How to copy distribution list (members) to another distribution list in Outlook?

Author: KellyLast Modified: 2025-05-06

Outlook makes it easy to manage contacts, but when it comes to copying members from one distribution list (now called "Contact Group") to another, there’s no built-in direct method. Don’t worry — this guide shows you several practical ways to accomplish it, including a powerful one-click solution with Kutools for Outlook.

Method 1: Copy Distribution List (Members) to a New Distribution List (Manual & Basic)

Method 2: Quickly Copy Selected Members to a New Distribution List with Kutools for Outlook 👍 (Fast & Efficient)

Method 3: Copy Part of a Distribution List to Another/New Distribution List (Tedious & Cumbersome)

Method 1: Copy Distribution List (Members) to a New Distribution List

If you want to copy all or part of a distribution list to a new one manually, you can try this workaround:

1. In the People (or Contacts) view, select the contact group you want to copy from.

2. Press Ctrl + C to copy it.

3. Press Ctrl + V to paste it into the same folder.

4. Now you have created a duplicated contact group. Double-click to open the duplicated group.

5. Select and remove the members you don’t want to keep, and click Contact Group > Remove Member.:

Hold Ctrl to select multiple nonadjacent members.
Hold Shift to select a range of adjacent members.

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6. Type a new name for the copied group in the Name field.

7. Click Contact Group > Save & Close.

Pros and Cons of Method 1:

✅ Simple to perform without additional tools.
✅ Good for small distribution lists.
❌ Tedious for large groups – Requires manual selection and deletion.
❌ Risk of mistakes – Easy to accidentally delete or modify the wrong members.
❌ No intelligent management – No quick search, filter, or selective copying.

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Method 2: Quickly Copy Selected Members to a New Distribution List with Kutools for Outlook 👍

If you prefer a faster, smarter, and less tedious method, Kutools for Outlook offers the Split to Multiple Contact Groups feature — making it easy to copy specific members to a new distribution list in just a few clicks.

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1. In the People (or Contacts) view, select the contact group you want to copy from.

2. Click Kutools Plus > Contacts > Split to Multiple Contact Groups.

3. In the popup Contact Group dialog, check the members you want to copy, and click OK.

4. In the New Contact Group dialog, enter a name for the new distribution list, and click OK to finish.
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📌 Result: Selected members are quickly copied into a brand-new contact group — no need for manual copying and deleting!

⚡ Important Tip: This feature will remove the selected members from the original contact group. (You can easily duplicate the group first if you want to keep the original intact.).

Why Use Kutools for Outlook?

✅ One-Click Efficiency: Quickly copy either all members or only selected members from a distribution list into a new one with just a few clicks.
✅ Flexible Member Selection: Freely choose specific members or grab the entire group — no need for complicated manual operations.
✅ Direct and Clean Management: Instantly create new contact groups without affecting your originals (simply duplicate first if needed).
✅ Save Time: Perfect for busy users who manage large numbers of contacts.
✅ Error-Free: No worry about accidentally deleting wrong members.

Method 3: Copy Part of a Distribution List to Another/New Distribution List

Another workaround involves expanding the contact group via a temporary email. Here's how:

1. Open the People (or Contacts) view and double-click the contact group you want to copy from.

2. In the Contact Group window, click Contact Group > Email to create a new email with the group in the To field.

3. Click the plus ➕ icon next to the group name to expand all members. .
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4. Confirm expanding by clicking OK.
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5. In the To field, remove any members you don’t want, then Ctrl + C to copy the remaining ones.

6. Return to the People view and open the destination distribution list (or create a new one via Home > New Contact Group).

7. Click Contact Group > Add Members > From Address Book. :
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8. In the Select Members dialog, paste (Ctrl + V) the copied addresses into the Members box.
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9. Click OK, then Save & Close.

📌 Result: The selected members have been copied into another or new contact group.

Pros and Cons of Method 3:

✅ Partial Member Selection : Allows you to selectively copy only specific members into another contact group.
❌ Tedious Manual Steps : Requires many clicks: expand the group, manually select members, copy, and paste into a new group.
❌ High Risk of Mistakes : It's easy to accidentally miss members or mess up the selection when dealing with large groups.
❌ Time-Consuming for Big Lists: Not efficient when handling very large distribution lists (50+ members or more).

Which Method Should You Use?

Use the table below to decide which solution best fits your needs:

Method	Best For	Ease of Use	Efficiency	Flexibility
Manual Copy & Paste (Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V)	Quickly duplicating an entire group before editing manually	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Kutools Split to Multiple Contact Groups	Fast, precise copying of selected members into a new group	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Expand Members in Email and Copy	Copying part of members manually without extra tools	⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐

✅ Recommendation: If you want the easiest, fastest, and most accurate way to copy all or part of a distribution list, Kutools for Outlook is the best choice. Its Split to Multiple Contact Groups feature eliminates manual work and prevents mistakes, especially when handling large contact groups!

Demo: Copy distribution list (members) to new distribution list with Kutools for Outlook

Discover the Kutools / Kutools Plus tab in this video, added by Kutools for Outlook. Now, most features, including AI functionalities, are free! Pro features come with a 30-day trial without limitations!

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