How to share a calendar in Outlook? Microsoft Outlook has a handy feature that allows you to share your calendar with any person. Shared calendars can be handy when working collaboratively with others, as everyone listed can track your schedule, keeping all tasks organized.
When making a shared calendar in Outlook, you can also select how much access another user gets. You can give them full access level to your calendar folder or only basic information.
In this article, we will show you how to share a calendar in Outlook, so read on to master this aspect of Outlook.
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In Short: How To Share a Calendar in Outlook
Follow these five simple steps to learn how to share a calendar in Outlook:
- Click the calendar icon in Microsoft Outlook
- Navigate to the “Home” tab > “Share”
- Select how you’d like to share the calendar
- Select the details you want to share
- Follow the prompts to share via your chosen method
Why Share Your Outlook Calendar?
Here are a few reasons you may want to share your Outlook calendar:
- You need to let business partners know your schedule to plan a meeting
- You need to use a shared calendar to tell your friends and family when you’re available
- You need to invite others to events via your shared calendar
- You need to indicate to others when your holidays are to accompany an out-of-office reply
How To Share a Calendar in Outlook
There are multiple versions of Outlook on different platforms. The Outlook share calendar feature is available in the three methods below, including:
- The Outlook application in the Microsoft Office Suite
- The web client
- The mobile application of Microsoft Outlook
How To Share a Calendar in Outlook Using the Desktop Application
There are multiple versions of Office on Windows, which means that all versions have slight differences when compared. Although the interface might have subtle differences depending on which version you’re using, the steps you need to follow are similar.
For the example below, we are using Microsoft Outlook in Office 2019.
Here are the steps for creating a new shared calendar in Outlook using the desktop application:
Step 1: Open Outlook for desktop and sign in to your account. This will take you to the main page of Outlook, where you can see your e-mails.
- There, click on the “Calendar” icon in the bottom left, which will take you to the calendar page.
Step 2: After editing your calendar items (if you need to), click on “Home” at the top bar and find the “Share section” in the submenu.
- Here, you will choose the method you will use to share your calendar.
Step 3: In the “Share” section, there are multiple methods you can use to share your calendar.
- For purposes of demonstration, click “E-mail Calendar.” Click on the option to set the calendar details before sending.
Step 4: Clicking the option opens a window that allows you to specify the calendar information you wish to include.
- From here, click on “Date Range”
- If you select “Specific dates” from the drop-down menu, make sure to fill out the date range boxes provided
Step 5: You can click the “Detail” tab to control how much detail you want to share with another user. The options you can choose from are:
- Availability only (this is the default permission level)
- Limited access to the details
- All the details of your calendar
Choose your desired level and click the “OK” button to confirm your changes. You will see your calendar attached in the compose e-mail window.
Step 6: Write the recipient’s e-mail address in the “To…” textbox and click “Send” to send the e-mail.
Note: If you have the 2016 version of Microsoft Outlook, right-click the calendar that you want to share, choose “Share,” and click “Share Calendar.” Fill in the necessary details in the “Sharing Invitations” window. Click “Send.” To confirm the sharing process, click “Yes.”
How To Share a Calendar in Outlook Using the Web Version
Here’s how to give calendar permissions using Outlook on the web:
Step 1: First, open Outlook Web and sign in to your account.
- This will open the Outlook web interface with the “Mail” tab in focus
- Click on the Calendar Icon in the sidebar on the left-hand side of the page
Step 2: Make your changes to the calendar. Then click “Share” in the top right part of the screen to open a smaller window.
Step 3: In this smaller window, you will be prompted to enter the recipient’s e-mail or contact name in the text box.
Step 4: Once you input the recipient’s e-mail, you can choose the user’s calendar sharing permissions in Outlook.
- You can allow the recipient to either view all calendar details or to view and edit them.
Step 5: Click on “Share,” and the name should be moved down in the list to represent that the calendar is being shared with that e-mail address.
