In this guide · 7 sections
Short answer
Groups block outside senders by default. In Google Workspace, an admin must let group owners accept email from outside, then the group's Who can post must include anyone on the web. In Microsoft 365, tick Allow external senders on the group or distribution list.
Why outside emails to a group bounce or disappear
A group address like info@ is not a mailbox. It is a list that forwards each message to its members. Because spammers love group addresses, both vendors start them locked down: only people inside your organisation can post.
Google's Groups sharing settings help page lists "Incoming emails from outside the organization" as unchecked (not allowed) by default. Microsoft's distribution list documentation says the default is "Only allow messages from people inside my organization", and outside messages are rejected.
| Symptom | Most likely cause | Where to fix |
|---|---|---|
| Sender gets a bounce | Group only accepts internal senders | Group posting or delivery settings |
| No bounce, nobody sees it | Message held for moderation or marked as spam | Pending messages queue, spam handling |
| Only some members miss it | Member's delivery setting is set to no email or digest | Member's subscription settings |
| Microsoft 365 group: arrives in the group, not in inboxes | Copies to members' inboxes switched off (the default) | Group settings in the admin centre |
| Internal mail works, outside mail fails for every address | Domain or MX problem, not the group | See our guide on missing emails |
If every outside email to every address on your domain is missing, the group is not the problem. Work through our not receiving emails checklist first.
Fix it in Google Workspace (Google Groups)
Google needs two switches to be on: one for the whole organisation, set by an admin, and one on the group itself. If the admin switch is off, the group owner will not even see the outside option.
Open Groups for Business sharing settings
In the Google Admin console, go to Menu, then Apps, then Google Workspace, then Groups for Business, and click Sharing settings. You need the Groups for Business admin privilege.
Allow incoming email from outside
Tick Group owners can allow incoming email from outside the organization and save. This only makes the option available; it does not open any group by itself.
Open the group's settings
Go to groups.google.com, open the group, then Group settings. Admins can also change it from Directory, then Groups, in the Admin console.
Set Who can post to include outsiders
Under posting policies, set Who can post to an option that includes anyone on the web. Save.
Check message moderation
If Message moderation is set to moderate messages from non-members, every customer email waits for approval. Choose no moderation, or make sure someone checks the queue daily.
Check spam message handling
Choose whether suspected spam is rejected, moderated or posted. Rejecting all spam is the tightest option, and Google warns that some legitimate messages may be rejected.
These options are described on Google's group settings help page. Changing the admin-level setting does not change existing groups, so you still need step 4 for each group.
Fix it in Microsoft 365 (groups and distribution lists)
Microsoft has several group types that can receive email. The group comparison page explains them; for this problem you only need to know whether info@ is a distribution list or a Microsoft 365 group.
Distribution list
In the Exchange admin centre, go to Recipients, then Groups, then Distribution list. Open the list and change the sender option to Allow messages from people inside and outside my organization. If a "specified senders" list is filled in, only those senders get through, so clear it unless you really want that.
Microsoft 365 group
In the Microsoft 365 admin centre, go to Teams & groups, then Active teams & groups, open the group and go to the Settings tab. Tick Allow external senders to email this group. On the same tab, Microsoft's manage groups page shows the second common trap: by default, members do not get copies of group emails in their own inbox. Tick Send copies of group conversations and events to group members if your team works from Outlook's inbox.
Is a group the right tool for info@?
Groups are good for forwarding mail to several people. They are weak at showing who answered what. If customers write to info@ and three staff read it, nobody knows who replied, and replies come from personal addresses.
- Group: free, forwards to everyone, but no shared sent items and no "who replied" view.
- Shared mailbox: one inbox several people open, replies go out from info@, sent items are shared.
- Helpdesk tool: assigns each email as a ticket with an owner and status, for higher volumes.
Our shared mailbox vs group vs helpdesk guide compares them. If you only need a second address that lands in one person's inbox, an alias is simpler: see email alias vs new mailbox.
How to test a group after changing settings
Settings changes can take a few minutes to apply. Test from outside your organisation, because a test from your own work account proves nothing about outside senders.
Group delivery test
The bounce message itself is useful. Read it before changing anything: a rejection from the group usually says the sender is not allowed to post, while a rejection from your domain points to an MX or spam filter problem.
Do it yourself or get help?
If you have admin access, this is a ten-minute fix: change the posting setting, check moderation and spam handling, and run the test above. The common mistake is fixing the group but missing the Google admin-level switch, or opening a Microsoft 365 group but leaving inbox copies off.
If you don't have admin rights, nobody knows which system info@ lives in, or emails were lost for weeks, our Quick Fix (1 hour) (S$119) covers finding the group, fixing its settings and testing from outside. If the bigger issue is a messy email set-up, Business Email Setup (S$249) rebuilds addresses, groups and shared mailboxes properly.
Frequently asked questions
Google Workspace blocks outside senders to groups by default. An admin must first tick the sharing setting that lets group owners allow incoming email from outside the organisation. Then the group's own Who can post setting must include anyone on the web. Both are needed, and changing the admin setting does not open existing groups automatically.
In the Exchange admin centre, open Recipients, Groups, Distribution list, select the list and change the sender option to allow messages from people inside and outside your organisation. Also clear any specified senders list unless you want only those addresses to get through. Then test from a personal email account outside your organisation.
If info@ is a Microsoft 365 group rather than a distribution list, members do not get copies in their own inbox by default. The emails sit in the group's own mailbox. An admin can turn on the setting to send copies of group conversations and events to group members on the group's Settings tab in the Microsoft 365 admin centre.
If message moderation is on, or spam handling is set to moderate, messages wait in the group's pending queue until someone with moderation rights approves them. Nobody gets the email until then. Either turn moderation off for a customer-facing address or give a named person the job of checking the queue every working day.
A group is fine when you only need to copy messages to a few people. A shared mailbox is better when several staff answer customers, because replies go out from info@ and everyone sees the sent items. Busy teams that need assignment and status tracking should look at a helpdesk tool instead.