How to Address Multiple People in an Email

Greet two or three people by name and use a group word for more

If you're writing to two or three people, the greeting can address each of them by name. Once the list grows beyond three, use a group word such as "Team" so the opening doesn't become a long list of recipients.

Join those two or three names with "and" instead of an ampersand. For example, a two-person greeting is "Hi Maya and Leo,". If a third person is on the email, separate the names with commas and put "and" before the last one, as in "Hi Maya, Leo, and Priya,".

In a formal message, you may need to add titles to those names. If you're writing to two doctors and want extra formality, use the plural "Drs.", as in "Dear Drs. Rivera and Brooks". If the message isn't especially formal, put "Dr." before each name instead, as in "Dear Dr. Rivera and Dr. Brooks".

Titles when you don't know someone's gender

When a formal greeting calls for courtesy titles, you shouldn't guess whether to use "Mr." or "Ms." from a first name. You can't tell someone's gender from their first name, even if you associate the name with men or women.

If you're unsure, leave out the courtesy title and use the person's first name or initials with their last name. For example, you can greet two people with "Dear Alex Chen and Sam Patel" without guessing a title for either one.

Which group greeting to use

Choose a greeting that fits how you speak to the group and how formal the message needs to be:

• "Hey everyone," suits a group you'd talk to casually, since "hey" is an informal greeting.
• "Hi all" and "Hi everyone" both work for everyday work email.
• "Hello team," fits a serious or formal message when you're on a first-name basis with the people receiving it.
• "Dear Colleagues" suits formal correspondence to a group. If you're writing to a committee, you can address it by its collective name, as in "Dear Members of the Selection Committee".

If your group includes people of different genders, replace "you guys" with "everyone" or "folks". You might also hear "y'all", but it's chiefly Southern US English and can sound regional to readers elsewhere. If your recipients are spread across regions, "everyone" or "folks" avoids that regional tone.

If you don't know the individual who'll read a shared team address, address the role you do know. For example, "Dear Customer Service Manager" gives you an opening when you know the role but don't have the person's name.

When a manager or a colleague you barely know is on the email

If a manager or someone you barely know is on the email, check how your coworkers greet similar groups in their emails and follow their example. That's because, in the two workplaces studied, workplace habits shaped greetings more than seniority or how well people knew each other. Don't make the greeting more formal just because someone is senior.

People in those workplaces were also more likely to greet senior colleagues and colleagues they knew less well, and they often used their names. If your workplace does the same, include that person's name before addressing the rest of the group. For example, "Hi Morgan and everyone," greets Morgan along with the other recipients.

When one person has to act, ask them directly

If your email goes to several people but you need an answer from one of them, address the request to that person by name. Put it in the first lines of the email so the person sees the request before the rest of the message.

Your request can get more replies, and longer, more helpful ones, when you address it to one person by name instead of several people together. People were also less likely to help when they believed many others had received the same request.

Commas and capitals in a group greeting

You can write either "Hi all," or "Hi, all," in email. The Chicago Manual of Style puts a comma between "Hi" and the person you're addressing, as in "Hi, Fred", which is where "Hi, all," comes from. Everyday work email commonly uses "Hi all," with no comma after "Hi".

The greeting you've chosen determines the capitalization. In "Hi all," and "Hi everyone,", the words "all" and "everyone" stay lowercase. If you're writing a formal greeting beginning with "Dear", capitalize a group noun such as "Colleagues", as in "Dear Colleagues".

When you can skip the greeting

You don't need to start every reply to a group with another greeting. Greet the group in your first reply, then continue the conversation without repeating the opening each time you respond.

If you're sending a large internal notice, you may be able to leave the greeting out from the start. An impersonal announcement isn't addressed to anyone in particular, so the first line can give the news the whole list needs. For example, an office-closure notice could open with "The office will be closed on Monday."

Give each person their own greeting with mail merge

If you're sending the same message to many people who don't need to reply to one another, mail merge can give each person their own greeting. It sends individually addressed copies, so you can use each person's name without writing a separate email yourself.