Applies ToOutlook for Microsoft 365 Outlook 2024 Outlook 2021 Outlook 2019 Outlook 2016 New Outlook for Windows

You can change an appointment, meeting, or event that you created to update your Outlook calendar and to let other people know about schedule changes.

Important: You can't change the details for meetings or events other people have invited you to.

Select a tab option below for the version of Outlook you're using. What version of Outlook do I have?

Note: If the steps under this New Outlook tab aren't working for you, you may not be using new Outlook for Windows yet. Select the Classic Outlook tab and follow those steps instead.

Change a single event you created

  1. On the calendar grid, double-click a meeting you've created to open it.

  2. In the meeting dialog, make any changes you like.

  3. Select Save or Send to save the changes and send the updated info to the meeting invitees.

Change a recurring event you created

  1. On the calendar grid, double-click a meeting you've created to open it.

  2. You'll have the following options:

    • Edit the one event in the series - make changes to this one instance.

    • Edit series - make changes to the entire series.

    • Edit this and all following events - make changes to this and all following instances of the event.

  3. When finished, select Save or Send.

You also have the option to press and hold (or right-click) the event to select  Edit or Cancel from the context menu.

​​​​​​​ Choose Edit or Cancel from the context menu

Send updates only to added or removed attendees

If you update an event only to add or change the attendee list, after you select Send you will have an option to send those updates only to added or removed attendees. All other attendees will not receive an update email but will keep the event on their calendars.

You can choose to send your meeting update to Only added or removed attendees or all attendees

In Outlook, you have the option to:

Change a single event  |  Change a recurring event  |  Change an event you're invited to  |  Change type of event  |  Change status during event

Change a single appointment, meeting, or event you created

  1. Open the appointment, event, or meeting from your calendar.

  2. Edit the item details on the Appointment or Meeting tab. When you're done, select Save & Close for an appointment or event, or Send Update for a meeting you created.

When changing a meeting you've created, you must send an update in order to save the changes. If you're adding additional attendees to the meeting and making no other changes, you can choose whether to send the update to all attendees or just the added attendees.

Change a recurring appointment, meeting, or event you created

When you open a recurring appointment, meeting, or event, Outlook will ask you if you want to open just this one event or the entire series of events.

You can open one item in a series or the entire series.

If you'd like to edit a single instance of a recurring item, select Just this one. Otherwise, select The entire series. You can make changes to the appointment, event, or meeting details, recurrence patterns, and attendees. When you're done, select Save & Close for appointments and events or Send Update for meetings.

There are some limitations when editing one instance of a recurring item:

  • You cannot change the date and time of a recurring item if doing so skips over an earlier or later instance of the item.

  • If you remove an attendee from one instance of a recurring meeting, that attendee will still be invited to the other instances of the recurring meeting.

Change a meeting you were invited to by others

You cannot change the details of a meeting you were invited to by others. If you try to move the meeting on your calendar, Outlook will warn you that the organizer will not be notified of the change and the meeting on your calendar will be at the wrong time.

You cannot change a meeting you were invited to.

Change an event to an appointment or a meeting

Events are all-day items that, by default, appear as free time on your calendar. A conference or a vacation is an example of an event.

  1. Double-click the event to open it.

  2. Uncheck the All day event checkbox next to the Start time.

    Check or uncheck the all day event box.
  3. Now that the event is an appointment, the Show As changes to Busy.

  4. If you add attendees, the appointment turns into a meeting.

  5. After you finish making changes, select Save & Close for an appointment or Send Update for a meeting.

Change how an appointment, meeting, or event shows on your calendar

New all-day events automatically show as free on your calendar. Meetings and appointments automatically show as busy on your calendar. You can change how any of these items display on your calendar by updating the Show As field.

Important: When you send an invite in Outlook or Outlook web app, you can choose the status to show for the meeting, such as Busy, Away, etc. However, if an update is made to the invite, the changes to the status won't be made to the attendee's calendar. A new invite will default to the status set by the invitee. Everyone has control of their own status and can be changed at any time. Updates to the meeting won't override a status for an existing meeting.

  1. Open the appointment, meeting, or event.

  2. On the Ribbon, use the Show As drop-down to select FreeWorking Elsewhere, TentativeBusy, or Out of Office.

  3. Select Save & Close for an event or Send Update for a meeting.

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