- You can add multiple people to this list with varying Outlook calendar sharing permissions as to whether they can edit it or not.
Note: Once a recipient is on the list, you can change their permissions or delete their name from the list by clicking on the “Trash” icon. This will remove their calendar access in Outlook.
Related Reading: How To Sync Outlook Calendar with iPhone
How To Share a Calendar in Outlook With Others Using the Mobile Application
Although sharing your calendar in Outlook for mobile is possible, the functionality is relatively limited. So, how do you share a calendar in Outlook mobile? You can’t, but here is how to create a sharing invitation by making individual events and meeting requests:
Step 1: In the Outlook mobile application, click on “Calendar” at the bottom right to open the calendar.
- On the calendar screen, click on the blue Plus (+) icon that will allow you to create a new event.
Step 2: Enter the relevant information (e.g., the calendar and time period for the event) and enter the recipient’s e-mail in the “People” textbox.
- Once you’re done, click on the “Tick” sign on the top-right corner of the screen.
Now that I’ve shown you how to share my Microsoft Outlook calendar, you should be able to do it on your devices, too.
Related Reading: How To Share a Google Calendar (Step-by-Step)
How To Share Someone Else’s Outlook Calendar
When someone emails you their Outlook calendar, you typically receive an ICS file that you can load using a calendar app. Regardless of its contents (maybe it only contains availability dates), you can freely share the user’s Outlook calendar file with anyone by sending an email or using any of the methods we have discussed above.
Meanwhile, only the original owner can adjust the sharing permissions for an online Outlook calendar.
How To Share a Calendar In Outlook – Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Give Someone Access to My Calendar in Outlook?
- Go to outlook.live.com and sign in to your Outlook account
- After the Outlook web page opens, click on the “Calendar” icon on the left side
- Make any changes to the calendar you want
- Click on the “Share” button at the top right of the screen
- Add the contact name in the text box of the smaller window and click on “Share”
Why Can’t I Share My Outlook Calendar?
A duplicate entry in the Outlook calendar “Permissions” list for the user’s calendar might be why you can’t share your calendar.
To edit and remove duplicates:
- Right-click the user’s calendar and choose “Properties” to check for duplicate entries in Outlook
- In the “Calendar Properties” dialog box, select the “Permissions” tab from the drop-down menu and look for any duplicate entries
- Under the “Permissions” tab, delete if you see any duplicate entries and close the “Calendar Properties” dialog box
- Restart your Outlook client
How Do I Create a Shared Outlook Calendar for Multiple Users?
Head to the calendar section in your Outlook web client and click on the “Share” button. You can add as many users as you wish to share the calendar within the text box. You can also edit their current permission level as individuals.
How Do I Share My Calendar in Outlook 365?
To share your calendar in Office 365:
- Go to your calendar first, and from the “Home” tab, click “Share Calendar”
- A compose e-mail screen should open with the calendar file already attached. Simply type in the name of the recipient and send the e-mail. You can also make sure you have a signature in your email.
Can You Share Outlook Calendar Outside an Organization?
Yes, you can share your calendar with external users as long as they can access a version of Outlook. If they can’t access it, you could consider making a Google Sheets Calendar instead.
Sharing a Calendar in Outlook With Others
Sharing your calendar with others can be a great way to let co-workers, friends, and family members know your schedule, allowing everyone to be on the same track. This makes it easier to schedule meetings or keep track of social plans.
We hope this article on how to share a calendar in Outlook helps you increase your productivity and make your work life much more organized. Don’t forget to check out our other articles. Alternatively, if you’re looking for an in-depth course to upskill your Microsoft Outlook skills, then take a look at this Outlook Masterclass. It covers everything from creating, categorizing, and organizing contacts to scheduling and tracking meetings.
We have plenty of articles to help you be more productive. But if you want to learn more about Outlook, in particular, check out these articles: