Membership of O365 Distribution Groups


This article explains how to view a distribution group that you are a member of, and how to manage membership of that distribution group if you are the owner of it.

Office365 method

Sign into office365.leeds.ac.uk using your University username and password.

Open Outlook (web version) once you have signed into Office365.

Once Outlook is open in your web browser, click on the settings cog in the top right and then ‘view all Outlook settings’ in the bottom of the column that has opened.

Screenshot of Outlook with the Settings dialogue visible

In the ‘Settings’ box that has now opened, select the ‘general’ tab and then ‘Distribution groups’. Then click on this portal.

This next screen displays distribution groups that you are a member of on the left-hand side and distribution groups that you are an owner of on the right-hand side.

You may see a message that says 'Instead of a distribution group, consider using a new Microsoft 365 Group to collaborate by sharing conversations, documents, and a calendar. These are separate to distribution groups and are not something that we currently support. 

Edit membership of distribution groups you own

To edit the membership, click on the distribution group you would like to edit so that it is highlighted and then click the pencil edit icon. This will open an additional window with a few options.

Screen snapshot showing 'General' options for the O365 Test distribution list

Screen snapshot of the 'Members' dialog with 'All Users' highlighted

After a short period of time the window should close. This means that the members of staff have been added or removed successfully. You can then open the distribution group again using the pencil edit icon, navigate to membership, and review the group.

Edit ownership of distribution groups you own

To update the ownership of a list you own, please refer to the steps listed under Edit membership of distribution groups you own, and adjust as follows:

Outlook 2016/365 Method

Open Outlook and click on ‘address book’.

This will open the address book, switch the ‘Address Book’ dropdown to ‘Global Address group’. This will ensure the search looks for all active distribution groups. Once done, search for the name or the address of the distribution group.

Screen snapshot of the Address book dialog with 'Global Address List' highlighted in the Address Book dropdown menu.

Once you have found the distribution group:

Edit membership of distribution groups you own

To edit the membership of a distribution group you own:

Screen snapshot showing 'Contact Group Membership' dialog box for the 'Office 365 test' distribution list.

You should now be able to see the changes reflected in the ‘members’ group of the distribution group.