Join, leave, or follow Groups in Outlook
Applies To
Outlook for Microsoft 365 Outlook 2024 Outlook 2021 Outlook 2016 Outlook 2013 Outlook.com Outlook 2010 New Outlook for Windows Outlook on the web for Exchange Server 2016When you join a group, you gain access to the group mailbox and a group calendar. If the group is connected to a work or school account using a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription, you also gain access to a OneNote notebook and team site. Permissions are taken care of automatically so you don't need to worry about missing any meetings or conversations.
Once you've joined a group you'll receive a welcome message that contains important information and links to help you get started. If the group is public, you'll get the message right away. If the group is private, you'll get the welcome message after you've been approved by a group owner.
If you've suddenly started receiving emails from a Group in Outlook, you may be wondering how you got added to that group, and perhaps how you can leave the group. When you were added you should have received a welcome email that tells you about the group, including who added you. It's possible that email may have gone into your junk email or spam folder.
When you locate the welcome message you'll discover who added you, what the group is about, and you'll find a link to leave the group if you'd rather not be a member.
Join a group | Leave a group | Follow a group
Join a Group in new Outlook
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From the navigation bar select
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On the Group Home tab, select Discover Groups.
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Enter a group name in the search box or scroll the list to find the one you want.
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Select Join or Request to Join.
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If the group is private, a request will be sent to the group's admin, who can accept or decline the request.
Leave a Group in new Outlook
If you've been added to a group, you can leave the group at any time.
Notes:
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If you are the last group owner and you leave the group, the other members will be notified and the group's data and content will be deleted in 30 days.
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If you want the group to continue after you leave you'll need to make somebody else (or better yet, two people) group owner before you leave the group. To learn how to make a member an owner, see Create a Microsoft 365 Group in Outlook.
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From the navigation bar select
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On the Group Home tab, select a group card.
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Select Group Settings .
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Select Leave Group.
Follow a Group in new Outlook
After you've become a member of a group, your follow preference will determine how many group emails you'll receive in your personal inbox.
When you follow a group, all the email messages and meeting invitations are sent directly to your inbox. But they’re also stored in your group folder. So don’t worry about accidentally deleting something or creating a rule to move mail from your inbox to a private folder. Delete it from your inbox after reading it and know there’s still a copy safely stored in your searchable group folder; in fact, all the messages since the group began are stored in the group folder. Even if you weren’t a member at the beginning, you’ll get to see the full history once you join.
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From the navigation bar select
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On the Group Home tab, select a group card.
Tip: Select the entire (or blank space) of the group card to access that group's home. When you select the group name or icons, you'll access different features.
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Use the drop-down list to choose your follow preference.
Join a group | Leave a group | Follow a group
Join a Group in classic Outlook
In classic Outlook, from the navigation bar select More apps > Groups. (To pin, right-click
From Groups Home you can see all your groups at once.
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On the Home tab, select Browse Groups.
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Enter a group name in the search box or scroll the list to find the one you want.
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Select Join.
If the group is private, a request will be sent to the group's admin, who can accept or decline the request.
Join a Group in classic Outlook from an email
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If you receive an email message from a group that you're not a member of and decide to join the group, select Join on the group header in the right corner of the reading pane.
If the group is private, you'll see Request to Join instead, and will be asked to provide a reason for joining.
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Wait for your request to go through, or for the group's admin to add you if you're trying to join a private group.
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Once you've joined the group, you'll see detailed membership status as well as a shortcut to navigate to the group's inbox.
Leave a Group in classic Outlook
Notes:
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If you are the last group owner and you leave the group, the other members will be notified and the group's data and content will be deleted in 30 days.
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If you want the group to continue after you leave you'll need to make somebody else (or better yet, two people) group owner before you leave the group. To learn how to make a member an owner, see Create a Microsoft 365 Group in Outlook.
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In classic Outlook, from the navigation bar select More apps > Groups. (To pin, right-click
From Groups Home you can see all your groups at once.
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Select a group name.
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From the ribbon, select Group Settings.
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Select Leave Group.
Follow a Group in classic Outlook
When you follow a group, all the email messages and meeting invitations are sent directly to your inbox. But they’re also stored in your group folder. So don’t worry about accidentally deleting something or creating a rule to move mail from your inbox to a private folder. Delete it from your inbox after reading it and know there’s still a copy safely stored in your searchable group folder; in fact, all the messages since the group began are stored in the group folder. Even if you weren’t a member at the beginning, you’ll get to see the full history once you join.
