How to create distribution lists in office 365

There are two ways to send  email to multiple address (Group) with Office 365

1. Create a Distribution group

2. Create a Transport rule

In this article i will show you how to do them both

 1. How to Create Distrinution Group with Office 365

• connect to the cloud with a cloud administrator credentials  portal.microsoftonline.com
• On the admin  page stand on  Admin Overview  – under – Office 365 – Exchange- click on Manage

• A new IE tab will open
• Under –User & groups – Distribution groups – New

• Fill the fields (field in bold are mandatory)
• Display name: name of your distribution list
• Alias: alias of your distribution list
• Email address: email address of your distribution list.
• Make this group a security group: do not enable this option. If you enable this, you will be able to use the distribution list as a security group for granting access to SharePoint site for example
• Owners: owner(s) of this distribution list.
• Membership: add here all users which must be part of the distribution list
• Membership approval: allow you to define how new member requests are managed; anyone can join without approval, no one can join except if the owners add the user account or an approval is required

• Click Save

2. How to Create a transport rule for distribution lists with Office 365 :

• connect to the cloud with a cloud administrator credentials  portal.microsoftonline.com
• On the admin  page stand on  Admin Overview  – under – Office 365 – Exchange- click on Manage

• A new IE tab will open
• In the new tab – under -Mail control -Rules – New

•  press on if and choose “The recipient is..” and find the recipient
• add the recipient and click OK

•  Press on Do the following and choose “Redirect the massage to.. “
• Select the members and click OK

• click Save

Idit Bnaya

Sr. Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft, I’m passionate about helping customers succeed by building secure, scalable, and innovative cloud solutions – with a strong focus on AI, DevOps practices, and end-to-end security. With a proven track record in the IT and services industry, I serve as a trusted advisor, partnering closely with organizations to guide them through digital transformation and maximize the value of their cloud investments.

My role combines technical leadership with project ownership – from designing modern architectures to leading cross-functional implementations that drive real business outcomes. I also manage and empower strategic partners, working hand-in-hand with them to ensure project success and deliver measurable business impact for customers.