Technology Advice for Small Businesses

Sharing calendars with Microsoft 365 is easy

If you want to keep everyone updated on each other’s assignments or improve your team’s productivity, sharing your calendar on Microsoft 365 is a must. In this article, we’ll take a look at how you can sync your schedules on different versions of Outlook.

Outlook on the web

If you have Microsoft 365 or another email service based on Microsoft Exchange Online, follow these steps to share your calendar:

  1. Open the Calendar by clicking on the calendar icon at the bottom of the page.
  2. Once you’re in Calendar, go to the toolbar at the top of the page. Click on Share and choose which calendar you want to share. Keep in mind that you can only share calendars you own and not other people’s.
  3. Indicate whom you want to share your calendar with by entering their email address or name.
  4. Select which activities recipients are permitted to perform on your calendar. You can choose from the following:
    • Can view when I’m busy ⁠– if you want the calendar to show when you’re busy but hide certain details
    • Can view titles and locations ⁠– if you want the calendar to indicate when you’re busy, as well as key details like an event’s title or location
    • Can view all details ⁠– if you want the calendar to reveal all details about an event
    • Can edit ⁠– if you want recipients to be able to modify your calendar
    • Delegate ⁠– if you want recipients to be able to alter your calendar and share it with other users
  5. To proceed, click on Share. If you change your mind, click on the Trash icon to cancel sharing your calendar.

Alternatively, you can publish your calendar and share it with others using a URL. Here’s how you do it:

  1. In Calendar, go to Settings and click View all Outlook settings.
  2. Select Shared calendars.
  3. Go to Publish a calendar and choose which calendar you want to publish and how much information is revealed to recipients.
  4. Click Publish.
  5. You will be given the choice between using an HTML or an ICS link. The HTML link can be used to view your calendar using a browser like Firefox or Google Chrome. An ICS link allows recipients to import your calendar and view it on their own Outlook calendar.

Outlook.com

Like Outlook on the web, Outlook.com allows you to share your calendar directly or publish it. The steps for sharing are exactly like those used in Outlook on the web, too, except you only have two options for how recipients can use your calendar. These are “Can view all details” and “Can edit.

Publishing your calendar on Outlook.com requires you to::

  1. Click on the calendar icon to open the Calendar view.
  2. In Calendar, go to Settings and click View all Outlook settings.
  3. Go to Calendar and select Shared calendars.
  4. In “Publish a calendar,” select which calendar you’re publishing and how much information it contains.
  5. Click Publish and choose to use either an HTML or ICS link.

Outlook on iOS and Android

If you’re using a mobile version of Outlook, these are the steps for sharing your calendar:

  1. On your Outlook app, click the hamburger button at the top-left corner and select Calendar.
  2. Go to Share and tap on Add People to indicate your calendar’s recipients.
  3. Input each recipient’s name or email address. Once you’re done, tap on the Check button at the top-right corner of the page.
  4. You will see a list of recipients. Tap on a name to edit their permissions and how much information they’re allowed to see. As with Outlook on the web, available options are “Can View,” “Can Edit,” “Delegate,” “Only When I’m Busy,” “Only Titles and Locations,” and “All Details.”
  5. To remove a user from your recipients, tap on Remove at the bottom of the page.
  6. After you’ve set permissions, tap on the Check button at the top-right corner of the page.

The Outlook calendar is an excellent feature for managing your team’s events and workflows and can help boost your efficiency and productivity. If you have other questions and concerns about Microsoft 365, get in touch with us today.