What it does
Uses a settings sheet (Bulk_Edit_Contact_Groups) to add, delete, update, or export a list of contact groups in bulk, integrating Excel and Outlook.

When to use it
When you need to set up one or more contact groups (aka distribution lists), this gives you an efficient way to do it by building or editing your list in Excel and directly reflecting it in Outlook.  You can also share your exported contact group list with family, friends, or colleagues.

Why to use it
It’s an extremely quick way to import or export contact groups between Outlook and Excel to share, back up, or copy/paste to another computer.

Default shortcut
None

Other Details

• Category: MS Office / Outlook
• Difficulty: 4/5
• Usage/frequency: 1/5
• Automation factor: 5/5 (estimated 300 seconds saved each time used)
• Type: Bulk
• Date added: 8/15/2019
• Tags: Outlook, bulk, contacts, groups

Related Macros
Bulk Edit Contacts

Other Articles
None

Prerequisites
Ensure you have an email/contacts account set up in Microsoft Outlook.

Instructions
Run the Bulk Edit Contact Groups macro.  It will prompt you to either export a list of contact groups (see below) or create new ones.  If creating new contact groups, it will create a sheet called Bulk_Edit_Contact_Groups.  This is where you’ll configure all the contact groups to create.  These are the columns within the Bulk_Edit_Contact_Groups sheet you’ll want to fill in:

• Column A – Contact Group Name (required): enter a unique contact group name.
• Column B – Email Address (required): enter one or more email addresses for your contact group.
• Column C – ID (required for updating or deleting contact groups): the contact group ID is exported with your list of contact groups.  Make sure not to change this or you may have unwanted results.
• Column D – Add/Edit/Delete (required): select the option based on the changes you want to make:
  [NEW LIST] – select to insert a new list.
  [UPDATE LIST] – select to update an existing list.
  [DELETE MEMBER] – select to delete one or more contact group members.
  [DELETE LIST] – select to delete the entire contact group.

Once you fill in the contact details, run the Bulk Edit Contact Groups macro again and confirm at the prompt to process.  If the data is valid, the contact groups will be imported to Outlook and the ID for each contact group will be listed.

To update or delete bulk contact groups, first export a list of contact groups.  Run the Bulk Edit Contact Groups macro and click the Export button.  Any existing contact groups will be listed in a new sheet called Bulk_Edit_Contact_Groups.  If that sheet already exists, you will be prompted whether to process – add/update/delete – the contents.  When ready, run the Bulk Edit Contact Groups macro again to process any contact groups to update or delete.