10. Manage your calendar

Practice files

No practice files are necessary to complete the practice tasks in this chapter.

The Outlook calendar has many features that can help you to efficiently manage your schedule. You can configure the Outlook calendar to make specific times available for co-workers to schedule meetings, to track your schedule in two time zones, and to smoothly switch between time zones when you travel.

In addition to the default calendar that’s linked to your primary email account, you can create, import, link to, subscribe to, and manage other calendars within the Calendar module. In the Calendar module, you can view either separate or composite views of information stored in multiple calendars. Each calendar and the appointments on it are color-coded to make it easier to discern the source.

You can share your calendar information with other people in several ways; for example, you can share an entire calendar or only selected information with people inside or outside of your organization.

If you want to work with a paper copy of your calendar, you can print out the information for specific date ranges. Outlook offers many different formats for printed calendars; you can choose the print style and level of detail that fit your needs.

This chapter guides you through procedures related to defining your available time, configuring time zones, working with multiple calendars, sharing calendar information, and printing a calendar.

By default, the Outlook work week is defined as from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. (in your local time zone), Monday through Friday. You can change this to match your individual work schedule. You can specify a start time and end time for your standard work day, specify the days of the week that you work, and specify the day of the week that you’d like to appear first when you display only the work week in your calendar.

To display your work week

1. On the Home tab, in the Arrange group, click the Work Week button.

To modify your work week settings

1. On the Home tab, click the Arrange dialog box launcher to display the Calendar page of the Outlook Options dialog box. The Work Time section at the top of the page displays the work week settings.

2. Do any of the following:

• In the Start time list, select your work day starting time.

• In the End time list, select your work day ending time.

• In the Work week section, select the check boxes for the days you work, and clear the check boxes for the days you don’t.

• In the First day of week list, select the first day of your work week.

3. In the Outlook Options dialog box, click OK.

In Day view, Work Week view, and Week view, the Calendar module displays the time next to each time slot. You can configure Outlook to display any time zone you want, or to display two time zones, and you can label the time zones. If you have co-workers or clients in another time zone, or are making plans to travel, displaying multiple time zones can assist with scheduling meetings or simply keeping track of the time in the other location.

When you display two time zones, the primary time zone is the one immediately to the left of the calendar time slots.

To specify the time zone shown on the calendar

1. On the Home tab, click the Arrange dialog box launcher to display the Calendar page of the Outlook Options dialog box.

2. In the Time zones section of the Calendar page, in the first Time zone list, click the time zone you want Outlook to display.

3. If you want to label the time column, enter the label in the first Label box.

4. In the Outlook Options dialog box, click OK.

To display two time zones on the calendar

1. On the Home tab, click the Arrange dialog box launcher to display the Calendar page of the Outlook Options dialog box.

2. In the Time zones section of the Calendar page, select the Show a second time zone check box.

3. In the second Time zone list, click the time zone you want to display.

4. If you want to label the time columns, enter the labels in the first and second Label boxes.

5. In the Outlook Options dialog box, click OK.

To switch the primary and secondary time zones

1. Display the Calendar page of the Outlook Options dialog box.

2. In the Time zones section of the Calendar page, click the Swap Time Zones button.

3. In the Outlook Options dialog box, click OK.

Calendars of other Exchange email accounts Outlook displays a calendar named Calendar for each Exchange account you connect to. When you connect to multiple accounts, Outlook appends the associated email address to the calendar name in the Folder Pane so you can differentiate between them.

Custom calendars You create a calendar as a folder that contains calendar items, in the same way that you create mail folders, address books, or task lists.

Calendars of people within your organization Within an organization that uses Exchange, you can display the availability of your co-workers, individually or in a group, without special permission.

Shared calendars Other Outlook users can share their calendars with you.

SharePoint site calendars You can connect a Microsoft SharePoint calendar to Outlook.

Internet calendars You can subscribe to or import calendars from the Internet.

In the Calendar module, the Folder Pane displays a list of the available calendars. You can save multiple calendars in a calendar group to simultaneously display or hide all the calendars in the group. Each calendar has an assigned color. When multiple calendars are displayed, the calendar colors are shown in the Folder Pane and also in the content pane.

