Outlook calendar visibility wizard

Open the Calendar view and click "Share" in the toolbar — or right-click the calendar in the left panel and choose "Sharing and permissions".

Pick the calendar you're sharing, then type the person's name or email address.

Choose their permission level: "Can view when I'm busy", "Can view titles and locations", "Can view all details", "Can edit", or "Delegate".

Click "Share". They receive an email invitation, and the calendar appears in their Outlook once they accept.

In the Calendar view, click "Share Calendar" on the Home ribbon and pick the calendar.

In the Calendar Properties dialog that opens, click "Add…" and select the person from the address book.

With their name selected, choose a permission level in the list below, then click OK.

They receive a sharing invitation by email and the calendar appears under "Shared Calendars" once accepted.

In the Calendar view, Control-click the calendar in the sidebar and choose "Sharing Permissions…" (in legacy Outlook for Mac: "Calendar Permissions" on the ribbon).

Click "Add User", search for the person, and select them.

Pick their permission level and save — they'll receive an invitation to accept.

Click Settings (gear icon) → "Calendar" → "Shared calendars".

Under "Publish a calendar", select the calendar and choose how much to show: "Can view when I'm busy", "Can view titles and locations", or "Can view all details".

Click "Publish" — Outlook generates two links: an HTML link (readable in any browser) and an ICS link (for subscribing in other calendar apps).

Send either link. Anyone who has it can view the calendar without signing in.

Classic Outlook for Windows can't publish a calendar by itself — publishing lives in Outlook on the web.

Sign in at outlook.office.com (work/school) or outlook.com (personal) and open Settings → Calendar → "Shared calendars".

Publish the calendar there and copy the HTML or ICS link. It's the same mailbox, so the published calendar contains everything you see in classic Outlook.

Outlook for Mac can't publish a public link either — use Outlook on the web.

Sign in at outlook.office.com (work/school) or outlook.com (personal) and open Settings → Calendar → "Shared calendars".

Under "Publish a calendar", pick the calendar and detail level, click "Publish", and copy the HTML or ICS link.

Right-click your calendar in the left panel and choose "Sharing and permissions".

On a work or school account, find the "People in my organization" entry and set it to "Can view when I'm busy".

Lower any individually-shared person to "Can view when I'm busy" too, if they shouldn't see details.

Publishing publicly? Choose "Can view when I'm busy" as the publish level under Settings → Calendar → "Shared calendars".

Click "Calendar Permissions" on the Home ribbon to open the Permissions tab.

Select the "Default" entry — this governs what everyone in your organization sees.

Set its permission level to "Free/Busy time" (or "Free/Busy time, subject, location" if titles are fine).

Click OK. Entries for specific people in the same list override the default for them.

Control-click the calendar in the sidebar and choose "Sharing Permissions…".

Set the organization/default entry to "Free/Busy time".

Lower individual entries the same way if those people shouldn't see details.

Right-click the calendar in the left panel → "Sharing and permissions", and review every entry in the list.

Remove people with the trash icon; on a work account, set "People in my organization" to "Can view when I'm busy" — or "Not shared" if your organization allows it.

Open Settings → Calendar → "Shared calendars" and unpublish any published links.

For single sensitive events, open the event and toggle "Private" (the lock icon) — even people with full access then see only a locked "Private appointment" block.

Click "Calendar Permissions" on the Home ribbon; set "Default" to "None" and remove any entries you don't recognize.

Beware: "None" also blocks coworkers from seeing your free/busy in the scheduling assistant — "Free/Busy time" is the usual compromise.

For single events, select the event and click the "Private" lock icon in the Tags group of the ribbon.

Control-click the calendar → "Sharing Permissions…" and remove or downgrade every entry you don't want.

For single events, open the event and enable the "Private" toggle (padlock).

If the calendar was ever published, unpublish it from Outlook on the web (Settings → Calendar → "Shared calendars").

Right-click the calendar in the left panel and choose "Sharing and permissions".

The list shows every person and group with access — and their exact permission level.

Change a level with its dropdown, or remove access with the trash icon.

Then check Settings → Calendar → "Shared calendars": any published link listed there is readable by whoever holds the URL — unpublish what you don't recognize.

Click "Calendar Permissions" on the Home ribbon.

The Permissions tab lists every user with access — including "Default" (everyone in your organization) and "Anonymous".

Adjust levels or remove entries, then click OK.

Control-click the calendar in the sidebar and choose "Sharing Permissions…".

The sheet lists everyone with access and their level; adjust or remove entries there.

Also check for published links in Outlook on the web (Settings → Calendar → "Shared calendars").