How to make a group of contacts In Gmail

TLDR: There are two ways to make groups of contacts in Gmail products, one of them is to use Labels and another one is to create a group email address in Google Groups [only for Google Workspace users].

Before we jump into a step-by-step manual of the first Gmail method, [as it’s available for both paid and free versions], let’s consider scenarios of how this knowledge can help save you time and achieve more with fewer clicks every day. In other words, why should you care to create groups in Gmail?

Why Is Creating a Group in Gmail Helpful for Your Productivity?

Even though knowing how to create an email group in Gmail used to be more useful before social media, emails are still more efficient in terms of keeping things organized and at hand. Groups in messengers may get cluttered and things are hard to find. Where emails are much more organized and search-friendly.

Say, you are a member of a parental committee at school – you may want to create 3 email groups in Gmail:

1. other members of the committee [to organize workflow]
2. for school administration and teachers [to update in events and ensure smooth collaboration]
3. all parents of kids in the class [to communicate on committee’s initiatives].

Or, you love fishing and meet for a weekend on a lake with your mates every few months. Having a fishermen contacts group would be useful for calendar invites to block time in your Gmail calendars [not that we suggest any true fishermen could forget an event].

Many private Gmail users would have a Gmail label called “Family” that allows them to quickly send a reminder about a Thanksgiving dinner or recommend a new cool opening in the city to their close ones.

In a business environment, groups save users tonnes of time due to one reason: you hardly remember the names of the people in marketing, HR, or your go-to vendor list. Let alone looking up their emails scattered all over the inbox and the internet. Having a habit of grouping your contacts in Workspace can save plenty of time.

When you create an email group in Gmail, you can also use it for calendars and to share documents – so it’s a real-time saver. 

Now let’s explain this method in detail.

How to Create a Contact Group In Gmail 

Use Labels in Google Contacts for Making a Gmail Group

1. Go to Google Apps [Square icon of 3 x 3 dots in the top right corner in Gmail].
2. Find Google Contacts. [alternatively, click G+C from inside Gmail].
3. In the left side bar click “+ Create Label”
   
4. Descriptively name a Group in the popup window and click save, in our example we created “HR Team”
   

Things to Know When Creating a Group in Gmail

Now that you know how to make groups in email, the below guides will help with applying this knowledge in practice. Let’s see how to add or remove a new contact to a group, as well as how to rename and delete a label in Gmail.

How to add People to Contact Group in Gmail

To add a contact to a group, you need to go: 

1. Go to Google Apps
2. Go to Contacts
3. Find the contact you want to add to a group and click three dots at the right end of the row to see More actions
   
4. Tick next to the name of the group to assign the contact to under Change Labels
   

Alternatively, You Can Add Several Contacts to a Group

Just follow these steps:

1. Go to Google contacts
2. Tick all contacts that you need to unite under the same label
3. Click Manage Labels Icon
   
4. Create a new label or tick the existing one.
   

As easy as that, all of the checked contacts are now in the group of your choice. You can send them a mass mail, send an invite to the calendar, or share files.

How to Remove People From Contact Groups in Gmail

To remove a person from a group in your Gmail, follow the same algorithm as above, but simply untick the check mark under Change Labels.

How to Rename Gmail Contact Group

To rename a Gmail Contact Group:

1. Go to Google Contacts
2. In the left sidebar under Labels hover over the group you need to rename.
3. Click on the pencil icon Rename Label
   
4. Type a new group name in a popup window and click Save
   

How to Delete Contact Group in Gmail

1. Go to Google Contacts
2. In the left sidebar under Labels hover over the group you need to delete.
3. Click on the bin icon Delete Label
   
4. The system will suggest options to keep all contacts and delete the label or two delete the label alongside the contacts associated with it, choose the option that is right for you:
   • Keep all contacts and delete this label
   • Delete all contacts and delete this label
     
5. Click Delete

How do I send an email to my new Gmail group?

Sending an email to a group of contacts who are tagged under a common label is quite easy:

1. Click Compose from Gmail’s inbox.
2. In the address bar, start typing the name of the group – it will appear as a suggestion option, click it to select.
3. Write and send an email as usual.

Important:

If you don’t mind that all of the recipients will know who the message was sent to, then type the name of the group in the address bar that says To:.

However, if you need to conceal the list of the recipients in the group: 

• Click Compose 
• Click the Bcc in the address bar’s right end
• A new Bcc line of the address bar appears
• Start typing the name of the group and click it when it appears
• Compose the message as usual

Congrats!  This way none of the people on the list will be able to see who it was sent to.

Conclusions

While making a group on Gmail is a really simple and intuitive process, many users don’t know that group functionality is hiding under the Labels feature.

Once people get to know of its existence and time-saving potential, there’s no stopping creating more and more groups or adding the same contact to half a dozen of them. This time-management trick is especially appreciated by senior people, who may take some time to concentrate and remember the name of the people they are trying to drop a message to.

Do you know which labels you need to create in your Gmail Contacts yet?