How to Create an Email Group in Gmail (Step-by-Step Guide)
Jul 24, 2025
Learn how to create an email group in Gmail, manage it effectively, avoid common issues, and follow best practices for clean group emailing.
If you’ve been emailing more than three people at once, chances are you’re either copy-pasting addresses, typing the first few letters and waiting for autocomplete, or digging through old threads to find the right list.
That works until you’re regularly sending updates to 10 or more people. Typing each address manually every time? Not practical.
That’s where Gmail groups help. With a one-time setup through Google Contacts, you can create a named group and message everyone at once.
This guide shows you how to create an email group in Gmail using Google Contacts, how to send messages to the group, and best practices to manage your email groups.
Gmail groups are created in Google Contacts using labels—Gmail doesn’t have a native group button.
TL;DR
Once a group is built, you can email it directly from your desktop or mobile with just the label name.
Keep your groups clean: check for outdated addresses, avoid personal emails in work threads, and label clearly.
If a group fails to send, check contact sync, label typos, or Google Workspace limits.
What Is an Email Group in Gmail?
An email group in Gmail is a shortcut for sending a single message to multiple recipients. You create a contact label like “Design Team” or “Newsletter List” and add the right contacts to it.
Later, when you compose an email, just type the label name into the To, Cc, or Bcc field. Gmail fills in all the addresses automatically.
Why Use Gmail Contact Groups?
Manually entering every email address takes time, and it’s easy to make mistakes. You might leave someone out, copy the wrong version of their contact, or forget who was on the last thread.
Contact groups prevent that kind of slip. You’re not rebuilding the list each time or second-guessing who to include.
Here’s how they help:
Skip the repeat work: Type one group name, not five or ten addresses.
Stay consistent: The right people constantly get looped in without gaps or mix-ups.
Work better from shared inboxes: Makes handoffs easier when multiple teammates reply.
Use it across devices: Once set up, groups are available on desktop, Android, and iOS.
How to Create a Gmail Contact Group (Step-By-Step)
To build a contact group in Gmail, you'll use Google Contacts—the place where Gmail pulls email addresses from. The process takes less than two minutes, and once it's set up, the group will be available across all your Gmail devices.
On Desktop (Recommended)
Go to Google Contacts
Visit contacts.google.com and sign in with the same account you use for Gmail.Create a new label
In the left-hand sidebar, you may see a plus (+) sign or the word “Create label” linked under the “Labels” section.
Name your label: This becomes your group name. Give the group a clear name (e.g., Client_Q3_List, Design_Review_Team).
Add contacts to the label.
Go back to your full contacts list.
Select the checkboxes next to the names or emails you want in the group.
Click the Label icon (tag symbol at the top), then choose your label and click Apply.
Use your group in Gmail.
Open Gmail, click Compose, and in the To field, type your label name. Gmail will auto-fill all the emails linked to that label.
Tip: Use dashes or underscores in label names if you manage multiple groups (e.g., press-contacts, team-core).
On Android
You can create and use contact groups directly from the Google Contacts app,
Open the Contacts app (not Gmail).
Tap Fix & manage → Labels → Create label.
Name your label and add contacts.
To email the group, open the Gmail app → Compose → type the label name in the To field.
Tip: The labels/groups you create in the Contacts app also sync to your Google account, making them accessible across devices when using the same account.
iPhone (for Gmail Contacts)
You can create and use Gmail contact groups directly from the iPhone Contacts app, as long as your Gmail account is synced.
Open the Contacts app on your iPhone.
Tap ‘Lists’ in the top-left corner of the screen.
This shows all your existing contact groups or label lists synced from accounts like Gmail, iCloud, etc.
Tap ‘Add List’ (or ‘Add Group’) in the upper right corner.
You will be asked to select an account (e.g., Gmail) where the list will be created.
Name your list and tap ‘Done’ or ‘Add’.
Open the new list and tap ‘Add Contacts’ (or the plus “+” icon).
Select contacts from your address book to add them to this list and tap ‘Done’.
To email this group, open the Gmail app, tap Compose, and type the list name in the To field. Gmail will auto-complete by filling in the email addresses of your group members.
Important Note: Make sure that your Gmail contacts are synced with the iPhone Contacts app for this to work
Once your contact group is ready, you can use it right away to email everyone in the group with just a few keystrokes. Here's how it works inside Gmail.
How to Send Group Emails from Gmail
Gmail treats your contact group as a smart label. Instead of adding each recipient manually, just type the group name in the “To” field, and Gmail will autofill all associated email addresses.
On Desktop (Gmail Web):
Open Gmail.
Click Compose to start a new email.
In the To field, begin typing the name of your contact group (label). Gmail will suggest it as an autocomplete option.
Select the group. All emails tied to that label will be inserted automatically.
Add your subject and message, then hit Send.
If you're using a mobile device where Gmail contacts aren't syncing properly (common on iOS), double-check that the contact group was created under your Google account and not iCloud.
Before you hit send, it’s worth knowing how to professionally address multiple people in an email. Even when using Gmail groups, the right greeting and tone can set the stage for a more respectful and effective exchange.
For Shared Inboxes or Multiple Gmail Accounts:
If you manage multiple inboxes, for example, a personal email and a shared team inbox, make sure the contact group is created under the correct Google account. Gmail only recognises contact groups associated with the signed-in account you're sending from.
Use CC or BCC with Contact Groups
Gmail contact groups make it easy to send one email to many recipients. But when discretion matters, use CC and BCC fields smartly.
