The basic steps to send an Outlook calendar invite

Open Outlook and go to your Calendar view. Click the "New Event" button (or press Ctrl+N), which opens a blank event form. Type the event name, set the date and time, then scroll down to the "Attendees" field and type the email addresses of the people you want to invite. Click "Send" at the top of the form — Outlook sends the invite to each person and adds the event to your calendar.

The invite arrives in their inbox as an email with three buttons: Accept, Tentative, or Decline. When they respond, their answer updates automatically on your calendar. You can see at a glance who has accepted, who is still thinking it over, and who cannot make it.

This process works the same way whether you use Outlook on your computer, on the web at outlook.com, or on your phone. The steps are slightly different on mobile, but the result is identical.

Key Takeaways

  • Create a new event, fill in the name and time, add attendee email addresses in the "Attendees" field, and click Send.
  • Invitees receive an email with Accept, Tentative, and Decline buttons, and their responses appear on your calendar automatically.
  • You can add a meeting location, description, or video call link before sending, and change any detail up until you click Send.
  • If you need to reschedule after sending, update the event and choose whether to notify attendees of the change.

Adding details before you send the invite

The event form has fields beyond just the name and time. After you type the event name, click on the date field to pick the day, then the start and end times. If the meeting is in a specific room or building, type that in the "Location" field so attendees know where to go.

In the description box (sometimes labeled "Notes" or "Details"), you can paste an agenda, explain what the meeting is about, or add instructions. If you want to hold the meeting online, click "Add online meeting" and Outlook generates a Teams or Skype link automatically — the link appears in the invite so attendees can join by clicking it.

You can also set a reminder so Outlook alerts you before the meeting starts. The default is 15 minutes before, but you can change it to 5 minutes, 30 minutes, or any other interval you prefer.

How to add multiple attendees at once

Type the first person's email address in the "Attendees" field, then press Enter or Tab. The field stays open so you can type the next address. Keep adding addresses this way until everyone is listed. If you have a group email address (like "marketing-team@company.com"), you can type that instead and Outlook sends the invite to everyone in the group.

If you start typing a name and Outlook shows suggestions from your contacts, click the name to add it — this is faster than typing the full email address. You can also click the "Add Attendees" button (the icon that looks like a person with a plus sign) to open your contact list and select people from there.

The difference between required and optional attendees

By default, everyone you add is a "required" attendee — Outlook expects them to attend and tracks their response. If someone does not need to be there but might want to know what happens, mark them as "optional" instead. Click on a name in the attendees list and look for a dropdown or checkbox that says "Required" or "Optional."

Optional attendees still get the invite and can accept or decline, but their absence does not affect whether the meeting happens. This is useful for people who might want to join but have conflicting priorities, or for people who just need to stay informed.

Sending the invite and tracking responses

Once you have filled in the event name, time, attendees, and any other details, click the "Send" button at the top of the form. Outlook sends the invite when ready and closes the form. The event appears on your calendar right away, even though attendees have not responded yet.

Go back to the event on your calendar to see who has responded. Click on the event and look at the attendee list — you will see a checkmark next to people who accepted, a question mark next to people who are tentative, and an X next to people who declined. If someone has not responded yet, their name appears without a symbol.

What to do if you need to change the invite after sending

Click on the event in your calendar to open it, then click "Edit" (or double-click the event). Make whatever changes you need — time, location, description, or attendees. When you click "Send Update," Outlook asks whether you want to notify attendees of the change. If you choose yes, they receive an email telling them what changed. If you choose no, the change only appears on your calendar.

If you need to cancel the meeting entirely, open the event, click "Delete," and choose whether to send a cancellation notice. Attendees who already accepted will receive a message saying the meeting is off.

Troubleshooting common problems

If an attendee says they never received the invite, check that you spelled their email address correctly. Typos are the most common reason. Open the event, look at the attendee list, and verify each address. If the address is wrong, remove the person and add them again with the correct spelling, then send an update.

If Outlook will not let you send the invite, you may not have permission to schedule meetings in your organization, or your account may have a restriction. Contact your IT department or email administrator. If you are using Outlook on the web and the Send button is grayed out, make sure you have filled in at least the event name and time.

If attendees are not seeing the online meeting link, make sure you clicked "Add online meeting" before sending the invite. If you forgot, edit the event, add the link, and send an update to notify them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I send a calendar invite to someone outside my organization?

Yes. Type their email address in the attendees field just as you would for someone inside your organization. They receive the invite in their inbox and can accept or decline. Their response comes back to you the same way as an internal attendee's would.

What happens if I send an invite and then realize I made a mistake?

Open the event on your calendar, click Edit, fix the mistake, and click Send Update. Choose whether to notify attendees. If the mistake is small (like a typo in the location), you may not need to notify them. If the time or date changed, definitely send a notification so they see the correction.

Can attendees see who else is invited to the meeting?

Yes. When they open the invite, they can see the full list of attendees and their responses. If you want to keep the attendee list private, you will need to use a different scheduling method, as Outlook does not have a built-in option to hide it.

What if someone accepts the invite but then cannot make it?

They can open the invite in their email and click Decline to change their response. You will see the update on your calendar automatically. You can also reach out to them directly to discuss rescheduling.

Do I need to send a separate email after sending the calendar invite?

Not usually. The calendar invite itself is the notification. If you want to add context or explain why the meeting matters, you can type that in the event description before sending. For very important meetings, some people send a follow-up email, but it is not required.