A variety of specialized calendars, such as those that track professional sports schedules, holidays, entertainment, and scientific data, are available online. (For example, your local school district or sports team might offer an Internet calendar on its website that you can import or subscribe to.)

Internet calendars are files that have the extension .ics. You can locate Internet calendars by searching from a web browser, by locating links on the websites of specific organizations, or by visiting a calendar-sharing website such as iCalShare (located at www.icalshare.com).

You can work with an Internet calendar in one of two ways:

Subscribe to the calendar You receive updates from the calendar publisher as they occur, but you can’t change the calendar data.

Import the calendar You can interact with a local copy of the calendar in Outlook. You can change the calendar data, but you won’t receive any updates provided by the calendar publisher.

Many Internet calendars have a link or button that you can click to start the subscription or import process. If the Internet calendar you want to connect to doesn’t provide a simple method, you can manually connect to it.

To display a co-worker’s calendar in your Outlook Calendar module

1. Display the Calendar module.

2. On the Home tab, in the Manage Calendars group, click Open Calendar.

3. On the Open Calendar menu, click From Address Book to open the Select Name dialog box.

4. In the Address Book list, click Global Address List to display the members of your Exchange organization.

5. Locate the person whose calendar you want to display, and double-click the name to insert it in the Calendar box.

6. Click OK to open the selected calendar in the Calendar module content area and add it to the Shared Calendars list in the Folder Pane (even though its owner hasn’t officially shared it with you).

To create a calendar group of co-workers

1. On the Home tab, in the Manage Calendars group, click Calendar Groups.

2. On the Calendar Groups menu, click Create New Calendar Group.

3. In the Create New Calendar Group dialog box, enter a name for the calendar group, and then click OK to open the Select Name dialog box.

4. In the Address Book list, click Global Address List to display the members of your Exchange organization.

5. For each person whose calendar you want to include in the calendar group, locate and double-click the person’s name to insert it in the Calendar box.

6. Click OK to create the calendar group, add it to the Folder Pane, and open the calendar in the Calendar module content area.

To manage a calendar group

1. In the Folder Pane, click the calendar group name to activate it.

2. Right-click the calendar group name, and then do any of the following:

• To add a calendar to the group, click Add Calendar, click the calendar source, and then select the calendar.

• To rename the group, click Rename Group, enter the new name, and then press Enter.

• To delete the calendar group, click Delete Group, and then in the Microsoft Outlook message box, click Yes to confirm the deletion.

• To remove a calendar from the group, right-click the calendar name, and then click Delete Calendar.

To connect to a SharePoint calendar

1. Display the SharePoint calendar you want to connect to.

2. On the SharePoint list ribbon, click the Calendar tab, and then in the Connect & Export group, click the Connect to Outlook button.

3. Do the following to permit the connection from SharePoint to Outlook and add the SharePoint calendar to the Other Calendars list in the Folder Pane:

• In the browser dialog box that opens, click Allow.

• In the Microsoft Outlook message box, click Yes.

To manually import or subscribe to an Internet calendar

1. On the Internet, locate the calendar you want to connect to and copy the address of its .ics file.

2. In Outlook, display the Calendar module.

3. On the Home tab, in the Manage Calendars group, on the Open Calendar menu, click From Internet.

4. In the New Internet Calendar Subscription dialog box, paste the address of the .ics file, and click OK. Then in the Microsoft Outlook message box, click Yes to add the calendar to Outlook and subscribe to updates. The Internet calendar appears in the Other Calendars list in the Folder Pane.

You can view multiple calendars next to each other, or you can overlay them to display a composite view of the separate calendars. When you view and scroll through multiple calendars, they all display the same date or time period.

When displaying three or more calendars, you can combine the side-by-side and overlay views.

To display a calendar

1. In the Folder Pane, select the check box to the left of the calendar name.

You must display at least one calendar at all times; Outlook does not permit you to clear all the check boxes.

To make a calendar active

1. Do either of the following:

• Click the calendar tab.

• Click any calendar item.

To overlay calendars

1. On the tab of each of the secondary calendars, click the View in Overlay Mode button. The calendars stack in the order that you overlay them, with the last on top.

