I am no longer able to edit a distribution list

Question

I am no longer able to edit a distribution list

Sindy Blanco 0

I am no longer able to edit/add members to a distribution list. The original owner is no longer in the company; however, he made me an owner highlighted below. And I need to add new members.

User's image

When I click on Edit Contact this is the screen I get.

User's image

Hornblower409 15,510 Reputation points

2026-03-26T07:12:49.42+00:00

If the Q&A Assist Answer did not solve your problem:

Click the [No] button on the "Was this answer helpful?" bar under the answer. If there is a [Reject] button visible, click that too. This should signal the forum moderators that you want a human to pick up this question.

If that does not get you a human response, type "Not Solved" in the "Add Comment" box below and then click the [Add Comment] button. I will try to offer some suggestions on what you can do next.
Anonymous

2026-04-15T13:44:16.3566667+00:00

In the first dialog you shared above if you start typing in the Add people box that should let you add members. This is an M365 group. If you have a distribution group you can use the steps in this article to edit, https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/distribution-groups-e8ba58a8-fab2-4aaf-8aa1-2a304052d2de.

1 answer

Your answer

Hornblower409 15,510 Reputation points

2026-03-26T07:12:49.42+00:00

If the Q&A Assist Answer did not solve your problem:

Click the [No] button on the "Was this answer helpful?" bar under the answer. If there is a [Reject] button visible, click that too. This should signal the forum moderators that you want a human to pick up this question.

If that does not get you a human response, type "Not Solved" in the "Add Comment" box below and then click the [Add Comment] button. I will try to offer some suggestions on what you can do next.
Anonymous

2026-04-15T13:44:16.3566667+00:00

In the first dialog you shared above if you start typing in the Add people box that should let you add members. This is an M365 group. If you have a distribution group you can use the steps in this article to edit, https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/distribution-groups-e8ba58a8-fab2-4aaf-8aa1-2a304052d2de.

Answer 1

The contact card window shown is only the address book entry for the group; it does not allow managing group membership. To add or edit members, the group must be opened and edited from the Groups interface or by an admin in Microsoft 365/Exchange, not from the contact.

Use one of these supported paths:

In classic Outlook for Windows
1. In the folder list, go to Groups and select the group.
2. On the ribbon, select Group Settings.
3. Choose Add Members to add people, or Edit Group to manage owners and members.
4. In Edit Group, use Make owner, Remove owner status, or Remove next to a name to change membership, then select Save.
If the group is a Microsoft 365 distribution group managed by an admin
1. An admin signs in to the Microsoft 365 admin center.
2. Go to Teams and groups > Active teams and groups > Distribution list.
3. Select the group, open the Members tab, then View all and manage members.
4. Use Add members to add users/contacts, or select a member > … > Remove member to remove them.

If neither of these options appears, the account likely no longer has owner permissions and a Microsoft 365/Exchange admin must reassign ownership or manage the membership on behalf of the group.

References: