- Choosing what people see on your shared Outlook calendar
- Who should see your shared Outlook calendar
- Sharing your calendar from classic Outlook on a computer
- Sharing an Outlook calendar on the web
- What the other person does with your Outlook calendar invitation
- Changing or stopping your shared Outlook calendar
- Publishing an Outlook calendar instead of sharing it
- When sharing a calendar in Outlook is greyed out or fails
- Frequently asked questions
To share a calendar in Outlook, open Calendar, choose Share, pick the calendar, add the person and choose a permission level such as Can view when I'm busy. They then accept the email invitation and find it under Shared Calendars.
A shared calendar saves a surprising number of emails. If you run a small team, work with a virtual assistant or just want a business partner to stop asking whether you're free on Thursday, letting them see your diary is the quickest fix.
What trips people up is the level of detail. You can show someone only that you're busy, or you can show them the lot, and choosing wrongly either leaks client names or leaves your assistant guessing. I'll go through both, using Microsoft's help pages.
Choosing what people see on your shared Outlook calendar
Microsoft's Outlook on the web page names five permission levels. Decide which one fits before you invite anyone:
| Permission level | What the person gets |
|---|---|
| Can view when I'm busy | Only the times you're unavailable, with no event details |
| Can view titles and locations | Busy times, titles and locations |
| Can view all details | Every detail of each event |
| Can edit | They can change your calendar |
| Delegate | They can edit it and share it with others |
For most outside contacts, the first level is plenty. Save Can edit and Delegate for someone you'd trust with your inbox as well, such as an assistant. Microsoft also says items you mark private are protected, so most people see only the time.
Who should see your shared Outlook calendar
It helps to think in three groups. People who need to book time with you only need to know when you're free, so the lowest level works. People who plan around you, like a business partner, may need titles so they understand why a slot is taken. And the person who runs your diary, such as an assistant, may need to edit it.
- Clients and contacts: the lowest level, so they see your busy times and nothing else.
- Colleagues who plan around you: titles and locations.
- A trusted assistant: all details, or Can edit if they book on your behalf.
- Someone who manages your whole diary: Delegate, which Microsoft says also lets them share the calendar with others.
You can always start low and move someone up later, which is far easier than trying to take back details someone has already seen.
Sharing your calendar from classic Outlook on a computer
These steps come from Microsoft's page for the classic desktop versions of Outlook:
- Open Calendar and choose Share Calendar.
- Pick the calendar you want to share.
- Add the people you want to share with and confirm.
- Confirm again. They appear with a default permission level.
- Select each person and choose the access level you want them to have, then confirm.
Microsoft's classic page doesn't name the levels, so check the names against the list above when you see them. Menus vary a little between versions.
Sharing an Outlook calendar on the web
- Select the Calendar icon at the bottom of the page.
- On the toolbar, select Share and choose the calendar. Microsoft says you can only share calendars you own.
- Type the person's name or email address.
- Choose a permission level.
- Select Share.
In the older web layout, the box is called Send a sharing invitation in email, and Microsoft says Can edit and Delegate are only available for people in your organization.
What the other person does with your Outlook calendar invitation
Your invitation arrives as an email. According to Microsoft, they open it and select Accept, then find your calendar under Calendar, then Shared Calendars. If they'd rather see it next to their own diary, they can right-click your calendar's name and select Overlay.
This is worth telling them, because many people accept the invite and then wonder where it went. A quick note along the lines of 'look under Shared Calendars' saves a follow-up.
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Changing or stopping your shared Outlook calendar
In the current web layout, right-click the calendar under Calendars, select Sharing and permissions, then either change the person's level or select the Remove icon. In the older layout it's Sharing permissions, then Remove. It's worth a quick review whenever a contractor finishes, so ex-collaborators don't keep a view of your week.
Publishing an Outlook calendar instead of sharing it
Sharing is for named people. Publishing creates a link. Microsoft says you can publish from Settings, then Shared calendars, choose the calendar and level of detail, select Publish, and pick an HTML link, which opens in a browser, or an ICS link, which can be subscribed to in Outlook. Published HTML and ICS calendars are read-only.
Anyone who has the link may be able to open it, so I'd only publish a calendar that's meant to be seen widely, such as an events diary. Keep client meetings on a shared calendar with named people instead.
When sharing a calendar in Outlook is greyed out or fails
- Check your organization's settings. Microsoft says sharing may be unavailable or limited to your organization.
- Check the recipient's account. Microsoft says people outside Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com, such as Gmail users, can accept invitations only with a Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com account.
- Check you own the calendar. You can't share or change permissions on calendars owned by other people.
- Ask whoever looks after your IT to review the sharing policy.
If your diary is also a client-facing tool, my piece on the email system that tamed my inbox shows how I keep scheduling out of my inbox, and my guide to collecting client documents without email chains goes a step further.
Frequently asked questions
How do I share my calendar in Outlook?
In classic Outlook, open Calendar, choose Share Calendar, pick the calendar, add people and set each person's access level. On the web, select Share on the Calendar toolbar, choose the calendar, enter the person's name or email address, pick a level and select Share.
What can people see on a shared Outlook calendar?
That depends on the level you choose. Microsoft names Can view when I'm busy, Can view titles and locations, Can view all details, Can edit and Delegate. Private items show only the time to most people.
Can I share my Outlook calendar with a Gmail user?
Microsoft says people outside Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com can accept an invitation only with a Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com account. Publishing a read-only link is another route.
How do I stop sharing my Outlook calendar?
On the web, right-click the calendar, select Sharing and permissions, then change the person's level or select the Remove icon.
Why can't I share my Outlook calendar?
Microsoft says sharing may be unavailable or limited by your organization's settings, and you can only share calendars you own.
