Outlook Calendar: Share, Open, Publish, and Subscribe

This article explains how to use Outlook calendar features, including sharing your calendar, opening a shared calendar, opening an iCalendar (ICS) file, publishing a calendar, and subscribing to a calendar from the web.
Before you begin: Outlook calendar options may vary depending on whether you are using Outlook on the web, classic Outlook for Windows, new Outlook for Windows, Outlook for Mac, or the Outlook mobile app.

Outlook Calendar Overview ▾

Your Outlook calendar lets you create and track appointments, meetings, and events. You can also create multiple calendars, view calendars shared with you, share your calendar with others, and subscribe to calendars from the web.

  • Outlook on the web: Access your calendar from a supported browser by signing in to Outlook on the web.
  • Outlook desktop app: Access your calendar through Outlook on Windows or Mac.
  • Outlook mobile app: Access your calendar from the Outlook app on iPhone, iPad, or Android.

Share Your Calendar and Edit Permissions ▾

Use these steps to share your Outlook calendar with another person and choose what they can view or edit.

Step 1: Open Calendar Settings

  1. Open Outlook.
  2. Go to the Calendar view.

Outlook calendar view

  1. Select Share Calendar from the top menu or ribbon.

Share Calendar option in Outlook

Step 2: Choose a Calendar to Share

  1. A list of available calendars may appear.
  2. Select the calendar you want to share.

Choose a calendar to share

Step 3: Add People to Share With

  1. Select Add.
  2. Enter the email address of the person you want to share your calendar with.

Add a person to share calendar with

  1. Select the person from the list, then select Add.
  2. Select OK to confirm.

Confirm person added to calendar sharing

Step 4: Set Permission Levels

  1. After adding the person, select their permission level from the drop-down menu.
  • Can view when I’m busy: Shows only free/busy availability.
  • Can view titles and locations: Shows availability, event titles, and locations.
  • Can view all details: Shows full event details.
  • Can edit: Allows the person to make changes to the calendar.
  1. Select OK or Share to save changes, depending on your Outlook version.

Calendar permission levels

Note: Some permission levels may not be available for every account type, calendar type, or recipient.

Open a Shared Calendar from an Email Invitation ▾

If someone shares a calendar with you, Outlook may send an email invitation that lets you accept the shared calendar.

Step 1: Open the Email Invitation

  1. Open Outlook.
  2. Locate the calendar sharing invitation in your inbox. The subject may appear as Sharing invitation: Calendar or similar.
  3. Select Accept at the top of the email.

Accept calendar sharing invitation

Step 2: View the Shared Calendar

  1. Go to the Calendar view in Outlook.

Outlook Calendar view

  1. The shared calendar should appear under Shared Calendars or a similar calendar group.
  2. Select the calendar name to display it.

Shared calendar listed in Outlook

Manually Open a Shared Calendar ▾

Use these steps if you need to manually add a calendar that has been shared with you.

Note: The steps and button names may vary between classic Outlook, new Outlook, Outlook on the web, and Outlook for Mac.

Classic Outlook for Windows

  1. Open Microsoft Outlook.
  2. Go to the Calendar view.

Open Calendar view in Outlook

  1. Select the Home tab.
  2. In the Manage Calendars group, select Add Calendar.
  3. Select Open Shared Calendar.

Open Shared Calendar option in classic Outlook

  1. In the Open a Shared Calendar window, enter the name or email address of the person who shared the calendar.
  2. Select OK.

Enter name or email address for shared calendar

  1. The shared calendar will appear in your calendar list.

Shared calendar appears in calendar list

Outlook on the web or new Outlook

  1. Open Outlook and go to Calendar.
  2. Select Add calendar.
  3. Choose the option for adding a calendar from the directory, people, or shared calendars, depending on your Outlook version.
  4. Search for the person, room, or shared mailbox calendar.
  5. Select the calendar, then select Add or Import.

Open a Shared Calendar in Outlook Mobile ▾

Use these steps to add a shared calendar in the Outlook mobile app.