To display calendars side by side

1. On the tab of each of the secondary calendars, click the View in Side-By-Side Mode button.

To close a calendar

1. Do either of the following:

• On the calendar tab, click the Close Calendar button.

• In the Folder Pane, clear the check box to the left of the calendar name.

You can allow selected co-workers to view calendar item details by sharing your calendar with them.

You can allow selected co-workers to view your entire calendar and to make appointments and respond to meeting requests on your behalf by delegating control of the calendar to them.

You can publish your calendar to the Office.com website or to a corporate web server and then share the published calendar with any person who has access to the Internet.

You can send a professional graphic representation of your appointments during a selected date range by email to any person who uses an HTML-capable email program (not only people who use Outlook), including colleagues, friends, and family members.

The options for sending, sharing, and publishing calendar information are available from the Share group on the Home tab of the Calendar module.

You can also change the default permission level to permit co-workers to display additional information without specifically sharing the calendar.

When you share a calendar, you give the person permission to see a specific amount of detail about each appointment, meeting, or event on the calendar. The detail options are:

Availability only Displays time blocks marked as Free, Busy, Tentative, Working Elsewhere, or Out Of Office. This is the default detail level.

Limited details Displays time blocks labeled with the appointment, meeting, or event subject and the availability.

Full details Displays time blocks labeled with the appointment, meeting, or event subject, the location, the availability, and all meeting details.

After you share a calendar, you can specify the actions each person with whom you share the calendar can perform. You can either select a role, which assigns specific Read, Write, Delete, and other permission settings, or you can select individual settings in each category. There are a wide variety of roles, including Owner, Editor, Author, Reviewer, and Contributor.

The following table describes the specific permissions conferred by each level.

You can delegate control of your calendar (and other Outlook modules) so that a co-worker or assistant can receive, create, and respond to meeting requests on your behalf. You receive copies of the meeting requests and copies of your delegate’s responses, but you don’t have to respond.

To share a calendar with a co-worker

1. Do either of the following to create a sharing invitation message:

• Display the calendar you want to share. On the Home tab, in the Share group, click the Share Calendar button.

• In the Folder Pane, right-click the calendar you want to share, click Share, and then click Share Calendar.

2. In the To box, enter the name or email address of the person you want to share your calendar with.

3. If you’d like to request that the person reciprocate by sharing his or her calendar with you, select the Request permission to view recipient’s Calendar check box.

4. In the Details list, click the level of detail you want to share: Availability only, Limited details, or Full details.

5. Add any notes you want to in the content pane, and then click the Send button.

6. In the Microsoft Outlook message box, click Yes to confirm that you want to share the calendar with the specified permissions.

Outlook sends the message.

To open or share a calendar from a sharing request

1. Display the sharing request in a message window or in the Reading Pane.

2. To add the shared calendar to the list of calendars available in your Calendar module, on the Share tab of the ribbon, in the Open group, click Open this Calendar.

3. If the sender requested reciprocal sharing, respond to the request by doing either of the following in the Respond group:

• To share your calendar with the person, click Allow. This creates a new sharing message. In the Details list, click Availability only, Limited details, or Full details to indicate the amount of information you want to share. Add a note if you want, and then click Send. Then in the Microsoft Outlook message box, click Yes to confirm that you want to share the calendar with the specified permissions.

• To not share your calendar, click Deny. In the Microsoft Outlook message box that opens, click Edit the response before sending, Send the response now, or Don’t send a response to indicate how you want to respond to the person who requested sharing. Then click OK. If you choose to edit the response, add your comments to the email message that opens, and then click Send.

To set permissions for a shared calendar

1. Do either of the following:

• Display the calendar you want to set permissions for. On the Home tab, in the Share group, click the Calendar Permissions button to display the Permissions tab of the Calendar Properties dialog box.

• In the Folder Pane, right-click the calendar you want to set permissions for, click Properties, and then in the Calendar Properties dialog box, click the Permissions tab.

2. In the pane at the top of the Permissions tab of the Calendar Properties dialog box, click the name of the person whose permissions you want to modify.