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Select a group from the navigation pane.
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From the ribbon, select Group Settings, and under Follow in Inbox, select which emails or events you'd like to receive directly in your personal inbox. To stop receiving group emails in your personal inbox, select No Emails or Events.
Join a group | Leave a group | Follow a group
Join a Group in Outlook on the web
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In the navigation pane, under Groups, select Discover groups.
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In the search box, type a search term and press Enter.
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Select Join if the group is public or Request to join if the group is private.
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Once you've joined a group you'll receive a welcome message that contains important information and links to help you get started. If the group is public, you'll get the message right away. If the group is private, you'll get the welcome message after you've been approved by group owner.
Leave a Group in Outlook on the web
If you've been added to a group, you can leave the group at any time.
Notes:
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If you are the last group owner and you leave the group, the other members will be notified and the group's data and content will be deleted in 30 days.
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If you want the group to continue after you leave you'll need to make somebody else (or better yet, two people) group owner before you leave the group. To learn how to make a member an owner, see Create a Microsoft 365 Group in Outlook.
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From the navigation bar select
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On the Group Home tab, select a group card.
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Select Group Settings .
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Select Leave Group.
Follow a Group in Outlook on the web
When you follow a group, all the email messages and meeting invitations are sent directly to your inbox. But they’re also stored in your group folder. So don’t worry about accidentally deleting something or creating a rule to move mail from your inbox to a private folder. Delete it from your inbox after reading it and know there’s still a copy safely stored in your searchable group folder; in fact, all the messages since the group began are stored in the group folder. Even if you weren’t a member at the beginning, you’ll get to see the full history once you join.
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From the navigation bar select
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On the Group Home tab, select a group card.
Tip: Select the entire (or blank space) of the group card to access that group's home. When you select the group name or icons, you'll access different features.
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Use the drop-down list to choose your follow preference.
Join, leave, or follow a Group in Outlook.com
Join a group | Invite people to join a group | Leave a group | Follow a group
Join a Group in Outlook.com
You can only join an Outlook.com group when an owner or member adds you. Learn how to add members, or see below for how to invite people.
Note: If you've been added to a group using your Microsoft Account - an Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, or Live.com email address - the other members of the group will be able to see the current display name, and primary email address of your account. Learn how to change your Microsoft Account display name.
Invite people to join your group in Outlook.com
You can invite people to join your group. If it's a private group, the group owner will receive a request from the invitee to join the group. You can also invite guests to join the group. They'll receive group conversations and calendar events in their inbox. However, guests can't be group owners, view the global address list, view all information on group member contact cards, or view membership of the group.
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In the folder pane, under Groups, select your group.
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In the group header, select Add members .
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Enter the email address of the person you would like to invite to the group.
Leave a Group in Outlook.com
If you've been added to a group, you can leave the group at any time.
Notes:
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If you are the last group owner and you leave the group, the other members will be notified and the group's data and content will be deleted in 30 days.
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If you want the group to continue after you leave you'll need to make somebody else (or better yet, two people) group owner before you leave the group. To learn how to make a member an owner, see Create a Microsoft 365 Group in Outlook.
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Select the group you want to leave.
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Select the group name to pull up the group card.
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Go to the Member tab.
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Select the X next to your account to remove yourself from the group. You can also remove any other members you have added to the group.
Follow a Group in Outlook.com
When you follow a group, all the email messages and meeting invitations are sent directly to your inbox. But they’re also stored in your group folder. So don’t worry about accidentally deleting something or creating a rule to move mail from your inbox to a private folder. Delete it from your inbox after reading it and know there’s still a copy safely stored in your searchable group folder; in fact, all the messages since the group began are stored in the group folder. Even if you weren’t a member at the beginning, you’ll get to see the full history once you join.
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From the navigation bar select
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On the Group Home tab, select a group name from the list.
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Use the drop-down list to choose your follow preference.
See also
The new Microsoft 365 Groups experience in Outlook
Add, edit, or remove Group members in Outlook
Adding guests to Microsoft 365 Groups
Join, leave, or follow Groups in Outlook
Send an email to a Group in Outlook
Schedule an event on a Group calendar in Outlook
Use shared files with your Microsoft 365 Group in Outlook
Edit or delete a Group in Outlook
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