Outlook & Email
Scheduling and Managing Calendar Meetings
This guide shows you how to schedule a calendar meeting in Outlook, invite colleagues, check whether they are free, and manage responses.
Time needed
10 minutes
Platform
Microsoft 365
Guide steps
3 clear sections
Before you begin
You are signed in to Outlook on the web or the desktop app.
Follow along
Step-by-step guide
Create a meeting invitation
- Instruction 1: In Outlook on the web: go to the Calendar view and click New event.
- Instruction 2: In Outlook desktop: click New Meeting in the Home tab of the ribbon.
- Instruction 3: Enter a title for the meeting.
- Instruction 4: Set the date and start and end time.
- Instruction 5: In the Add people field (web) or the To field (desktop), type the names or email addresses of the people you want to invite. Select each person from the suggestions.
- Instruction 6: Add a Teams meeting link by clicking Add online meeting (web) or Teams Meeting (desktop) if you want a video call option.
- Instruction 7: Add the meeting location or room if meeting in person (see the 'Booking Meeting Rooms in Outlook' guide).
- Instruction 8: Add any agenda or notes in the description field.
- Instruction 9: Click Send.
Action map
Create a meeting invitation
- 01
In Outlook on the web: go to the Calendar view and click New event.
- 02
In Outlook desktop: click New Meeting in the Home tab of the ribbon.
- 03
Enter a title for the meeting.
Visual guide
Use this visual action map alongside the written instructions above.
Open Outlook help & learning for Scheduling and Managing Calendar MeetingsCheck attendee availability before sending
- Instruction 1: In Outlook on the web, after adding attendees, click View schedule (or the Scheduling Assistant link) to see a timeline showing when each person is free or busy.
- Instruction 2: In Outlook desktop, click the Scheduling Assistant tab in the new meeting window.
- Instruction 3: Look for a time slot where all required attendees show white (free). Grey or coloured bars indicate they are busy.
- Instruction 4: Click on a free slot in the timeline to set that as the meeting time, then return to the Appointment tab to review and send.
Respond to a meeting invitation
- Instruction 1: When you receive a meeting invitation by email, open it.
- Instruction 2: Click Accept, Tentative, or Decline at the top of the email.
- Instruction 3: You can add a message to the organiser when accepting or declining.
- Instruction 4: Accepting adds the meeting to your calendar automatically.
Quick fixes
Troubleshooting
I cannot see someone's availability in the scheduling assistant
The person may have restricted sharing of their calendar, or they may be in a different organisation. You can still send the invitation — they will receive it and can accept or decline.
An attendee says they never received the invitation
Check that you typed their email address correctly and that the meeting was sent (check your Sent Items folder). Ask the attendee to check their junk folder. If the issue persists, forward the meeting invitation directly from your Sent Items.
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