Step 1: Open Calendar

  1. Open the Outlook app on your mobile device.
  2. Tap the Calendar icon.

Step 2: Add a Shared Calendar

  1. Tap the menu, profile, or initials icon in the upper-left corner.
  2. Tap the Add Calendar or plus (+) icon.

Add calendar option in Outlook mobile

Step 3: Select Add Shared Calendars

  1. Tap Add Shared Calendars or Add shared calendar.
  2. Search for the person, room, or shared mailbox calendar.
  3. Select the correct calendar from the list.

Add shared calendar in Outlook mobile

Step 4: View the Shared Calendar

  1. The shared calendar will appear in your calendar list.
  2. Tap the calendar to enable or disable its display.
  3. Tap any event to view its details.

Shared calendar visible in Outlook mobile

Open an iCalendar (ICS) File in Classic Outlook ▾

Use this section if someone shared an iCalendar (ICS) file or ICS calendar link with you and you want to open it in classic Outlook for Windows.

Important: These steps are intended for classic Outlook for Windows. They are not intended for Outlook on the web or new Outlook.
  1. Download the ICS calendar file or select the ICS calendar link that was shared with you.
  2. Open classic Outlook for Windows.
  3. Select File > Open & Export.
  4. Depending on your Outlook version, select Open Calendar or select Import/Export, then choose Import an iCalendar (.ics) or vCalendar file (.vcs).
  5. Select the downloaded ICS file, then select OK.

Open ICS calendar file in Outlook

  1. If an Outlook security notice appears, verify that the calendar file or link is legitimate before continuing.
  2. Select Yes to continue if you trust the source.

Outlook security notice for calendar file

  1. Select Open as New to open the ICS calendar as a separate calendar.

Open ICS calendar as new calendar

After the calendar is added, you can rename it so the calendar name is easier to identify.

Note: Importing an ICS file adds calendar events to Outlook. Subscribing to an online ICS calendar is different because subscribed calendars can receive updates from the source calendar.

Publish an Outlook Calendar ▾

Publishing a calendar creates a link that others can use to view or subscribe to the calendar. This is usually best for departmental or shared calendars rather than personal calendars.

Recommendation: Published calendars should usually be created from a departmental or shared account, not from a personal account.
  1. Sign in to Outlook on the web using the account that owns the calendar.
  2. Go to the Calendar view.
  3. Select Settings, usually shown as a gear icon.
  4. Select Calendar.
  5. Select Shared calendars.
  6. Under Publish a calendar, choose the calendar you want to publish.
  7. Select how much detail people can see.
  8. Select Publish.

Publishing link options

  • HTML link: Allows recipients to open the calendar in a browser.
  • ICS link: Allows recipients to subscribe to the calendar in Outlook or another calendar app.
Important: Only share published calendar links with the intended audience. Anyone with the link may be able to view the calendar based on the selected publishing permissions.

Subscribe to a Calendar from the Web ▾

Use these steps if you received an ICS subscription link and want the calendar to appear alongside your Outlook calendars.

  1. Sign in to Outlook on the web.
  2. Go to the Calendar view.
  3. Select Add calendar.
  4. Select Subscribe from web.
  5. Paste or enter the ICS link provided to you.
  6. Enter a calendar name.
  7. Select a color or charm if desired.
  8. Choose the calendar list where the subscribed calendar should appear.
  9. Select Import.
  10. The subscribed calendar will appear in your calendar list.
Note: Subscribed calendar events will use the color you select in Outlook and may not reflect the colors selected by the calendar owner.

Troubleshooting ▾

  • If you do not see a shared calendar, confirm that the calendar owner shared it with the correct FAU email address.
  • If a shared calendar does not appear on mobile, try adding it directly from the Outlook mobile app using the Add Shared Calendar option.
  • If you cannot edit a shared calendar, ask the calendar owner to confirm that you were granted edit permissions.
  • If you imported an ICS file but do not see updates later, the file may have been imported instead of subscribed to.
  • If a published calendar link does not work, ask the calendar owner to confirm that the calendar is still published and that the correct HTML or ICS link was shared.
  • If options look different, confirm whether you are using Outlook on the web, classic Outlook, new Outlook, Outlook for Mac, or Outlook mobile.

Still Need Help?

If you need help sharing, opening, publishing, or subscribing to an Outlook calendar, please contact the Help Desk at 561-297-3999 for assistance.

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