3. In the Permissions section, do any of the following:

• In the Permission Level list, click a role to assign the default permissions associated with that role.

• In the Read section, click the level of detail you want to permit the person to display.

• In the Write section, select the check box of each type of item you want to permit the person to change.

• In the Delete Items section, click the type of items you want to permit the person to delete.

• In the Other section, select the Folder owner or Folder contact check box if you want to assign the person to that role. Leave the Folder visible check box selected for anyone you share the calendar with.

4. In the Calendar Properties dialog box, click OK.

To change the default level of information visible to co-workers

1. Display the Permissions tab of the Calendar Properties dialog box.

2. In the pane at the top of the tab, click Default.

3. In the Read section, click Free/Busy time, subject, location or Full details.

4. In the Calendar Properties dialog box, click OK.

To delegate control of your calendar to another Outlook user

1. On the Info page of the Backstage view, click Account Settings, and then click Delegate Access.

2. In the Delegates dialog box, click Add to open the Add Users dialog box. In the Address Book list, click Global Address List.

3. In the Add Users dialog box, click the person you want to delegate control to, click Add, and then click OK to close the Add Users dialog box and open the Delegate Permissions dialog box.

4. In the Delegate Permissions dialog box, in the Calendar list, click the role you want to assign to the person. The default role, Editor, delegates full management of calendar items.

5. Repeat step 4 for any other module you want to permit the person to manage.

6. Select the Automatically send a message... check box to inform the person of the permissions you’re delegating to him or her.

7. If you want to allow the person to view details of items that you mark as Private, select the Delegate can see my private items check box.

8. In the Delegate Permissions dialog box, click OK to add the person to the list in the Delegates dialog box.

9. At the bottom of the Delegates dialog box, select one of the following delivery options for meeting requests and responses:

• If you want to receive copies of meeting communications, click My delegates only, but send a copy of meeting requests and responses to me.

• If you don’t want to receive meeting communications, click My delegates only.

• If you want to receive original meeting communications, click My delegates and me.

10. In the Delegates dialog box, click OK to implement the delegation and send the summary message, if you chose that option.

When you share information in an email message, you can choose from two formats: Daily Schedule and List Of Events. Whichever format you choose, Outlook embeds the information that you select into the email message and attaches it as an .ics file to the message.

To send a calendar by email

1. Do either of the following to open a new message window and the Send A Calendar Via E-mail dialog box:

• Display the calendar that you want to share. On the Home tab, in the Share group, click the E-mail Calendar button.

• In the Folder Pane, right-click the calendar you want to share, click Share, and then click E-mail Calendar.

2. In the Send a Calendar via E-mail dialog box, in the Calendar list, click the calendar you want to share.

3. In the Date Range list, do either of the following:

• To share a fixed time period, click Today, Tomorrow, Next 7 Days, Next 30 Days, or Whole Calendar.

• To share a custom date range, click Specify dates. Then in the Start and End boxes that appear, enter or select the first and last dates of the date range you want to share.

4. In the Detail list, click Availability only, Limited details, or Full details.

5. In the Advanced section of the dialog box, click the Show button to display additional sharing options.

6. In the Advanced section of the dialog box, do either or both of the following to refine the details that you share:

• If you chose the Limited Details option and want to share Private items, select the Include details of items marked private check box.

• If you chose the Full Details option and want to share files or items that are attached to appointments, select the Include attachments within calendar items check box.

7. In the E-mail Layout list, click Daily schedule or List of events to specify the format of the message content.

8. Click OK to embed the selected calendar information in the email message window and attach the same information as an .ics file. You can send the email message to any recipient. A recipient using Outlook or another email program that supports .ics files can view your calendar in that program.

To publish a calendar online

1. Do either of the following to display the Publish Calendar page of Outlook Online in your default web browser (sign in if you are prompted to do so):

• Display the calendar that you want to share. On the Home tab, in the Share group, click the Publish Online button, and then click Publish This Calendar.

• In the Folder Pane, right-click the calendar you want to share, click Share, and then click Publish This Calendar.

2. On the Publish calendar page, in the Select a calendar list, click the calendar you want to publish. You can publish only calendars that you created, not calendars that you opened or subscribed to from elsewhere.

