TECH TIP - Change your status on Outlook meetings where you are not the organizer


Typically, when you are invited to an Outlook/Teams meeting and accept the invitation, your calendar is then blocked off for the meeting and your status is shown as busy. This is fine and great for most circumstances. But what if you don't want that meeting to block out your calendar? What if you still want your calendar to appear free or tentative during that block of time?


The simple answer, after accepting the meeting request, open the meeting in Outlook and just change your status.


WARNING: These steps are for scenarios when you are not the meeting organizer and have already accepted the meeting.


  1. In Outlook, find and open the meeting.
  2. From the menu, choose the status you'd like. This is does not inform the organizer and is saved only for you.
Classic Outlook
New Outlook

*Shout out to Emily Driscoll for pointing this out. Thanks!