How to request calendar permissions in Outlook

Outlook calendars allow you to keep track of pending tasks, meetings, and events. Calendars also allow you to share this information with colleagues and vice versa. However, viewing a team member’s calendar can be challenging without the right permissions. Fortunately, that’s an easily escaped predicament.

How to request calendar permissions in Outlook (desktop app):

• Open Outlook
• Enter the calendar page
• Click “Share Calendar”
• Select your user/organisation
• Adjust the permissions

You can install Office apps via your Microsoft account.

Today, I’ll be assisting you in requesting calendar permissions in Outlook. However, that’s not all. I’ll also demonstrate how you (or a team member) can alter your calendar’s sharing permissions. If you experience any trouble, leave a comment below; I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

I have provided several links; you can use them to access relevant content quickly:

1. Requesting calendar permissions in Outlook
2. How to adjust calendar permissions in Outlook
3. Blog post recap

We’ve also created a video to help guide you through the process:

How to request calendar permissions in Outlook

Requesting an update to your permissions is simple: you need to ask the calendar’s owner. Below, you will find an extensive step-by-step guide. After following the guide, you will need to wait for your recipient to reply or make the requested changes.

If your recipient is unsure what to do you, you can share this post’s second guide with them. The second guide provides an in-depth tutorial on accessing and editing a calendar’s sharing permissions.

Step 1 — Open Outlook

To begin, open Outlook on your desktop or in your browser. On your desktop, simply hit the Start or Win key and begin typing “Outlook.” You will likely spot the app before you’re done. You can open the app by hitting the Enter key, clicking “Open” in the result card, or clicking “Outlook” under “Best match.”

Step 2 — Create a new e-mail message

Using the ribbon at the top of the screen, select “Home,” this will open the home panel. Under “Home,” select the “New Email” dropdown and click “E-mail Message.” Outlook will produce a new window; don’t worry— this is intended for message composition.

Step 3 — Compose and send your message

Use the “To” bar to specify your recipient— this should be the calendar’s owner. In the example below, my message is addressed to John. You can use the “Subject” field to contextualize your message, although it’s not required (but recommended). Finally, use the main field to enter your message. After completing your message, click “Send.”

How to adjust calendar permissions in Outlook

Outlook calendar permission determines how people (with access) interact with your Outlook calendar. Depending on your permissions, you may not be able to interact with a calendar; albeit, you can alter a calendar in its entirety with other permissions.

I will discuss the five Outlook calendar permissions at the end of the guide (step four). I recommend reading about each permission before assigning them.

Step 1 — Open the Outlook application

To start, we need to open Outlook. Tap the Start/Win key and type “Outlook.” After, hit enter or click “Open.”

Step 2 — Enter the Outlook calendar page

The calendar icon is located in the bottom left corner of the window. You need to select the calendar icon to access the Outlook calendar page— this page is responsible for storing each of your calendars.

Step 3 — Open your Outlook calendar

Next, you need to open your intended calendar. If you have two or more emails connected to this mailbox, you may have several calendars to choose from. Click “Share Calendar” to reveal a dropdown; in the menu, select “Calendar” under your email.

Step 4 — Reconfigure your calendar permissions

You now have access to the sharing window. Select “Permissions” from the tab bar if the permissions tab is not open— this will allow you to observe and amend your permissions settings.

Below, I have provided a list detailing each Outlook calendar permission and its functions.

• “None”
  • Nobody can interact with your calendar: they have no permissions.
• “Can view when I’m busy”
  • Viewers can only see when you’re available/free (and by extension, when you’re busy).
• “Can view titles and locations”
  • Viewers can read the title of scheduled events and where they will occur.
• “Can view all details”
  • Viewers can see everything the calendar owner sees.
• “Can edit”
  • Viewers become editors— they can create, edit, and delete scheduled events.

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Blog post recap

You can use outlook calendar permissions to control the extent to which others can interact with your Outlook calendar. The “None” permission level prevents basic viewing. While the “Can view when I’m busy” permission allows viewers to see when you’re busy and free, they cannot see why; they would need the “Can view titles and locations” permission for that. If you have the “Can view all details” permission, you can see virtually everything; however, you cannot create, edit, and delete events without the “Can edit” permission.

If you found this post helpful, consider checking out the following related posts:

• How to give someone access to manage my Outlook calendar — Some people are better off following schedules instead of setting them. Fortunately, Outlook accommodates those users by giving them the power to allocate management privellages to other users.
• How to stop all Outlook meetings defaulting to Teams meetings — A number of users have reported their Outlook meetings default to Teams meetings; although Teams is intended for meetings, not everyone uses it. In the following post, we’ll walk you through escaping this predicament.
• How to share a group contact list (distribution group) in Outlook — Distribution lists allow you to output information to several recipients simultaneously— this prevents you from having to input each recipient’s name manually. If you’d like to learn more about distribution groups and how you can share them, read the following post.
• How to change the display sender name in Outlook: Desktop and cloud version walkthroughs — The Outlook “display sender” name allows you to distribute a message as though you were someone else. The following post will cover how you can get started using a “display sender” name.