How to Share a Calendar in Outlook 365 with Others

To share an Outlook 365 calendar, open Calendar, select the calendar you own, choose Share or Share Calendar, enter the recipient’s email address, and set what they are allowed to see or do. The recipient can then accept the invitation and open the calendar in Outlook. You will need an account that supports calendar sharing and the correct permission to share that calendar.

What You’ll Need

An Outlook or Microsoft 365 account with a calendar you own, or permission from its owner to manage sharing. Sharing works best with Exchange Online, Microsoft 365 work or school accounts, and Outlook.com accounts. A calendar stored only in a local Outlook data file or some IMAP accounts may not support sharing.
The recipient’s email address. For someone outside your organization, your Microsoft 365 administrator may need to allow external calendar sharing.
A decision about access: whether the recipient should see only when you are busy, view event details, or make changes. Share only the amount of information they need.

Step-by-Step

Check that you are sharing a calendar you control. Open Outlook and select Calendar. In the calendar list, identify the calendar you want to share. Your main calendar is usually named Calendar and appears under My calendars. If the calendar was shared with you by someone else, you generally cannot grant access to it on that person’s behalf. Ask its owner to invite the recipient directly, or ask the owner to give you an appropriate delegate or management role.
Open the sharing controls. In new Outlook for Windows or Outlook on the web, select Calendar, then find the calendar in the left-hand list. Select the calendar’s three-dot menu or right-click its name and choose Sharing and permissions. Depending on the version and window size, you may instead see a Share button on the calendar toolbar; select it and choose the calendar if prompted. In classic Outlook for Windows, open Calendar, select the calendar, and choose Home > Share Calendar. If the calendar is not selected, Outlook may offer to share the default calendar instead.
Add the person you want to invite. In the sharing panel, enter the recipient’s email address and select the matching contact suggestion. In classic Outlook, enter the address in the To field of the sharing invitation. Check the spelling and make sure you have selected the intended person, especially if Outlook suggests multiple contacts with similar names. If you are sharing with several people, add them one at a time so you can assign the right access to each.
Choose an appropriate permission level. Use the permission menu beside the recipient’s name. The exact labels vary a little by Outlook version, but common options include viewing when you are busy, seeing titles and locations, seeing all event details, and editing. Choose the least access that will do the job. For example, a colleague who only needs to arrange a meeting may need to see availability, while an assistant who manages appointments may need editing permission. Do not choose edit access merely to let someone view events.
Send or save the invitation. In new Outlook or Outlook on the web, select Share or Apply, depending on the panel shown. In classic Outlook, review the sharing invitation and select Send. Outlook sends an email with a link or invitation to open the calendar. Keep Outlook online while it sends, and check the Sent Items folder if you are unsure whether the invitation went through. A permission change may take a short time to appear for the recipient.
Ask the recipient to accept and open the calendar. The recipient should open the sharing email and select Accept or Add calendar, then sign in to the account that received the invitation. In Outlook on the web or new Outlook, the calendar will normally appear in the calendar list under shared or people’s calendars. In classic Outlook, accepted calendars are generally listed under Shared Calendars. If the recipient has several Microsoft accounts, they should accept while signed in to the account that matches the invited email address.
Review, change, or remove access later. Return to the same Sharing and permissions panel, or in classic Outlook open the calendar’s permissions. Select a person to change their permission or remove them. In classic Outlook, right-click the calendar, choose Properties, and open the Permissions tab to review entries. Removing access stops future access but does not erase event details the person may already have copied, downloaded, or captured in a screenshot.

Classic Outlook detail: If you need a permission not offered in the initial invitation, select the calendar and open its sharing permissions. In many classic Outlook installations, right-click the calendar name, choose Properties, and select Permissions. Add the person, choose a permission level, and apply the change. The available controls depend on your account and your organization’s settings; if the Permissions tab is missing or disabled, ask your Microsoft 365 administrator or the calendar owner.

Common Mistakes

Trying to share someone else’s calendar. Seeing a calendar in your list does not necessarily mean you can share it with other people. The calendar owner should send the invitation unless you have been specifically granted the right to manage its permissions.
Choosing a permission that is too broad. Busy-only access hides event details, while full-detail access can reveal subjects, locations, and other information. Editing lets the recipient change calendar items. Match the permission to the task and consider whether private appointments should remain private.
Sharing the wrong calendar. A person may have a primary calendar, additional personal calendars, and group calendars. Confirm the calendar name in the sharing panel before sending, rather than assuming Outlook selected the one currently displayed.
Assuming an invitation automatically adds the calendar. The recipient may need to accept the email and sign in with the invited account. Forwarding the invitation to another person does not reliably grant that person access.
Expecting an email to update instantly. Permission changes can take time to propagate, and the recipient may need to refresh Outlook or close and reopen it. Avoid repeatedly removing and re-adding the same person while the change is processing.

