Google Groups and Mailing Lists in Google Workspace
Google Groups serves multiple purposes: email distribution lists, collaborative inboxes, team discussion forums, and access control for apps and Drive.
### Creating a Group (Admin)
1. admin.google.com → Directory → Groups → Create group
2. Enter: Group name, Group email (e.g. marketing@company.com), Description
3. Set Group type:
- **Email list:** One-way announcements
- **Team email:** Collaborative inbox, multiple owners
4. Set who can post and join
5. Add members and owners
### Group Types Explained
| Type | Use Case |
|------|---------|
| Email list | Newsletters, announcements |
| Team email / Collaborative inbox | Support@, info@ — multiple people manage replies |
| Forum | Internal Q&A, discussions |
| Security group | Control access to Drive, apps, Calendar |
### Creating a Group as a User (if allowed)
groups.google.com → Create group → Fill in details → Invite members
### Collaborative Inbox
Ideal for support@ or helpdesk@ addresses:
- Multiple team members can see incoming emails
- Assign emails to specific team members
- Mark as resolved, duplicate, or no action needed
Enable: Group settings → Enable collaborative inbox features
### Adding Members
Admin console → Groups → select group → Members → Add members
Import bulk members from CSV: Members → More options → Bulk upload
### External Members
By default, groups are internal only.
To allow external emails: Group settings → Who can post → External → tick "Allow external members"
### Using Groups for Drive/Calendar Access
Share a Drive folder or Calendar with a group email instead of individual users — all group members get access automatically.
### Nested Groups
Add one group as a member of another group for hierarchical distribution (e.g. "All Managers" group included in "All Staff" group).