3. In the Select permissions list, click Availability only, Limited details, or Full details.

4. Click the Save button to generate two links that you can copy and distribute: the HTML link displays the published calendar in a browser window, and the ICS link allows people to subscribe to the calendar.

Outlook offers several built-in print styles, and you can create others if you want. The available print styles vary based on what view you’re in when you choose the Print command.

The default print styles include the following:

Daily Style Prints the selected date range with one day per page. Printed elements include the date, day, TaskPad, reference calendars for the current and upcoming months, a breakdown of working hours in 30-minute blocks, and an area for notes. From the Page Setup dialog box, you can choose whether to print the TaskPad and notes areas.

Weekly Agenda Style Prints the selected date range with one calendar week per page, including reference calendars for the selected and following month. From the Page Setup dialog box, you can specify how to arrange the days and whether to print the TaskPad and Notes areas.

Weekly Calendar Style Prints the selected date range with one calendar week per page. Each page includes date range and time increments for working hours, and reference calendars for the selected and following month. From the Page Setup dialog box, you can choose a vertical or horizontal layout, split the week across two pages, include a task list, add an area for handwritten notes, specify the range of hours to print, and print only your designated work week rather than a standard seven-day week.

Monthly Style Prints a page for each month in the selected date range. Each page includes the selected month with a few days showing from the previous and subsequent months, along with reference calendars for the selected and following month. From the Page Setup dialog box, you can specify to print a single month across two printer pages, and whether to display the TaskPad and Note areas.

Tri-fold Style Prints a page for each day in the selected date range. Each page includes the daily schedule, weekly schedule, and TaskPad. From the Page Setup dialog box, you can choose which calendar element appears in each section.

Calendar Details Style Lists your appointments for the selected date range, in addition to the accompanying appointment details.

To preview and print a calendar

1. In the Calendar module, display part or all of the time period you want to print.

2. Display the Backstage view. In the left pane, click Print to display the available printing options and a preview of the current period’s calendar as it would appear when printed. Outlook selects a print style that suits the currently displayed period.

3. On the Print page, do any of the following:

• In the Printer list, click the printer you want to use.

• In the Settings list, click the print style you want.

• Click the Print button to print the current date range and print configuration.

4. To change the preview display, do any of the following:

• To display a different page of a multipage calendar, enter the page number in the Page Navigator, or click the Previous or Next arrow.

• To magnify the calendar page entries, click the Actual Size button.

• To display one page at the maximum size that fits the preview area, click the One Page button.

• To display more than one page (if printing a multipage calendar), click the Multiple Pages button.

• If the vertical scroll bar is active, scroll up or down through the content.

• If the horizontal scroll bar is active, scroll left or right across the page.

5. To make additional changes, click the Print Options button to open the Print dialog box.

6. In the Print dialog box, do any of the following:

• To change the calendar being printed, expand the Print this calendar list, and then click the calendar you want to print.

• To print only specific pages of a multipage calendar, in the Page range section, click Pages, and then enter the pages you want to print.

• To specify a date range to print, in the Print range section, select or enter the Start and End dates.

• To display only availability for items that are marked as Private, select the Hide details of private appointments check box.

• Click Print to print the calendar with the current settings, Preview to save the settings and return to the Print page of the Backstage view, or Cancel to return to the Print page without saving the settings.

Define your available time

Configure time zones

Work with multiple calendars

Share calendar information

Print a calendar

1. Display the Work Week view of your calendar. Note the working days and times that are shown in Work Week view, and notice the color difference between working time and nonworking time.

2. In the Outlook Options dialog box, on the Calendar page, display the Work time section, and then do the following:

a. Review the settings, and notice the correlation to the Work Week view of your calendar.

b. Set your work hours to start at 12:00 PM and end at 9:00 PM.

c. Set your work week to include only Monday, Tuesday, and Friday.

d. Set the first day of the week to Thursday.

e. Click OK to close the dialog box and implement your changes.

3. Notice the change in the Work Week view of the calendar. Scroll forward to the next work week, and notice the working days and times.

