The simplest way to share your Outlook calendar
To give someone access to your Outlook calendar, open Outlook on your computer or web browser, right-click the calendar name in the left sidebar, and select Sharing and Permissions. Type the person's email address in the box that appears, choose what level of access they get (view only, edit, or delegate), and click Share. They will receive an email invitation and can start viewing your calendar once they accept it.
The person you share with does not need to do anything complicated on their end. When they accept the invitation, your calendar appears in their Outlook sidebar automatically, and they can see it alongside their own calendars. The whole process takes about two minutes.
If you are using Outlook on the web (outlook.office.com), the steps are nearly identical: click the three dots next to your calendar name, select Sharing and Permissions, and enter the email address. The web version works the same way as the desktop app.
Key Takeaways
- You share a calendar by right-clicking it, selecting Sharing and Permissions, and entering the person's email address — no special setup required on their end.
- You can choose three permission levels: view only (they see your events but cannot change them), edit (they can add or change events), or delegate (they manage your calendar as if it were their own).
- The person receives an email invitation and must accept it before they can see your calendar in their Outlook sidebar.
- Sharing works the same way in Outlook on your computer and Outlook on the web, so the method does not change based on which version you use.
- You can stop sharing at any time by going back to Sharing and Permissions and removing the person's name.
Understanding the three permission levels
View only is the most restrictive option. The person can see all your events, their times, and their titles, but they cannot make any changes. Use this when you want someone to see your schedule so they know when you are busy — a manager checking your workload, a colleague scheduling a meeting, or a family member coordinating plans.
Edit lets the person add events to your calendar, change existing events, and delete them. They can modify anything, including the event title, time, and description. This is useful for an assistant who needs to schedule meetings on your behalf or a team member who manages a shared project calendar. They still cannot change who has access to the calendar itself.
Delegate gives the person nearly complete control. They can do everything an editor can do, plus they can change the sharing settings and add or remove other people's access. A delegate can also send meeting invitations on your behalf, and recipients will see the invitation as coming from you, not from the delegate. Use this only for someone you trust completely, like an executive assistant.
Sharing your calendar with a group or team
If you need to share your calendar with multiple people at once, you have two options. The first is to repeat the sharing process for each person individually — enter one email address, choose permissions, share, then do it again for the next person. This takes a few minutes but gives you control over what each person can do.
The second option is to share with a Microsoft 365 group or a distribution list if your organization uses them. Instead of typing individual email addresses, you type the group name. Everyone in that group automatically gets the same level of access. Ask your IT department or manager whether your organization has groups set up for your team or department.
If you share with a group, remember that anyone added to the group in the future will also get access to your calendar. This is convenient for large teams but means you cannot control access person by person once the group is set up.
What happens when someone views your shared calendar
When the person accepts your sharing invitation, your calendar appears in their Outlook sidebar under a section called Other Calendars or People's Calendars, depending on their Outlook version. They can click your name to show or hide your calendar, just like toggling their own calendar on and off.
If they have edit permission, they can click directly on your calendar to add an event, or they can right-click an empty time slot to create a new event on your calendar. The event appears on your calendar when ready, and you receive a notification that someone has added it. If they have view-only permission, they cannot click to add events — the calendar is read-only for them.
The person can also see your calendar in the scheduling assistant when they create a meeting invitation. If they are trying to find a time that works for you, they can open the meeting invite, click Scheduling Assistant, and your calendar will show up automatically if they have at least view-only access. This makes it much easier to find a time when you are free.
Removing someone's access or changing their permissions
To change what someone can do or stop sharing with them entirely, open Outlook, right-click your calendar name, and select Sharing and Permissions again. You will see a list of everyone who has access. Click the person's name to change their permission level, or click the X next to their name to remove them completely.
When you remove someone, they can no longer see your calendar. If they try to open it, they will get an error message. The calendar disappears from their sidebar when ready, though they may need to refresh Outlook to see the change take effect.
If you change someone's permission from edit to view-only, they keep access but can no longer make changes. Any events they created while they had edit permission stay on your calendar — changing permissions does not delete their past work.
Troubleshooting when sharing does not work
If you enter someone's email address and nothing happens, the most common reason is a typo. Double-check that you typed their email address exactly as it appears in your organization's directory. If you are not sure of their exact address, start typing their name and let Outlook's autocomplete suggest the correct email.
If the person says they never received an invitation email, ask them to check their spam or junk folder — sometimes Outlook invitations get filtered there. They can also look in their Outlook inbox for a message from "Microsoft Outlook" with the subject line containing your name and "shared a calendar with you." If they still cannot find it, you can send them the invitation again by going back to Sharing and Permissions and clicking their name.
If the person accepted the invitation but your calendar is not showing up in their sidebar, they may need to restart Outlook. Closing and reopening the process usually fixes this. On the web version, refreshing the page in their browser does the same thing.
If you are sharing with someone outside your organization, make sure your Outlook administrator has not blocked external sharing. Some companies restrict who can access calendars from outside the company. If this is the case, you will see an error message when you try to share, and you will need to contact your IT department to request permission.
Sharing your calendar from Outlook on your phone
The Outlook mobile app (on iPhone or Android) does not have a built-in sharing button, so you cannot start a share from your phone. However, you can still manage sharing that you set up on your computer. Open the Outlook app, go to your calendar, tap the three dots at the top, and look for a Sharing or Settings option — the exact name varies by phone type and app version.
For the most reliable experience, use your computer or the web version to set up sharing. Once you have shared your calendar, the other person can view it on their phone just like they would on a computer — it appears in their calendar list and they can toggle it on and off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share just one event instead of my whole calendar?
No, Outlook does not let you share individual events. You share the entire calendar or nothing. If you want someone to know about one specific meeting, you can invite them to that event by creating a meeting invitation and adding their email address as an attendee — that is different from calendar sharing and gives them only that one event.
What if I want someone to see my calendar but not edit it, and I change my mind later?
Go back to Sharing and Permissions, click the person's name, and change their permission from view-only to edit, or remove them entirely. Changes take effect when ready, though they may need to refresh Outlook to see the update.
Does the person I share with see my private or confidential events?
Yes, they see all events on your calendar, including any marked as private or confidential. The marking does not hide the event from people you have shared with — it only affects how the event appears to others outside your organization. If you have events you do not want someone to see, do not share your calendar with them, or create a separate calendar for public events and share only that one.
Can I share my calendar with someone who does not have an Outlook account?
No, the person must have a Microsoft 365 account or an Outlook.com email address to receive a sharing invitation. If they do not have one, they cannot access your calendar through Outlook's sharing feature. Some organizations offer other ways to share calendar information with outside people, so check with your IT department if this is a common need.
If I share my calendar with someone, can they see my personal notes or event descriptions?
Yes, they can see everything in the event details — the title, time, location, description, and any notes you added. If an event contains sensitive information, either do not share your calendar with that person or create a separate calendar for events you are comfortable sharing and share only that one.