Remove people from a contact list by editing the list:
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On the People page, select Your contact lists in the navigation pane, or search for the contact list name.
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Select the contact list, and then select Edit.
Select the x for the name or email address you want to remove.
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Select Save.
Remove selected people from one or more contact lists by using the Add to list option:
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On the People page, select the contact you want to remove from a contact list.
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On the toolbar, select Add to list. You'll see what contact lists this contact is already added to.
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Select the X next to the contact list you want to remove the selected contact from.
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Click outside the pane to close it when you're done.
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Select the contact list you want to delete, and select Delete.
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Select Delete to confirm.
See also: Restore deleted contacts in Outlook
Create groups in classic Outlook
Working together on a project or a shared goal? Create a group to give your team a space for conversations, shared files, scheduling events, and more.
For information about how to manage groups you own, see Edit or delete a Group in Outlook.
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On the People page, on the toolbar, select the arrow next to New contact, and then select New group.
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Enter a name for the group, and add your information.
For more details, see Create a group in Outlook
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Select Create.
Instructions for Outlook on the web
Create a contact or contact list Outlook on the web
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Select the People icon at the bottom of the navigation pane.
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Under Your contacts in the navigation pane, select the folder in which you want to create the contact. If you haven't created any folders, go on to step 3.
Note: To create a folder, select Your contacts, right-click, and then select New folder. Type a name for the folder.
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Select New, and then select Contact or Contact list.
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Enter the details for the contact or contact list.
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Select
Note: After you create a contact in a folder, it isn't possible to move it to a different folder. To store a contact in a different folder after you create it, delete the contact and re-create it in the other folder.
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Open an email message in the reading pane, and then select the name of the sender or recipient that you want to add to your contacts.
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On the contact card that appears for that person, select
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Enter the details for the contact.
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Select
Note: After you save the new contact, it is automatically added to your Contacts folder. When you create a contact in this way, it isn't possible to save the contact in a different folder or to move it to a different folder.
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Select the contact you want to add to a list.
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Select Lists and choose the contact list to which you want to add the contact.
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In Outlook on the web, select the People icon at the bottom of the navigation pane.
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Select the contact or contact list that you want to edit, and select Edit.
Note: If you don't see an Edit button, the contact might be from Skype for Business or a connected social network account. To edit the contact, open Skype for Business or use a web browser to open your social network account where the contact is located.
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Make the changes that you want.
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Select
Caution: You can't restore a contact or contact list deleted in Outlook on the web.
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Select the contact or contact list you want to delete, and select Delete.
Note: If you don't see a Delete button, the contact might be from Skype for Business or a connected social network account. To delete the contact, open Skype for Business or use a web browser to open your social network account where the contact is located.
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Select Delete to confirm.
