How to Export Office 365 Distribution Group Members to CSV?

  author
Rollins Duke   
Published: October 5th, 2023 • 6 Min Read

Looking for a solution to export distribution list members from Office 365, then continue read this write-up. Microsoft 365 provides multiple tools and features with its subscription plan. ‘Distribution Groups’ is also a useful feature available in Office 365 which is also known as ‘Distribution Lists’. This feature allows businesses to add multiple employees’ email addresses (members) in a group. Thereafter, professionals introduce all specific group employees with a single name.

Sometimes business administrators want to export distribution groups from Office 365 accounts due to communication and collaboration needs. But they don’t know which one is the best method to export Office 365 distribution group members list to CSV file. Now continue reading this article to get detailed information to export Office 365 distribution list members to CSV using PowerShell command and Exchange Admin Center.

The creation of Distribution Groups is beneficial to announce or share crucial updates to all group members at once without adding email addresses separately. The process of exporting distribution groups from Office 365 account becomes most essential when users want to migrate Office 365 tenant to tenant to maintain associated users.

Quick Steps to Export Members of Distribution List Office 365

  1. First, sign in to Office 365 and select Exchange.
  2. Then, choose Groups from Recipients category.
  3. Select Distribution list << Export option.
  4. Choose an option to export Group list members.
  5. Last, click Continue to export distribution list.

What is Distribution List in Office 365?

A Distribution List in Office 365 is a collection of email addresses that allows you to send messages to multiple recipients at once. This is also known as a distribution group; it simplifies the process of sending emails to a specific group of people by using a single email address. When an email is sent to the distribution list’s address, it is automatically forwarded to all group members.

Distribution lists are commonly used to efficiently communicate with teams, departments, project groups, or any set of individuals who frequently need to receive the same information. They eliminate the need to manually enter each recipient’s email address, making communication more convenient and reducing the risk of missing out on important recipients.

Methods to Export Distribution List Members from Office 365

Nowadays, there are two different techniques available to export all distribution list members from Office 365 with membership.

  1. Using Exchange Admin Center or
  2. Using PowerShell Script Commands

This informative blog post explains both techniques for exporting distribution groups from Office 365 to CSV format in detail. Let’s read these methods.

How to Export Distribution List Members from Office 365 Using EAC?

Exchange Admin Center is an excellent way to export all distribution groups from Office 365 with membership in 6 simple steps.

  1. Login to your Microsoft 365 and choose the Exchange option.
    exchange admin center
  2. Go to the Groups option available under the Recipients category.
    distribution list
  3. Select the Distribution list option and hit the Export button.
    export office 365 distribution group members list to csv file
  4. Choose Export groups in this list or Export all groups.
    export distribution list members from office 365
  5. A pop-up will appear to inform you about taking time, click Continue.
    export active groups figure
  6. Thereafter, distribution group members will be exported in a CSV file.

Recommended: Expert Choice to Export Office 365 Mailbox to CSV

How to Export Distribution List Members from Office 365 Using PowerShell?

Just follow the instructions to use the PowerShell command to export distribution list members to CSV Office 365 account.

Run this script command to connect Office 365 PowerShell module.
1. $365Logon = Get-Credential

2. $Session = New-PSSession -ConfigurationName Microsoft.Exchange -ConnectionUri
https://outlook.office365.com/powershell-liveid/ -Credential $365Logon
-Authentication Basic -AllowRedirection

3. Import-PSSession $Session
Use the cmdlet below to list all Office 365 groups.

Get-DistributionGroup -ResultSize Unlimited

Run this mentioned command to get a list of group members.

Get-DistributionGroupMember -Identity "" -ResultSize Unlimited

Export one Microsoft 365 distribution group members list to CSV file

1. $DGName = ""

2. Get-DistributionGroupMember -Identity $DGName -ResultSize Unlimited |
Select Name, PrimarySMTPAddress, RecipientType |

3. Export-CSV "C:\\Distribution-Group-Members.csv" -NoTypeInformation -Encoding UTF8

Export all distribution list members from Microsoft 365 with membership.

1. $Result=@()
2. $groups = Get-DistributionGroup -ResultSize Unlimited
3. $totalmbx = $groups. Count
4. $i = 1
5. $groups | ForEach-Object {
6. Write-Progress -activity "Processing $_.DisplayName" -status "$i out of $totalmbx completed"
7. $group = $_
8. Get-DistributionGroupMember -Identity $group.Name -ResultSize Unlimited | ForEach-Object {
9. $member = $_
10. $Result += New-Object PSObject -property @{
11. GroupName = $group.DisplayName
12. Member = $member. Name
13. EmailAddress = $member.PrimarySMTPAddress
14. RecipientType= $member.RecipientType
15. }}
16. $i++
17. }
18. $Result | Export-CSV "C:\\All-Distribution-Group-Members.csv" -NoTypeInformation -Encoding UTF8

What Next?

Office 365 Backup Software is a must-have utility for all Microsoft 365 users. This software is capable to download all office 365 emails locally in several standard formats. Thereafter, you can use downloaded emails with multiple email applications. This suggested software also permits to migrate Office 365 accounts to another account including all associated data.

Conclusion

Sometimes working professionals want to export distribution list members from Office 365 accounts to full fill business requirements. So, we have published this informative article which explained 2 best practices to export Office 365 distribution groups to CSV file using PowerShell command and Exchange Admin Center. These both methods seem useful, but we recommend using Exchange Admin Center (EAC) to export all distribution list members from Microsoft 365 with membership because this is the easiest way.

Frequently Asked Questions About Distribution Groups

Que 1: How to export distribution list members from Office 365 to Excel?

Ans: First use Exchange Admin Center to export distribution groups from Office 365 to CSV format. Thereafter, double-click on the exported CSV file to open it with your Excel spreadsheet.

Que 2: Where is the option to create a Distribution group in Office 365?

Ans: Follow these steps to find an option to add a group in Office 365.

  1. Login to Office 365 and select the Exchange option.
  2. Choose Groups >> Distribution List option under Recipients.
  3. Select Add a group option to continue.
  4. Choose Group type as Distribution and press Next.
  5. Enter group details like name, description, and email alias.
  6. Click the Add button to create a distribution list.

Que 3: Does the suggested software export distribution list members from Office 365?

Ans: No, the tool is suitable to export Office 365 mailboxes to PST, MSG, EML, MBOX and multiple standard file extensions. Use Exchange Admin Center for exporting distribution groups from Office 365 accounts.