Headed out for PTO or travel in the next few weeks?
Want teammates to clearly see you’re unavailable?
Have you noticed more “I thought you were free” moments lately?
If you’re heading out for PTO or a holiday, setting your Outlook calendar events to “Out of office” is the key to making sure coworkers clearly see you’re unavailable. In the New Outlook, all‑day events now default to “Free,” which means your calendar may look open even when you’re actually out. Updating the “Show as” setting ensures your time is properly blocked, prevents accidental meeting invites, and keeps your schedule accurate across Microsoft 365. In this post, you’ll learn how to set your day to “Out of office,” why the new default can cause confusion, and how to make sure your calendar reflects your real availability.
When creating your out‑of‑office calendar entry, select All day AND change the Show as drop‑down to Out of office or Busy. This ensures your calendar looks blocked to others. 🗝️
Note: In older Outlook versions, all‑day events could default to busy so this may be a new step for you.
In the New Outlook, all‑day events default to Free, so your calendar won’t be blocked unless you change Show as. That’s why we’re seeing more “I thought you were free” moments.
To block your calendar when you’re out:
• Open Outlook Calendar and select New event
• Give it a clear title (e.g., Out of Office — Holiday)
• Toggle All day
• Set Show as to Out of office (or Busy)
• Optionally add a note for your return date
• Save
Bonus Tips:
• For multi‑day time off, create one All day event spanning your dates
• Double‑check Show as after saving (it should display Out of office/Busy)
• Add a color/category so it stands outInsert Text & Images here
✔️Tip unlocked. See you next time!