Microsoft 365: Groups, Teams, and Distribution Lists — Which to Use

Microsoft 365 has several ways to group people together and they overlap in confusing ways. Here's a plain-English guide to which one to use when. Distribution List (DL) What it is: An email alias that forwards to multiple people. Example: [email protected] sends to everyone in the company. Use when: You need to send announcements or newsletters to a fixed group and don't need any collaboration features — just one-way or simple email communication. What it doesn't do: No shared files, no calendar, no Teams chat. Just email. Microsoft 365 Group What it is: A full collaboration hub that includes a shared inbox, shared calendar, shared SharePoint document library, and a Planner board — all in one. Use when: A team of people need to work together on an ongoing basis — sharing files, scheduling meetings, and communicating. A Microsoft 365 Group is automatically created in the background when you create a new Microsoft Teams team. What it does: Email to the group address goes to a shared inbox all members can see. Files go to SharePoint. Meetings go to a shared calendar. Microsoft Teams What it is: The interface you work in — chat, meetings, channels, and file sharing. Behind the scenes, Teams is built on Microsoft 365 Groups. Use when: Your team communicates frequently, has ongoing projects, holds video meetings, or needs a persistent place for organized conversations. What it does: Real-time chat by channel, video meetings, file sharing (stored in SharePoint automatically), and integrations with other apps. SharePoint Site What it is: A document management and intranet platform for storing and sharing files. Use when: You need a central repository for documents that teams access — policies, procedures, shared resources, client files. What it does: Stores files with version control, access permissions, and search. Every Teams team has an associated SharePoint site where its files live. Quick decision guide: "I want to email a group of people" → Distribution List "I want a team that works together on files and has meetings" → Microsoft Teams (creates a Group and SharePoint automatically) "I just need a shared place to store documents" → SharePoint site "I need a shared inbox that multiple people can access and reply from" → Shared Mailbox (not a Group — contact us to set one up)