How Do I Work with O365 Groups in Outlook?

Owned by Sandro Munoz (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Apr 17, 2020 by Whiteley, Kathryn
3 min read

For collaboration tools, please create a Microsoft Team. O365 Groups are used at PATH to manage distribution lists, shared email inboxes, and shared group calendars. 

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Microsoft Teams or O365 Group?

Microsoft Teams is PATH's universal communication and collaboration platform. Creating a Team actually creates an O365 Group in the background plus gives you a whole suite of tools to connect with your team. Please consider creating a Team instead of a stand-alone O365 group. Please see: How do I create a new Team (on Microsoft Teams)?

Creating a stand-alone O365 group is a way to create an email distribution list, a shared email inbox, or a group calendar without creating a Team for the additional collaboration tools available through Microsoft Teams.

Step-by-step guide

For more information on O365 groups, see our how-to guides on groups in OWA


O365 Groups in Outlook 2016

To create and manage O365 groups in Outlook, you must be using Outlook 2016. If you're using an older version of Outlook, you must use Outlook Web App to manage them.

Find the groups you belong to

In Outlook 2016 you can see all the O365 groups you belong to by expanding the Groups section below your mailbox, as shown below.


Creating new groups

You can create and browse existing groups using the buttons shown below.


  1. Click New Group and then give the group a name.
  2. Select the privacy option for the group.
  3. Determine whether members will receive messages sent to the group in their inboxes or just the group's inbox.


Subscribing members

  • Subscribing members makes the O365 group behave like a distribution group. All messages sent to the group are also sent to the members' inboxes. Members never have to go to the group inbox to see new messages.
  • If you want the O365 group to behave more like a shared inbox, where group members need to go to the group's inbox to see new messages, don't subscribe them.
  • Group members can unsubscribe themselves individually so they have a choice of how they see the new messages.


Managing your group

If you are a group owner, you can manage your groups from within Outlook.

  1. To manage membership, navigate to the group and select one of the membership options.
  2. Click Calendar to view the groups shared calendar.



See the Members of a Group

You can see the members of a group through Outlook (even if you are not the owner of the group).

  1. In Outlook, go to the Group you wish to see.
  2. Choose Group Settings from the ribbon menu.
  3. Choose Add Members. If you are not the group's owner, you will still be able to see the list of members, but you will not be able to make changes.

Joining existing groups

At some point you may want to join an existing public or private group.  You can browse all existing O365 groups to see both private and public groups.

  1. Search for a group by name to go directly to that group.
  2. You can join a public group by clicking Join and you'll immediately have access to the group.  Public groups will allow anyone to join without approval.
  3. Private groups require approval from the group owner to join.
  4. Clicking join on a private group will notify the group owner(s) and he or she will then approve or deny the request to join the group.

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