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Manage Your Distribution Lists and Security Groups

KAUST has three kinds of groups, and each one is managed in a different place. This guide helps you work out which kind you have, then shows you how to add and remove people, and what to ask IT to change for you.

About this guide

Microsoft updates Microsoft 365 regularly. Features, settings, names, and screen layouts can change without notice, and many of these changes are outside the control of KAUST IT. KAUST IT may also limit, change, or turn off features to meet KAUST requirements and Saudi data privacy regulations. We update this guide as changes are identified. If your screen does not match these steps, the linked Microsoft articles reflect Microsoft's latest instructions. For help, contact IT.

Which kind of group do you have?

 

Distribution list

What it is for
Sending one email to a group of people, using a single address such as team@kaust.edu.sa

What comes with it
An email address and a list of members

Where you manage it
Microsoft's group portal

 

Security group

What it is for
Giving a group of people access to shared resources, such as shared folders or applications

What comes with it
Access permissions. Some security groups can also receive email

Where you manage it
mygroups (mygroups.kaust.edu.sa)

 

Microsoft 365 Group

What it is for
Working together: email, a shared calendar, files, and often a Team

What comes with it
A shared inbox, calendar, and SharePoint document library. A Microsoft Team and a Planner plan can be added

Where you manage it
Outlook on the web, under Groups

How this fits with your other Microsoft 365 apps

  • A distribution list is only an email address. It does not appear in Microsoft Teams, Planner, or SharePoint.
  • A security group works behind the scenes. You usually notice it only when it grants or removes someone's access to something.
  • A Microsoft 365 Group is the connected one. When a Team is created in Microsoft Teams, a Microsoft 365 Group is created with it, along with a SharePoint site for files and a shared calendar. A Planner plan created for a Team belongs to the same group. Change who is in the group, and that change applies across all of them.

Not sure which one you have? Open Microsoft's group portal and look under Groups I own. If your group is listed there, it is a distribution list or a mail-enabled security group. If it appears in Outlook on the web under Groups, it is a Microsoft 365 Group.

To understand Microsoft 365 Groups in more detail, see Microsoft's guide: Learn about groups in Outlook.

Before you start

  • You must be an owner or co-owner. Only owners and co-owners can make changes. If you are only a member, speak to one of the group's owners.
  • Owners and members are different. Owners manage the group. Members receive its emails. If you are an owner and also want to receive the emails, make sure you are listed as a member too.
  • Keep at least two owners. If the only owner leaves KAUST or changes roles, nobody can manage the group until IT assigns a new owner.
  • mygroups only works on the KAUST network. Connect to the KAUST campus network (Uni-Fi or iCampus) or to the KAUST VPN first. mygroups does not work from the residential network. Microsoft's group portal and Outlook on the web work from anywhere.
  • Have the person's username ready for mygroups. mygroups adds people by their KAUST username, not their name or email address. You can look up someone's username in KAUST People Search, where it appears as their User ID.

This guide uses the same wording you see on screen, so some buttons say "user" where this guide says "member" or "person."

Manage a distribution list

Open your lists

Open Microsoft's group portal in any of these ways:

  • From Outlook on the web: select Settings (the gear icon) > General > Distribution groups, then select this portal.
  • From mygroups: select Distribution Groups at the top of the page.
  • Directly: open Microsoft's group portal.

Then select the Groups I own tab and select your list. A panel opens with three tabs: General, Members, and Settings.

If you see "Failed to update members"

Some KAUST groups are managed from KAUST's own systems, so Microsoft's portal can show them but cannot change them. If your group is a security group, make the change in mygroups instead. Otherwise, request the change through the IT Service Center.

Add or remove members

  1. Select the Members tab.
  2. Under Members, select View all and manage members.
  3. To add someone: select Add members, search by name or email address, select the circle next to their name, then select Add.
  4. To remove someone: select the circle next to their name, then select Delete.

Changes can take a few minutes to appear everywhere.

Add or remove owners

  1. Select the Members tab.
  2. Under Owners, select View all and manage owners.
  3. Add or remove owners the same way you add or remove members.

A list must always have at least one owner. Add the new owner before removing the old one.

Control who can send to your list

  1. Select the Settings tab.
  2. Under Delivery management, select Edit delivery management.
  3. Choose one:
    • Only allow messages from people inside my organization. Only people with a KAUST account can email the list. This is the default.
    • Allow messages from people inside and outside my organization. Anyone can email the list.
  4. Optional: add people under Specified senders. Only those people can then email the list.
  5. Select Save.

If your list uses specified senders, review them regularly and remove anyone who no longer needs to send.

Other settings you can change

These are also on the Settings tab. Most lists do not need them.

