Need to see someone else’s Outlook calendar without guessing when they are free? Outlook shows shared calendars, coworker calendars, group calendars, family calendars, mailbox calendars, and published calendars when the owner, group, or admin has allowed access.
Start with the path that matches how the calendar was shared with you. If the calendar still will not open, the fix is permission access, not another hidden Outlook setting.
1. Open a Calendar Invitation First
When someone has already shared a calendar with you, the invitation email is the fastest way in. Open the calendar sharing invitation email, select Accept, then go to Calendar.
Select the shared calendar from your calendar list. In classic Outlook for Windows and Outlook for Mac it lands under Shared Calendars. In new Outlook for Windows, choose Show all in the calendar list and look under People’s calendars.
The owner’s permission controls what you see: busy time, titles and locations, all details, editing access, or delegate access.
2. Add a Coworker Calendar in New Outlook
Open Calendar, select Add calendar, and choose Add from directory. Select the user whose calendar you want to add.
Open the calendar list and choose Show all, then go to People’s calendars. Select the calendar you added.
For work or school accounts in new Outlook for Windows, this adds people from your organization directory. Use Split view to show multiple calendars side by side. Personal Outlook accounts need a sharing invitation before this works.
3. Use Outlook on the Web for People and Rooms
Outlook on the web has two useful paths, depending on whether you are adding a directory calendar or opening a published calendar. For someone, a group, or a resource in your organization, open Calendar, select Add calendar, and choose Add a person’s calendar.
Type the person, group, or resource name, then select Save. For the older web menu path, open the App launcher, go to Calendar, right-click Other calendars, and choose Open calendar.
Select From directory for an internal calendar, enter the person’s name, then select Open. Select Internet calendar for an external calendar, enter the ICS URL, then select Open. Calendars opened from Other calendars do not appear in every Outlook client unless the owner shares the calendar with you.
4. Open an Exchange Calendar in Classic Outlook
Go to Calendar, select Home, and choose Add Calendar. Select Open Shared Calendar.
Type the person’s name in Name, or select Name and choose the person from the address book. Classic Outlook for Windows uses the shared calendar command for Exchange calendars.
This opens the person’s default Calendar. To remove it, right-click the calendar and choose Delete Calendar.
5. Find a Shared Calendar on Mac or Mobile
Outlook for Mac opens another person’s calendar through the other user’s folder command. You and the calendar owner both need a Microsoft Exchange account, and the owner has to grant you permission first. Once it opens, the calendar sits under the Shared Calendars heading in the folder pane.
Select File, choose Open, and select Other User’s Folder.... Set Folder Type to Calendar.
Type the name of the person who granted access in the Search box, then select the person’s name. Choose Open.
For a shared or delegated mailbox calendar on Mac, use Tools > Accounts, choose the account that has access, open Delegation and Sharing, select Shared With Me, then select + to add the shared or delegated mailbox. You can also use File > Open > Shared Mailbox.
Outlook for Mac supports Full Access permissions for shared mailboxes, and auto-mapping is not supported. On Outlook for iOS or Android, open the Calendar section.
Tap the Menu button in the top-left corner, then tap the + button in the top-left corner. Choose Add Shared Calendar on iOS or Add a shared calendar on Android.
Search for a person, room, or mailbox in your organization. Tap + next to the result.
6. Check Availability With Scheduling Assistant
Go to Inbox > New Items > Meeting, or go to Calendar > New Meeting. Add people under Required or Optional, then select Scheduling Assistant from the ribbon.
You do not need to open the full calendar just to pick a meeting time. Scheduling Assistant shows free and busy time when sharing or organization settings allow it.
Busy times appear in dark blue, tentative blocks appear in light blue hashed blocks, and outside working hours appears in light gray. Skip older instructions for Suggested Times; Microsoft points current Outlook users to Scheduling Assistant.
7. Subscribe to a Published Calendar Link
If someone gives you an ICS or iCal URL, subscribe when you want updates from that calendar. In Outlook.com or Outlook on the web, go to Calendar, select Add calendar, and choose Subscribe from web.
Paste the ICS or iCal URL. Select Import in Outlook.com, or select Import and then Save in Outlook on the web.
In classic Outlook, use Home > Add Calendar > From Internet, paste the URL, choose OK, then select Yes. A subscription receives updates. An imported ICS file is a one-time snapshot.
8. Use Group and Family Calendars
Open Calendar, go to the folder list, and select Groups. Choose your group, then view the calendar by Day, Week, Work week, or Month.
For a Microsoft 365 Group calendar, membership comes first. Once you are a member, use the steps above.
For an Outlook.com family calendar, go to family.microsoft.com and sign in, select Add a family member, enter the person’s email address or mobile phone number, choose Organizer or Member, select Next, choose Invite, then in Outlook.com, open Groups > Your family from the left navigation pane.
The family group calendar appears in Outlook.com and Outlook mobile.
9. Ask for Permission When Access Fails
There is no system button in Windows or macOS that grants access to another person’s Outlook calendar. The calendar owner, the organization default, or an admin controls visibility.
The owner can share from new Outlook or Outlook on the web: open Calendar, select Home, and choose Share Calendar.
Open Sharing and permissions, enter your email address or name, and choose Can view when I’m busy, Can view titles and locations, Can view all details, Can edit, or Delegate. Select Share.
Can edit and Delegate only work for people inside the organization; anyone outside it is limited to the view-only levels. Delegate access also needs a work or school account in Microsoft 365 or Exchange Online, and delegates can only be assigned to the owner’s primary calendar.
For delegate access, the owner can also allow Let delegate view private events. On managed Microsoft 365 accounts, admins control external calendar sharing and folder permissions through Microsoft 365 admin settings, Exchange sharing policies, or Exchange PowerShell.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I view someone’s Outlook calendar without them sending an invite?
Yes, when your work or school account has directory access or your organization already exposes the right free/busy visibility. Otherwise, the owner or an admin must grant permission.
Why does Outlook show only busy blocks?
You have limited free/busy access. The owner must share a higher permission level, such as titles and locations, all details, edit access, or delegate access.
Can Copilot find a meeting time in Outlook?
Yes, with a Microsoft 365 Copilot Work license and the right calendar permissions. Use the Copilot button in Outlook and ask it to schedule a meeting with the named attendees. Copilot chat in Outlook schedules meetings with up to two other people, or adds other events such as focus time to your calendar.
Can a delegate search another person’s calendar with Copilot?
Yes, after the delegate has calendar permissions and a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Copilot only returns calendar items the delegate already has permission to access.
How do I stop seeing someone’s shared calendar?
In classic Outlook, right-click the shared calendar and choose Delete Calendar. In Outlook.com, use More options next to the calendar and choose Remove. This removes it from your view; it does not revoke the owner’s sharing permissions.