Tips

Start with the narrowest useful permission. You can increase access later if the recipient needs more. This is especially sensible when sharing outside your team or organization.
Use a work or school account for workplace calendars when possible. Organization policies can control external sharing, and an administrator may restrict what information can be exposed beyond the organization.
Give the recipient a brief message explaining why they are receiving access, which calendar they should add, and whether they should only view it or make changes. This can prevent confusion if several calendars are shared with them.
Keep your own calendar entries accurate. Busy-only sharing is useful for scheduling, but it will not help others avoid conflicts if appointments are missing or marked as free when you are unavailable.
Review access when someone changes roles or no longer needs the calendar. Remove old entries rather than relying on the recipient to stop using access on their own.
For a team that needs a calendar everyone can manage, consider whether a Microsoft 365 group or a shared mailbox calendar is more appropriate than repeatedly sharing one person’s personal calendar. Ask your administrator which option your organization supports.

Troubleshooting

There is no Share option. Confirm that you are in Calendar and have selected the correct calendar. Sharing may be unavailable for local calendars, some account types, or calendars you do not own. For a work or school account, contact your administrator to check whether calendar sharing is enabled. In classic Outlook, also check that the account is connected and that you are not viewing a calendar file stored only on your computer.
Outlook cannot find the recipient. Enter the complete email address rather than relying on the address book suggestion. For an external person, try the exact address they use to sign in to Outlook. If the organization blocks external sharing, the invitation may fail even when the address is correct; an administrator will need to review the policy.
The recipient did not receive the invitation. Ask them to check Junk or spam, and verify the address in your sharing permissions. Check Sent Items for the message. If it was sent to the wrong address, remove that entry and invite the correct one. If it was delivered but the invitation link is expired or no longer works, remove and re-add the recipient to generate a fresh invitation.
The calendar does not appear after acceptance. Ask the recipient to open the invitation using the account that received it, then refresh Calendar or sign out and back in. In Outlook on the web, check the calendar list for a shared calendar that may be unchecked or collapsed. In classic Outlook, look under Shared Calendars. The recipient can also ask you to confirm that their address is still listed with the intended permission.
The person can see availability but not event details, or cannot edit. That behavior usually matches the permission you selected. Return to Sharing and permissions, choose a higher level only if appropriate, and save the change. If the setting appears correct but access is still limited, allow time for it to update and have the recipient refresh Outlook. Some organization policies can override or limit the available permission level.
A shared calendar is slow or looks out of date. Refresh Outlook, check the internet connection, and allow time for synchronization. If only classic Outlook is affected, installing available Office updates or restarting Outlook may help. If the problem continues across Outlook on the web and desktop, record the calendar name and the recipient’s account type and contact your Microsoft 365 administrator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share an Outlook calendar with someone outside my organization?
Often, yes, but it depends on your Microsoft 365 organization’s external-sharing policy and the type of account. Invite the person using their correct email address. If Outlook blocks the invitation or offers limited details only, ask your administrator whether external sharing is permitted.

Can I share a calendar that someone else shared with me?
Usually, you cannot change the owner’s sharing permissions just because you can view their calendar. Ask the owner to share it with the other person directly. If you are a delegate, check with the owner or administrator about the specific rights your account has.

Can recipients edit my calendar?
Yes, if you grant an edit-level permission and your account allows it. Editing is different from viewing full details: an editor may be able to create, change, or delete calendar items. Give that level only to someone who needs to manage the calendar.

Will the recipient see private appointments?
What they can see depends on their permission and how the appointment is marked. Do not assume that sharing a calendar makes every private item visible, or that private labeling replaces careful permission choices. If an appointment is sensitive, review the organization’s Outlook behavior and share only with trusted people.

How do I stop sharing my calendar?
Open Sharing and permissions, select the person, and remove their access. In classic Outlook, use the calendar’s Properties and Permissions tab. Allow time for the change to take effect. Removing access does not delete information the recipient already viewed or saved.

Can I share only one event instead of my whole calendar?
Yes. If the person only needs one appointment, create or open that event and invite them as an attendee rather than sharing the entire calendar. They will receive event information and updates, but this does not give them general access to your calendar.

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