The calendar is the same program wearing a different hat. Here you will create an appointment, invite people, and check whether they are actually free before you book them.
At the bottom-left (or far-left edge, depending on your version) of Outlook there are small icons for Mail, Calendar, People and Tasks. Clicking Calendar swaps the whole window over to your diary. Your mail is not gone; you have just turned to a different page.
- When it begins
- When you're free again
- Check everyone's free time first
Try it yourself
Click the Calendar icon, then click New Appointment.
You start with something private. Nobody is emailed, so there is no risk while you learn the form.
Fill in a Subject, a Location, and the start and end times.
Subject is what shows in the diary square. End time matters as much as start time — it is how other people see when you are free again.
Click Invite Attendees and add a colleague's address.
The moment you add attendees, the appointment becomes a meeting and Outlook will email an invitation when you send it.
Click Scheduling Assistant.
This shows a grid of everyone's busy time side by side, so you can move the block to a slot where nobody is double-booked.
Click Send (for a meeting) or Save & Close (for a private appointment).
The button changes depending on whether other people are involved. Send emails the invitation; Save & Close just writes it into your own diary.
Words people use
Check yourself
If you can say yes to each of these, you are ready for the next lesson.
- I can switch between Mail and Calendar
- I know the difference between an appointment and a meeting
- I can invite someone and check whether they are free
- I know to check the time zone when times look wrong