sharing contact lists should be easy right?

Welcome to the world of Microsoft where everything is more complicated and less intuitive than you could ever imagine.

Yeah, come on Microsoft. Are you kidding? This should be one of the most basic functions of email, and no one on your multi-million dollar design team can't bother to do this despite hundreds of your clients asking you to do so? Anyone there????

I found a way to do this in "Old Outlook"

New Message > Insert > ...More > Include > Business Card

What is also frustrating is that while you can share a contact list from old Outlook, you are only able to share it as card or instance.

You can't collaborate on a contact list in any meaningful, real time way.

So if you, as a team, share a contact list that you are building or changing over time, it's an absolute pain.

Dear Jean Speck,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community.

Sharing contact lists in Outlook is indeed a straightforward process. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you share your contact list with your coworkers:

1. Open Outlook:
   • Launch your Outlook application and ensure you are signed in with your account.
2. Navigate to Contacts:
   • Go to the "People" or "Contacts" tab in Outlook.
3. Locate Your Contact List:
   • Find and select the contact list that you want to share.
4. Click on "Share Contacts":
   • Depending on your version of Outlook, there might be an option like "Share Contacts" or "Share Contacts List." Click on this option.
5. Choose Sharing Method:
   • Outlook typically provides various sharing methods. You might have options like:
     • Email: Send the contact list as an attachment via email.
     • Microsoft 365 Groups: Share the contact list with a specific Microsoft 365 group.
     • Via Link: Generate a link to the contact list that your coworkers can access.
6. Set Permissions:
   • Depending on the sharing method, you may need to set permissions. Choose whether your coworkers can only view the contacts or edit them.
7. Send the Invitation:
   • If you chose email or Microsoft 365 Groups, follow the prompts to send the invitation.
8. Confirmation:
   • Once shared, your coworkers will receive an invitation to access the shared contact list. They may need to accept the invitation to view or edit the contacts.

Thank you,