Use CC if you’re looping in collaborators who don’t need to act but should stay informed. This is useful for shared inbox users or team aliases.
Use BCC when emailing external lists, clients, or newsletter-style updates. It keeps addresses private and avoids accidental group replies.
To apply:
While composing, click CC or BCC.
Add the contact group name or individual addresses as needed.
This helps you strike the right balance between visibility and control, especially when managing outbound threads or internal updates at scale.
Did You Know? What we’ve covered so far helps you email multiple personal contacts using labels or lists in Gmail. But if you’re part of a Google Workspace organisation, there’s a more powerful option: Google Groups. A Google Group provides your team with a shared email address like team@yourcompany.com that anyone in the group can use to send and receive messages. Beyond just sending emails, Google Groups lets your team collaborate, assign roles, moderate discussions, and access archived conversations, making it ideal for customer support, hiring teams, shared inboxes, or larger projects. |
How to Manage Gmail Contact Groups Over Time
Over time, your contact groups can get cluttered with outdated, missing, or duplicate entries. Here’s how to keep them clean and accurate.
1. Add a New Contact to a Group
Open Google Contacts.
Click Create contact → Add name and email.
Once saved, click the Label icon and select the group(s) to assign them.
On mobile, new contacts sync if your Gmail account is connected to the Contacts app.
2. Import Multiple Contacts at Once
In Google Contacts (web), click Import in the left sidebar.
Upload a CSV file with contact names and email addresses.
After import, assign the new contacts to a label (group) for Gmail use.
3. Remove a Contact from a Group
Open the group label.
Hover over the contact → Click the 3-dot menu → Select Remove from label.
This only removes the contact from that group — it does not delete the contact from your Google account.
Note: To fully delete a contact, you must go to “All Contacts,” select the contact, and choose “Delete.
4. Handle Duplicate Entries
Go to Google Contacts → Click Merge & fix in the sidebar.
Google will suggest potential duplicates (e.g., the same email address, similar names).
Review and confirm merges to clean up your list.
Managing multiple email conversations from the same group can quickly clog your inbox. NewMail AI helps you organize by bundling related threads, flagging important replies, and letting you triage what matters first. Try NewMail AI for Free to sort your inbox before it spirals out of control.
6 Best Practices for Managing Gmail Contact Groups
Once your contact groups are set up, how you maintain and use them can make the difference between smooth collaboration and messy communication. Below are best practices to keep your Gmail groups organised, accurate, and effective:
Use clear, consistent naming for labels: Stick to a naming pattern like ‘Team_Marketing_2025’ or ‘Clients_APAC’ so it's easy to recognise and search for the right group, especially when your contact list grows.
Keep groups purpose-specific: Don’t overload one group with unrelated contacts. Create separate labels for vendors, freelancers, internal teams, or event-specific audiences to avoid sending the wrong email to the wrong people.
Review group members quarterly: Set a reminder every quarter to check who’s still relevant to each group. Removing outdated contacts helps reduce bounce-backs and keeps your sends clean.
Use Bcc for large or external sends: Protect recipients’ privacy and prevent accidental reply-alls by using Bcc when emailing large groups, especially if they include external contacts.
Sync with Google Workspace directory (if available): If you’re using Google Workspace, enabling Directory sync ensures team-wide access to centrally managed contact groups.
Back up important groups: Google doesn’t save versions of your groups. For business-critical contact lists, export them as CSV files periodically in case of accidental deletions or sync issues.
Troubleshooting 5 Common Issues with Gmail Groups
Even well-managed contact groups can run into snags. Here’s how to resolve the most common issues users face when working with Gmail contact groups:
1. Label not showing in Gmail
Labels created in Google Contacts don’t always sync instantly with Gmail. If a label isn’t autocompleting in the Gmail “To” field:
Refresh Gmail or log out and back in.
Check that the label has at least one valid email address.
Confirm you're using the same Google account in Contacts and Gmail.
2. The email sent to the group doesn’t reach all members
Possible reasons:
Some email addresses might be outdated or misspelt.
Members may have unsubscribed or marked similar emails as spam.
A group member's inbox may be full, or their email server may have blocked your message.
Use Gmail’s “Show original” feature on a sent email to view delivery logs.
3. Duplicate emails sent to the same recipient
If the same email address appears in multiple labels added to the same message, Gmail may send duplicates. Avoid stacking labels or manually entering overlapping addresses.
4. Can’t delete or edit a group
You must go to Google Contacts to manage groups. Gmail doesn’t allow editing or deleting labels directly.
5. Bcc field causing issues in bulk sends
Large group emails sent via Bcc can trigger Gmail’s spam filters or sending limits. Gmail’s sending limits for personal (free) accounts are typically 500 recipients per day, and a maximum of 100 recipients per message (including To, Cc, and Bcc combined).
For larger distributions, consider using Google Groups or a proper email marketing tool.
Conclusion
Gmail’s contact groups are a solid starting point for keeping your email outreach organised. But only if they’re set up right and actively managed.
If left unmanaged, even a well-structured group strategy can flood your inbox with duplicate threads, forgotten messages, or low-priority emails. NewMail AI brings order back, helping you triage by sender, surface high-value threads, and auto-organise emails around what matters most, without relying solely on labels or folders.
If Gmail groups help you send better, NewMail AI helps you stay organised, focused, and in control as your inbox fills up. See it in action, book your demo now.
