How to Share Your Outlook Calendar (2024 Microsoft Guide)

July 18, 2024

Tired of the endless back-and-forth of scheduling? Sharing your Microsoft Outlook Calendar with your own personal calendar, friends, family, or even your coworkers is a simple solution to prevent overscheduling. Whether you're coordinating your time at work, planning social events, or keeping your family's busy lives organized, Outlook offers a range of flexible sharing options that can keep your calendars in sync.

You get to choose what that shared person can see from your calendar – just your busy times, or all event details. And you can share across all sorts of devices, from your laptop to your smartphone.

Outlook's calendar sharing flexibility means you can tailor it to various aspects of your life:

Personal to work calendar: Share your personal calendar with your work so you can see when you have a personal commitment (but unfortunately, your coworkers cannot see when you’re busy).
Work to work calendar: Sync your main work calendar with another work calendar to see all of your appointments in one place (great for contractors/consultants and merger/acquisition periods).
Work to colleagues calendar: Most organizations allow you to see your coworkers' calendars by default, but if you work closely with a colleague and want to share an additional calendar with them, you can to provide more insight into your availability.
Personal to family calendar: Keep your household in sync with shared calendars for school activities, appointments, vacations, and more.
Personal to friends calendar: Coordinate social events, outings, and get-togethers effortlessly.

In this guide, we'll break down the steps to sharing your Microsoft Outlook Calendar so you’re never double booked again. No more missed meetings or scheduling snafus – just smooth scheduling from here!

Jump to the good stuff:

Sharing your calendar in Outlook on the web
Sharing your calendar in the Outlook desktop app
Sharing your calendar in classic Outlook
Sharing your calendar in the Outlook mobile app
Publishing your Outlook Calendar publicly

How to share Outlook Calendar step-by-step

While Outlook Calendar has a decent basic product for sharing your personal calendar with your work calendar, unfortunately, this only allows YOU to see those calendar events. Since your coworkers can’t see when you’re booked with another calendar's commitment, you’re still open to getting double booked at work. But sign up for the Reclaim.ai Outlook beta waitlist to get free Outlook Calendar Sync that actually blocks time across your calendar so you’ll never be unintentionally overscheduled again. The beta is opening up in the next week or two.

Sharing your calendar in Outlook on the web

Prefer to manage your schedule through your online browser? Outlook on the web makes sharing your calendar just as easy as the desktop app. Here's how it works:

Log in to Outlook: Head to Outlook.com and sign in to your Outlook account.
Go to calendar: Click on the calendar icon on the left-hand side of the screen.

Select your calendar: Choose the calendar you want to share.
Click "Share": Find and click the "Share" button, usually located in the top-right corner of the calendar window.

Enter the email addresses: Type in the email addresses of the people you want to share with. You can add multiple people here if you'd like.
Choose sharing permissions level: Similar to the desktop app, select the calendar permissions you want to grant:
- "Can view all details"
- "Can edit"

Share: Click "Share" to send the invitations or copy the link to share it wherever you want.

Sharing your calendar in the Outlook desktop app

Sharing your calendar right from your Microsoft Outlook app is also breeze! Just follow these simple steps:

Open Outlook: Fire up the Outlook app on your desktop.
Head to the calendar: Click on the calendar icon in the navigation panel to switch to calendar view.
Pick your calendar (optional): If you've got multiple calendars set up, choose the one you want to share.
Click "Share calendar": Look for the "Share calendar" button in the ribbon at the top of the window (or right-click on the calendar and select "sharing and permissions" from the menu).
Enter email address: Type in the email address of the person you want to share with. You can add multiple people here if you'd like.
Choose permission level: Here's where you decide how much access you want to give:
- Can view when I'm busy: This only shows when you're free or busy, no details.
- Can view titles and locations: This shows event titles and locations, but not descriptions or other details.
- Can view all details: This gives full access to your calendar, including descriptions, notes, and attachments.
Hit send: Click "Send," and Outlook will send an email invitation to the people you've chosen. They'll be able to view your calendar based on the permission level you set.

Sharing your calendar in classic Outlook

While the new Microsoft Outlook desktop interface offers a streamlined sharing experience, you can still easily share your calendar using the classic desktop version. Here's how:

Navigate to your calendar: Open Outlook and click on the "Calendar" icon in the navigation pane.
Choose your calendar: From the drop-down menu in the Home tab, select the calendar you want to share.
Share calendar: Click "Share Calendar" in the Home tab.
Calendar properties: The "Calendar Properties" dialog box will appear.

Add recipients: Click the "Add" button to search your address book or type in the email addresses of the people you want to share your calendar with. Click "OK" when you're finished.
Set permissions: Back in the Calendar Properties window, select each recipient's name and choose their level from the permissions tab.
Save changes: Click "OK" to save the permissions and close the Calendar Properties window.
Invitation sent: The people you've shared your calendar with will receive an email invitation. Once they accept, they'll see your shared calendar in their Outlook Calendar list.

