Gmail doesn't have a built-in group email feature, but you can create the same result using contact groups and forwarding
Gmail itself has no "group email" button. What you're looking for is a way to send one message to multiple people at once, or to have mail sent to a group address automatically forward to several inboxes. Gmail handles this through contact groups (which let you address multiple people in one line) and email forwarding (which sends incoming mail to your group to several addresses). The method you choose depends on whether you want to send to the group, receive mail as the group, or both.
If you just need to email the same set of people regularly, contact groups are the fastest route. If you need a shared inbox that multiple people can monitor, you'll want to set up forwarding or use Gmail's shared label feature instead. This guide covers both.
Key Takeaways
- Contact groups in Gmail let you type one name and send to multiple people at once, but each person still receives the email individually.
- To create a contact group, open Contacts, click "Create label", name it, then add people to it by selecting them and assigning the label.
- Email forwarding lets you set up a Gmail address that automatically sends all incoming mail to multiple other addresses, creating a shared inbox effect.
- If multiple people need to read and reply from the same inbox, Google Groups or a shared Gmail account with forwarding is more practical than contact groups alone.
Creating a contact group for sending email to multiple people
A contact group is the simplest way to address several people at once. When you type the group name in the "To" field, Gmail expands it to all members and sends them individual copies of your message. Each person receives their own email — they don't see the others on the thread unless you put them on "Cc" or "Bcc" as well.
Open Gmail and click the Google Apps menu (the grid of nine dots in the top right corner). Select Contacts. On the left side, you'll see a section labeled "Labels". Click the plus sign next to it, or click "Create label". Type a name for your group — something like "Marketing Team" or "Project Leads" — and press Enter. The label is now created but empty.
Now add people to it. In Contacts, find the first person you want in the group and click their name to open their card. On the right side, you'll see a label icon or a section showing existing labels. Click to add the group label you just created. Repeat this for each person in the group. Once everyone is labeled, you can address them all at once by typing the group name in Gmail's "To" field.
Sending an email to your contact group
Open a new email in Gmail. In the "To" field, start typing the name of your group. Gmail will show it as an option — click it to add the entire group. The field will show the group name, but when you send, each member receives an individual email.
If you want people to see who else received the message, use "Cc" instead of "To" — but be aware this shows all addresses to everyone. If you want to hide the full list, use "Bcc", which hides all recipients from each other. For a true group conversation where replies go to everyone, you'll need Google Groups instead (covered below).
Setting up email forwarding for a shared group inbox
If you need a single email address that multiple people can monitor, you'll set up forwarding. This works by creating a Gmail address (or using an existing one) that automatically sends all incoming mail to several other addresses. People can then reply from their own inboxes, or you can set up a shared Gmail account that everyone accesses.
First, decide on your group email address. If you already have a Gmail account you want to use, open it and go to Settings (the gear icon, then "See all settings"). Click the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab. Under "Forwarding", click "Add a forwarding address". Type the first person's email address and click "Next". Gmail will send them a confirmation email — they must click the link to approve it. Repeat for each person who should receive forwarded mail.
Once all addresses are confirmed, select "Forward all incoming mail to [address]" and choose which address to forward to first. If you need mail to go to multiple people, you'll need to add each one separately and confirm each, or use a mailing list service like Google Groups.
Using Google Groups for a true shared inbox
If your group needs to have conversations where replies go to everyone, or where multiple people can monitor the same inbox, Gmail's contact groups and forwarding aren't enough. Google Groups is a separate tool that creates a shared email address and conversation thread.
Go to groups.google.com and click "Create group". Give it a name and email address (like marketing-team@googlegroups.com). Choose who can post (members only, or anyone), and whether the group is public or private. Add members by their email addresses. Once created, anyone can email the group address, and all members see the conversation in one thread.
Google Groups also stores all past messages in one searchable archive, which contact groups don't do. If your group needs to reference old decisions or track a conversation over time, this is the better choice.
Managing and editing your contact group
To add or remove people from a contact group, open Contacts and find the person's card. Click the label section and add or remove the group label. To rename a group, click the label name on the left side of Contacts, then click the three-dot menu and select "Rename label".
To delete a group entirely, right-click the label name and select "Delete label". This removes the label but does not delete the contacts themselves — they stay in your Contacts list. If you delete someone from Contacts, they're automatically removed from all their groups.
Troubleshooting common group email problems
If you type a group name in the "To" field and Gmail doesn't recognize it, the group may not have any members yet, or the label may not have been saved. Go back to Contacts, verify the label exists, and make sure at least one person has that label assigned. Sometimes Gmail takes a few minutes to index new labels.
If you set up forwarding and emails aren't arriving at the forwarded addresses, check that each recipient confirmed the forwarding approval email. Gmail requires explicit confirmation for security reasons — if they didn't click the link, forwarding won't work. You can resend the confirmation from the Forwarding settings page.
If you're using Google Groups and members aren't receiving emails, check the group's posting settings. If it's set to "Moderated", messages may be held for approval. If it's set to "Members only" but someone isn't listed as a member, they won't receive anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see who's in my contact group?
Yes. Open Contacts, click the group label on the left, and you'll see everyone with that label. You can also click a person's card and see all their labels listed.
What's the difference between a contact group and Google Groups?
A contact group is just a label for sending — it doesn't create a shared inbox or archive conversations. Google Groups creates an actual email address that multiple people can monitor, and stores all messages in one searchable thread. Use contact groups for sending to the same people repeatedly; use Google Groups if people need to see each other's replies.
Can I send to a contact group from my phone?
Yes, but it's easier on desktop. On the Gmail app, open a new email, tap "To", and type the group name. It should appear as an option. If it doesn't, make sure the group has members and try again.
If I forward my group email to multiple addresses, can people reply to the group?
Replies go to whoever sent the original message, not to all group members. If you need replies to reach everyone, use Google Groups instead, which handles group conversations automatically.
Can I create a contact group from an existing email conversation?
Not directly from the email. You'll need to go to Contacts and create the label manually, then add each person. However, if you have multiple emails from the same people, you can select them all and add a label at once using the checkbox and label icon.