How To Manage Groups in the Address Book in Windows XP

The Address Book in Windows XP provides a convenient place to store contact information for easy retrieval from programs such as Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Outlook Express, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft NetMeeting, and Microsoft Phone System. This article explains how to create and use groups of names in the Address Book.

Open the Address Book

Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Address Book.

To open the Address Book from Outlook Express, click Address Book on the Tools menu.

Create a Group in the Address Book

You can create a single group name (or alias) to use when sending a message to several contacts at once. Just create a group name, add individual contacts to the group, and then type the group name in the To box when you're ready to send the message.

To create a group, follow these steps:

1. In the Address Book, select the folder in which you want to create a group.
   • To view a list of your groups separately from the Address Book listings, make sure that Folders and Groups is selected on the View menu in the Address Book.
     
     NOTE: You can create multiple groups, and contacts can belong to more than one group.
   
   
2. Click New on the toolbar, and then click New Group.
3. The Properties dialog box opens. In the Group Name box, type the name of the group.

Add People to a Group in the Address Book

After you find and select an address, it is automatically added to your Address Book. Repeat this process for each addition until your group is defined.

There are several ways to add people to the group:

• To add a person from your Address Book list, click Select Members, and then select a name from the Address Book list.
• To add a person directly to the group without adding the name to your Address Book, type the person's name and e-mail address in the lower half of the Properties dialog box, and then click Add.
• To add a person to both the group and your Address Book, click New Contact, and then enter the appropriate information.
• To use a directory service, click Select Members, and then click Find. Select a directory service from the list at the end of the text box.

Delete a Contact from a Group

1. In your Address Book, double-click the group name.
2. In the Group Members list, click the name that you want to delete.
3. Click Remove, and then click OK.
   
   NOTE: The contact is removed from the group, but the individual entry for the contact remains in your Address Book.

Move a Contact or a Group

1. In the Address Book contact list, select the name of the contact or group that you want to move.
2. Drag the contact or group from the list on the right to the intended group or folder on the left.
   
   NOTE: Contacts dragged to a group are added to the group, leaving duplicates behind in the original folder. However, a group or a contact dragged to a folder is moved, not duplicated.