Sharing your calendar in the Outlook mobile app

Got Outlook on your phone? Perfect! Sharing your calendar on the go is just as simple, whether you're on iOS or Android:

Open the Outlook app: Tap the Outlook app icon on your phone's home screen.
Go to the calendar menu: Tap the calendar menu at the top-left corner of the screen to open a list of your calendars.
Click the settings button: Look for the settings gear icon next to the calendar you wish to share, and tap it.
Add people: Here, you'll typically have the option to "Add People." Tap it to enter the email addresses of those you want to share with.
Choose permission level: Select how much access you want to give:
- Can view
- Can edit
- Delegate
Share: Tap the ✔️ in the right-hand corner of the screen to send the invitations and share your calendar.

Publishing your Outlook Calendar publicly

Want to share your schedule with people who don't use Outlook or prefer different calendar platforms like Google Calendar or Apple Calendar? Publishing your Outlook Calendar is the solution! It creates a link anyone can access or an ICS file that can be imported, regardless of their email or calendar provider. Here's how to do it in Outlook on the web:

Go to calendar settings: From the "View" tab in the top ribbon, click "Calendar settings."
Navigate to shared calendars: Click on "Calendar," then select "Shared calendars."

Publish a calendar: Under the "Publish a calendar" section, choose the calendar you want to publish and select the level of detail you want to share:
- Can view when I'm busy: (shows only free/busy time)
- Can view all details: (full access to your calendar information)
Click publish: Outlook will generate two types of links:
- HTML: This link opens your calendar in a web browser for easy viewing.
- ICS: This link allows people to subscribe to your calendar and view it in their own calendar app (like Outlook, Google Calendar, or Apple Calendar).
Share the link: Copy the link you want to share and send it to whoever you want to view your calendar. You can paste it into an email, share it on social media, or embed it on a website.

A note on the privacy of published Outlook Calendars

When you publish your calendar, be mindful of the fact that your calendar will be less private than if you shared your Outlook Calendar as you normally would. It is possible to share your Outlook Calendar with a Google Calendar or Apple Calendar using the methods we outlined above – however, they would still require an Outlook account associated with the Gmail or iCloud email address to view (and edit, depending on permissions) the shared calendar.

But, if you wanted to share your Outlook Calendar with a Google Calendar or Apple Calendar that has no association with an Outlook Calendar, you would need to publish your Outlook Calendar, create the ICS link, and have the non-Outlook user import that ICS into their particular calendar platform. Doing so will allow them to view your shared Outlook Calendar events within their own calendar platform, and so long as they remain subscribed to that imported ICS file, see updates made to your Outlook Calendar.

But the issue is publishing your Outlook Calendar publicly does not provide you with the same permission controls that are otherwise available if you were sharing with another Outlook Calendar. In other words, publishing your Outlook Calendar and providing an ICS file to import will make your calendar completely public – users won’t be able to edit your calendar events, but all your event details will be visible.

Additional tips & considerations

Ready to level up your calendar game? Beyond the basics of sharing, here are some pro tips to maximize collaboration and keep your schedule running like a well-oiled machine:

1. Sharing across different Outlook versions

Don't worry about compatibility: Whether your recipient is using Outlook on their desktop, web browser, or mobile app, they'll still be able to view your shared calendar without a hitch.
ICS Files: If someone isn't using Outlook, you can send them an ICS file of your calendar, which most calendar apps can open.

2. Sharing outside your organization

Public calendars: If you need to share your calendar with a wider audience, consider creating a public calendar that anyone can subscribe to using a link after you publish it.
Permission levels: Be extra mindful of the permission level you choose when sharing outside your organization to protect sensitive information and maintain strong identity security.

3. Privacy & security

Private events: Mark personal appointments as "Private" so they don't show details when shared.
Limit permissions: Only give people the level of access they truly need.
Regularly review: Periodically check who you're sharing your calendar with and adjust permissions as needed.

4. Advanced features

Delegate Access: If you have an assistant or someone else who manages your schedule, you can delegate access, giving them the ability to edit your calendar on your behalf.
Group calendars: Create shared calendars for teams or projects to streamline coordination.

5. Troubleshooting

Not receiving invitations: Ask your recipients to check their spam folder or double-check that you entered their email correctly.
Incorrect permissions: If someone can't see the right details, make sure you've selected the correct permission level when sharing.

Stay organized with shared Outlook Calendars 📅

Sharing your Outlook Calendar is a simple yet powerful tool to organize all of your commitments in one place. With easy sharing options available across any of your Outlook Calendar apps, you can easily share anytime and anywhere on the go. So go ahead, ditch those scheduling headaches, and embrace the convenience of shared calendars. Start sharing today and experience the benefits of better calendar management.