Once you have created a contact list, Windows Live Mail lets you edit it and its members after the fact. This tutorial shows you how to rename a list, how to add new contacts to it and remove existing ones from it, and how to delete that category: this only deletes the contact group, it doesn't affect the contacts themselves. One contact can belong to multiple lists, and removing a contact -or even deleting a list- won't affect contacts themselves.
Start by going to your contacts: hit Ctrl+3 or click on the 
address book icon (bottom left). You will see all contact categories you have created on the left: if you don't, it just means that the folder / side pane is collapsed - drag its border to the right to restore it, as shown on the screenshot.
To show all people in a group, click on its name; "All Contacts" is a built-in group that includes everyone, and cannot be renamed or deleted.
To change the category's name, right-click on it and choose "Edit Category", or select it on the left and click "Edit Category" in the ribbon (top). Type a new name over the current one, inside the "Enter a category name
" text field, and click Save - the change takes effect immediately.
While in the Edit Category dialog, add or remove contacts from a category by clicking on a person's name in the listing - this toggles their status. You can also click in the text box at the bottom and use the Backspace key to erase names from the group.
Note: removing contacts from a distribution list doesn't delete them from your address book - it only removes a reference to that person in the group.
You can also drag a contact from one category (like "All Contacts
") to another, and Windows Live Mail will add a reference to that contact in the new group, without removing it from the original. If you update a contact's information, the change is reflected in all groups.
Another way to delete a contact from a group: right-click on the person's name in the list, and choose "Remove Contact from Category" (not available from All Contacts).
FYI: deleting a contact group doesn't affect the contacts themselves: think of categories as groups of aliases, or shortcuts, only pointing to the real thing.
Right-click on the category name on the left, and pick "Delete Category" from the context menu. The somewhat confusing message Windows Live Mail shows you as final confirmation means that no-one in your address book will be deleted, and remain listed under "All Contacts".
Tip: you can also edit and delete categories from a message's recipient fields.
