Topics Map > Features and Functionality

Microsoft 365 - Getting Started with Groups

Groups in Microsoft 365 let you choose a set of people that you wish to collaborate with and easily set up a collection of resources for those people to share. You don't have to worry about manually assigning permissions to all those resources because adding members to the group automatically gives them the permissions they need to the tools your group provides. Learn more.

When you subscribe to 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.

Important:

  • As of 6/10/2019, Groups created via Outlook on the web, Outlook desktop, Outlook mobile, SharePoint, Microsoft Stream, and Microsoft Teams are now created Private by Default. See "Public versus private groups" section below for feature comparison.

  • By default, when a Microsoft Group is created, the Group and its members are visible within Global Address List (GAL). This means that anyone within UW-Madison's implementation of Microsoft 365 will be able to search for and see the members of any Group. To manage this feature, see Microsoft 365 - Make a Group Hidden or Unhidden within Global Address List (GAL) or make Members Hidden from non-members.

  • All groups are assigned an email address which follows the format: name@office365.wisc.edu. By default, anyone with a UW-Madison Microsoft 365 account can send a message/email to the group - this can be managed within the settings of the group.

  • By default, when new Microsoft 365 Groups are created in Outlook, the default subscription option will be set to receive all group emails in the inbox. Group owners and members can change this setting at any time.

  • If you are a member of a Group (which is enabled for mail delivery to every member of the group) and send a message to the group, you will not receive this message into your mailbox. It will only be visible in your "Sent Items" folder. This is expected behavior. To manage this behavior, follow steps outlined in Receive a copy of email you send to a group section below.

  • When a new Team is created via Teams client and not associated with an existing Group (one which does not have a Team assigned to it), the process will create a Group for this team but the Group will be hidden to all Outlook clients. In addition, other Group features will not be created - Mail, Calendar, Groups, and Files. If the Team was not connected to a Group during the creation process, there is no data preservation needed from the Team, and you intend to use the other Group features, you should delete this Team and start the creation process by creating a Group via Groups app and then creating a Team and assigning it to the Group you just created. If you have data that needs to be preserved within the created Team, please contact the DoIT Help Desk.

General Information:

Public versus Private Groups:

Public

A public group is open to everyone. If you just want to see what the group is doing, all the content and conversations are easy to view. But if the group interests you, you can join it and become a member. In most cases, a public group is your preferred alternative.

Private

A private group is exclusive and only open to its members. The content and conversations are secure and not viewable by everyone. Choose a private group when you are concerned about security and privacy, such as trade secrets or confidential information. Although anyone can see the name of the private group, information is also security-trimmed so it is not accessible from search, links, or in other ways. Joining a private group requires approval from a group administrator.

Important:

    • By default, when a Microsoft Group is created, the Group and its members are visible within Global Address List (GAL). This means that anyone within UW-Madison's implementation of Microsoft 365 will be able to search for and see the members of any Group. To manage this feature, see Microsoft 365 - Make a Group Hidden or Visible within Global Address List (GAL) or make Members Hidden from non-members.

    • Before you can join a group, you need to find it. Fortunately, groups are open and discover-able by default. Both public and private groups have a group profile displayed in a card that includes the name, description, photo, alias, membership, and so on. If this group information is sensitive, you should look at other options instead of using a group.

    • Although you cannot participate in a private group that you are not a member of, by default, anyone with a UW-Madison Microsoft 365 account can send a message/email to a private/public Group.

    • You have the ability to change a public group into a private group, or a private group into a public group.

Browse the Directory for Existing Groups:

There are times when you would like to browse/search for an existing group - use the instructions below:

    1. Open Outlook on the web.

    2. In the navigation pane, under Groups, select Discover. (If you don't see Discover, click More at the bottom of your groups list. Once all of your groups are displayed you should see the Discover link.)

Join an Existing Group:

There are times when you would like to join an existing group or looking for more information on the purpose of the group. Follow steps to request to join a group. To find out the use of the group, contact the group owner - by searching for the group and viewing the group members. Important: If the group/members are hidden in the Global Address List, contact the help desk to make this request.

Follow or Unfollow a Group:

When you follow a group in Outlook, all group conversations and calendar events will be sent to both the group mailbox and your personal inbox. This is particularly helpful when you belong to multiple groups and want to stay on top of the conversations from one location.

Important: By default, if you are a member of the group and send a message to the group, you won't receive the messages in your inbox. If you want to receive the message into your inbox, please make sure to modify your Group settings.

Learn how to follow or unfollow a group.

 Advertise your Group:

As an owner of a group, you can advertise (email, flyers, word of mouth, etc.) the group by providing the url of the group. The format of the url should be in the form of:

https://outlook.office.com/owa/?path=/group/AddressOfGroup/mail

Address Of Group = email address of the group (somename@office365.wisc.edu)



Keywords:
microsoft office365 o365 m365 microsoft 365 lists distribution contacts collaboration members calendar email conversation subscribe outlook create outlook web guest access external outside sender limits restore follow following unfollow inbox manage settings preferences groups send as restrict who can senders on behalf of alias alternate change name email address restore deleted recover teams private public view manage edit welcome suppress submit spam phish phishing sending permissions add allowed sender send as behalf internal senders only folders rules tls expired expiration renew restore service account owner member quota
Doc ID:
52404
Owned by:
O365 S. in Microsoft 365
Created:
2015-06-12
Updated:
2025-03-21
Sites:
DoIT Help Desk, DoIT Staff, Microsoft 365