SettingWhat it does
Membership approvalControls who can join. Closed means only owners can add members, and requests to join are declined automatically. Open lets anyone join. Approval required lets people ask, and an owner approves.
Message approvalHolds messages sent to the list until a moderator you choose approves them. Useful for large announcement lists.
Mail tipShows a short note, up to 175 characters, to anyone about to email the list. For example: "This list reaches all 400 lab members."

Microsoft's guide: Distribution groups.

Manage a security group

You manage security groups in mygroups. Connect to the KAUST campus network or VPN first.

Changes affect what people can access

Security groups control access to shared folders, applications, and other resources. Removing someone removes their access right away. Adding someone gives them access to everything the group can reach.

Open your groups

  1. Go to mygroups and sign in with your KAUST username and password.
  2. Select Security Groups at the top of the page.
  3. Select Groups I own or Groups I co-own. The Groups I co-own tab checks your permissions first, which takes a moment.
  4. Next to your group, select Manage.

The group opens with two tabs: Members and Co-owners. Use the search box to find someone already in the group.

Add or remove members

  • To add someone: on the Members tab, select Add user, enter their KAUST username, and select Confirm add user.
  • To remove someone: open the menu next to their name, select Remove user, then select OK to confirm.

Add or remove co-owners

Co-owners can do everything an owner can, including managing other co-owners.

  • To make an existing member a co-owner: open the menu next to their name, select Upgrade to co-owner, then select OK to confirm.
  • To add someone new as a co-owner: select Add co-owner, enter their KAUST username, and confirm.
  • To remove a co-owner: on the Co-owners tab, open the menu next to their name, select Remove user, then select OK to confirm.

Once you confirm, the change takes effect right away.

Export the member list

Select Export to Excel to download the group's members. This is a quick way to review who is in the group and remove anyone who no longer needs to be there.

Manage a Microsoft 365 Group

A Microsoft 365 Group is the group behind a Microsoft Team, its SharePoint files, and its shared calendar. Changing who is in the group changes who has access to all of them.

Open your groups

  1. Open Outlook on the web and select Groups at the bottom of the left-hand bar.
  2. Select your group.
  3. Select Edit group.

Add or remove members

  1. In Edit group, select the Members tab.
  2. To add someone:
    1. Select Add members.
    2. Enter their name or email address and select them.
    3. Choose Member or Owner beside their name.
    4. Select Add.
  3. To remove someone, select the X beside their name, then select Yes to confirm.

Changes are saved and appear within about five minutes.

Change group settings

The About tab in Edit group lets owners change the group's description, privacy (public or private), whether people outside KAUST can email the group, and whether members receive group conversations in their inboxes.

Do not use Delete group

Deleting a Microsoft 365 Group also deletes its shared inbox, calendar, files, and any connected Team or Planner plan, for everyone. If a group is no longer needed, contact IT.

Setting up a shared calendar for a team? See Manage Shared Team Calendars and Schedules with Microsoft 365.

Join or leave a group

Most KAUST groups are closed, which means you cannot add yourself. Speak to one of the group's owners first. If they agree, they can add you or request that you are added.

To leave a distribution list or security group, ask an owner to remove you. To leave a Microsoft 365 Group, open it in Outlook on the web, select More options (the three dots), and select Leave Group.

Changes to request through IT

ChangeHow to request it
A new distribution listUse the Distribution List Service form. Every new list needs an owner and a co-owner. Available to faculty, staff, and researchers.
A new security groupRequest it through the IT Service Center.
A change you cannot make yourself, for example on a group managed from KAUST's own systemsUse the request links in Get help. Include the group's name and email address, what you want changed, and each person's name and username.
Renaming a group, changing its email address, hiding it from the address book, or deleting itRequest it through the IT Service Center. These changes affect everyone who uses the group. For example, changing an email address stops mail sent to the old address from arriving.

Troubleshooting

My group does not appear under Groups I own

You are probably not an owner. Ask one of the group's current owners to add you. If you should be an owner but are not listed, report it through the IT Service Center.

A group has no owner left

Nobody can manage a group without an owner. Report it through the IT Service Center and ask for a new owner to be assigned.

I cannot open mygroups

mygroups only works on the KAUST campus network (Uni-Fi or iCampus) or over the KAUST VPN. It does not work from the residential network.

mygroups does not accept the person I am adding

Check that you entered their KAUST username, not their name or email address. You can find it in KAUST People Search.

My change has not appeared yet

Changes can take a few minutes to apply everywhere. Wait five minutes, then select Refresh.

Get help

Distribution lists

Security groups and Microsoft 365 Groups

For anything else, contact IT.