How to Share Calendar in Outlook

Digital calendars are a big part of our everyday lives. They help us keep some peace and sanity in our lives and get to all the places we need to go. Most likely, people who use Outlook for email also use Calendar to keep track of their schedules. But did you know that your Outlook calendar can also be shared? Sharing your calendar with coworkers means you don't have to tell them each and every detail of your schedule by hand when you're busy. They just need to look for themselves.  

Outlook makes it easy to share your calendar with others, whether it's a coworker who needs to be able to keep track of you or an assistant who doesn't just need to see your calendar but also makes changes to it. And with different permission levels, you can control how much access each person has. Here's how to share a calendar in Outlook!

How to Share Calendar in Outlook

Share Calendar in Outlook Desktop App

1. Open the Outlook app.

2. In the navigation panel on the left, click "Calendar" to switch from Mail to Calendar.

3. Select "Share Calendar" in the Home menu bar.

4. Then, if you have more than one calendar, choose the one you want to share from the drop-down menu. Or, if you only have one choice, click the one that shows.

5. The Calendar Properties box will pop up. Go to the tab called "Permissions."

6. To add people who can see your calendar, click the "Add" button.

7. Select each user you want to add one at a time, then click the "Add" button in the bottom left corner after each selection.

8. Click "OK."

Note: The people you added will show up in the "Currently Sharing" box with the permission level that is set by default. To change the type of access, click on their name and then choose the type of access you want from the list below. There are five different levels of permission: "Can view when I'm busy," "Can view titles and locations," "Can view all details," "Can edit," and "Delegate." Pick the right level of permission for each user. Then, click "OK" to save your changes.

Share Calendar in Outlook Mobile App

You can also share your Outlook calendar using the Outlook mobile app on your iPhone or Android device. From Microsoft's support blog, here are the steps:

1. On your phone, open the Outlook app.

2. Touch the calendar menu in the top left corner.

3. Tap on the gear icon.

4. Tap "Add People," then choose the people you want to add.

5. Change who can see the calendar by tapping on the person you want to share it with.

6. Tap the check mark.

You can change permissions or who you share your calendar at any time. Also, if someone has shared their calendar with you, you can stop seeing it by unchecking the box next to their name under People's Calendars. You can also click the three-dot settings button next to the name of a person whose calendar you have access to and change the colors, the name of the calendar, where you'll see it, or get rid of it completely.

Share Calendar from Outlook Web

1. Go to outlook.com and log into your account.

2. Click the "Calendar" button at the very bottom of the left navigation bar to switch from Mail to Calendar.

3. Click the "Share" button in the top right corner of the screen. Since Outlook web can't access more than one account at once, you don't have to choose which calendar to share as you do in the Outlook desktop app.

4. A box called "Sharing and Permissions" will pop up. Enter the person's name or email address that you want to share the calendar with. Choose their name from the menu that drops down.

5. Next to their name, the default permission setting will show up. Choose their permission level from the drop-down menu to change it.

6. The last step is to click the "Share" button.

Open a Shared Calendar

1. You'll get an email invite when someone shares a calendar with you. Click "Accept" in the email to add the event to your calendars. 

2. Go to Calendar. Scroll down in the left-hand menu then select "Shared Calendars." 

3. The calendars you can see right now will show up. Click on the one you'd like to see.

4. It will open in a tab that isn't your calendar. You can put both calendars on top of each other if you want to compare times. Click the button that says "View in Overlay mode."

The calendar will go on top of the one you already have.

It is easy to share calendars and see calendars that other people have shared with you in Outlook. With this feature, you can make sure that there will never be a problem with availability again.