Simple Ways to Make a Mailing List in Gmail

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An easy-to-follow guide for creating a mailing list in Gmail on your computer

Co-authored by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: September 17, 2024 Fact Checked

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Are you looking for the easiest way to set up an email list in Gmail? By creating labels in Google Contacts, you can easily make group email lists without signing up for another service. This wikiHow tutorial will show you the most straightforward way to set up your own email distribution list in Gmail.

Things You Should Know

Create a mailing list label in Google Contacts first by going to contacts.google.com and selecting the contacts you want to add.
Click the label icon and select "New Label" to create a new mailing list label.
Add the mailing list label to the "BCC" section of an email to send it to everyone in that label.

Steps

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1
Go to https://contacts.google.com in a web browser. If you're signed in to your Google account, this opens a page that displays your contacts. If you're not signed in, sign in now to view the page.
- If you're logged into the wrong account, click your profile icon on the upper-right side of the page and then either select the proper account (if it's signed in) or click Add account and enter your email address and password when prompted.
Select the contacts you want to add to your list. To select a contact, hover your mouse cursor over the person's name, then click the empty box to the left of their name. Do this for everyone you want to include in the list.^{[1]
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Click the Labels icon
icon. It's the icon that looks like a label or gift tab at the top of your contacts list. This expands the Manage Labels window.^{[2]
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It's at the bottom of the pop-up window.^{[3]
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Type a name for your mailing list. The name you enter here is how your mailing list will be represented in your contacts. This is the name that you'll type into the "To" field later when addressing an email to your list.^{[4]
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Click Save to save your new mailing list. It's at the bottom of the pop-up window.
- To remove someone from this mailing list label, go to Google Contacts, then find your label listed in the menu on the left side of your screen. Click the label's name and uncheck the contact you want to remove from the email label.
- Similarly to removing a contact, go to the label's page in Google Contacts to be able to add new contacts. If someone isn't in your Google Contacts, add their email to be able to add them to the email list.
Go to https://www.gmail.com in your web browser. Now that you have a mailing list, you can easily create a new message in Gmail.^{[5]
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It's at the top-left corner of your Gmail inbox.
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Click BCC. You'll see this in the upper-right corner of the new message.^{[6]
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- As long as you add the name of your mailing list to the BCC field instead of the To or CC field, the people on your mailing list won't see the email addresses of the other people on the list. This protects the privacy of your mailing list members and is good mailing list etiquette.
- Technically, you can add this label to the To: field instead. But if you do that, everyone on the list will be able to see and reply to all other members. Don't do this unless everyone on the list specifically asks to join a discussion list—when people reply, it could create way too many emails for list members, and there'd be no way for them to unsubscribe.^{[7]
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Type the mailing list label name into the "BCC" field. There are two ways to do this:
- The simplest way is to start typing the name of your mailing list into the "BCC" field. When the mailing list label appears as a suggestion, click its name to quickly add the mailing list members to the "BCC" field.
- If you have trouble finding your mailing list label this way, click BCC in the upper-left corner of the window (below the "To" field) to expand your list of contacts. Select the mailing list label from the drop-down menu at the top-right corner, check the "Select All" box, and then click INSERT at the bottom-right.
Write your email. Now, you can enter a subject for your email into the "Subject" field and type the contents of your message into the larger typing area below that.
It's a blue button in the bottom-left corner of the "New Message" window. This sends your email message to everyone on the mailing list.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I hide the email addresses of an email group when sending group emails?

Community Answer

When you send the email, put your name under "to" and put the full group name in BCC instead of "to".

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Question

How do I send out an email to my email list without the recipients knowing who else it was sent to?

Community Answer

Send it to yourself as the primary recipient, then add your email list members' addresses under BCC (stands for blind carbon copy). This sends a copy to you as well as to your recipients.

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If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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Question

I have 36 addresses in the label folder. How do I send an email to all of them?

Community Answer

Compose a new message and type the name of the folder into the "to" field. The 36 addresses should appear.

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wikiHow Video: How to Send a Group Email in Gmail | How to Make a Mailing List in Gmail

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Tips

You can also access your contacts list by clicking ⋮⋮⋮ in the top-right corner of the Gmail page, scrolling down the menu, and clicking Contacts.

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Warnings

You can't use your mailing list in the Gmail mobile app. To be able to use your phone, you can only use the Google Contacts app.

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