Microsoft 365 - Make a Group Hidden or Unhidden within Global Address List (GAL) or make Members Hidden from non-members

By default, when a Microsoft Group is created, the Group and its members are visible within Global Address List (GAL). This means that anyone (members and non-members) within UW-Madison's implementation of Office 365 will be able to search for and see the members of any Group.

Important:

  • The UW-Madison Office 365 team can only guarantee that a hidden group or hidden member list will be hidden within Outlook on the web and latest versions of Outlook desktop clients
  • If a Group is hidden in the GAL, the members of the Group will not be visible.
  • You must be the Group owner to make these changes/requests.

What does it mean when a Group is hidden in the GAL?

All group functionality will continue to work, but the group not be visible in any searches. For users that are members of the Office 365 Group, the group will still appear in the navigation pane in Outlook clients. All other parameters of the group can still be managed by the group owner(s).

  •  Manage Group visibility in the GAL
      1. Manage the group.
      2. Select "Status".
      3. Select the desired option to either Hide or make the group visible.

What does it mean when the members of the Group are hidden?

When a non-member of the group views the details of the group, the members of the group will not be available. Important: This parameter can only be set during the creation of the Group by Office 365 administrators. There is no need to perform this action if the Group is hidden in the GAL.

  •  Hide Group members

    • Important: this setting can only be set at creation of the Group - it cannot be modified after the Group has been created.

      • Email Office 365 Document and Support Team the following Group information:

        - Owner's email address - Owner's NetID - Name of Group - Email address (some-name@office365.wisc.edu) of Group
        - Description of Group
        - Privacy (public or private) of Group
        - Send all Group conversations and events to member's inboxes (yes or no)

      Important: You will receive a confirmation email after the group has been created.

      If the link above does not open a new mail message on your computer/device, please send an email manually with the following details:
      • To: wiscit@doit.wisc.edu
      • Subject: Office 365 request - hide group members (76510)
      • Body: provide the information listed above

See Also


Keywords:
microsoft office365 o365 m365 microsoft 365 lists distribution contacts collaboration group members calendar email conversation subscribe outlook create outlook web guest access external public private hide hidden unhide global address list gal non-members request invisible visible show 
Doc ID:
76510
Owned by:
O365 S. in Microsoft 365
Created:
2017-09-13
Updated:
2023-02-02
Sites:
DoIT Help Desk, Microsoft 365