4. Display the Week view of your calendar. In the Date Navigator and on the calendar, notice the order of the days of the week.

5. Return to the Work time section of the Calendar page of the Outlook Options dialog box. Match the Work time settings to your actual work week (or a close approximation). Then click OK to close the dialog box and implement your changes.

1. Display the Day view of your calendar, and navigate to a day that includes multiple appointments, meetings, or events.

2. In the Outlook Options dialog box, on the Calendar page, display the the Time zones section, and then do the following:

a. Select the option to display a second time zone, and choose a time zone that is different from your own.

b. Enter a label for each time zone.

c. Click OK to close the dialog box and implement your changes.

3. Notice the two time zones shown to the left of the daily calendar. Consider the circumstances under which this might be of use to you.

4. Switch the primary and secondary time zones, and notice the change in the times of your appointments.

5. Display the Work Week view of the calendar and notice any changes in your appointments and events due to the time zone change.

6. Switch back to the original time zones, and then configure the Time zones settings as you want them.

1. Display the Week view of your calendar, and navigate to a week that includes multiple appointments, meetings, or events.

2. If your organization uses Microsoft Exchange, do the following:

a. Display a co-worker’s calendar in your Outlook Calendar module.

b. Notice the colors assigned to the calendars.

c. Overlay the calendars, and then change the active calendar and notice the change in the font and color of the calendar items.

d. Create a calendar group that includes three co-workers, and display it on your calendar. Hide the calendar group, and then display only one calendar from the group.

3. If you have access to a SharePoint site that includes a calendar, do the following:

a. Display the SharePoint calendar.

b. Connect the SharePoint calendar to Outlook, and provide the permission necessary to display the SharePoint calendar in your Calendar module.

4. Open your default web browser, and then locate an Internet calendar that you can subscribe to. This might be on the website of a sports team, school, company, or community organization, or on a calendar-sharing website such as iCalShare (located at www.icalshare.com).

5. Import or subscribe to the Internet calendar and ensure that it appears in your Calendars module.

6. Overlay all the active calendars, and then display them side by side.

7. Close all the calendars other than your default calendar.

8. In the Folder Pane, delete the calendar group and each calendar that you don’t want to retain. (You can’t delete your default calendar.)

1. If you have a calendar associated with an Exchange account, display that calendar, and then do the following:

a. Inform a colleague that you want to practice sharing calendars.

b. Share your calendar with your colleague, with the level of detail that you are comfortable with. In the sharing request, ask your colleague to share his or her calendar with you, with Limited Details or Full Details.

c. When your colleague responds, open his or her calendar from the sharing request and note the level of detail that is visible.

2. Open the Properties dialog box for any calendar, and then do the following:

a. Review the available permission settings.

b. If you want to change the default level of information visible to your co-workers, do so.

c. If you want to give specific permissions to another person, do so.

d. Close the Properties dialog box.

3. Display the calendar delegation controls, and then do the following:

• Consider the circumstances under which someone would want to delegate access to a calendar or other module to someone else within the organization.

• If you want to delegate control of your calendar to someone else, do so (remember to send a delegation notification). Then test whether your delegate can control the calendar as expected.

4. Send limited details of your calendar for the next 10 days to yourself by email, using the email layout that you prefer. Review the email message when you receive it, and notice the information that is available. Experiment with clicking links in the message and expanding and collapsing calendar sections.

5. Publish the current week of your calendar online. Send the HTML and ICS links to yourself in an email message. Click each link and note the results.

1. Display the Work Week view of your calendar, and navigate to a week that includes multiple appointments, meetings, or events.

2. Display the Print page of the Backstage view, and notice the print layout that Outlook selects for the current time period.

3. Magnify the preview area to display the calendar content at its actual size. Notice the details and types of information that are available in the printed calendar.

4. Click each of the other print layouts, and notice the available information.

5. Display the print layout that you find most useful.

6. Open the Print Options dialog box, and change the date range to be printed so that it includes more days than are shown by the selected print layout.

7. Return to the preview, and scroll through the pages of the calendar as it will appear when printed.

8. If you have an available printer and want to test printing the calendar, print the first page of the current calendar configuration.