How to fix Microsoft Bookings calendar not syncing with staff Outlook calendars in Microsoft 365

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to fix Microsoft Bookings calendar not syncing with staff Outlook calendars in Microsoft 365. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Microsoft Bookings allows your staff to manage appointments through a shared scheduling page. For this to work accurately, each staff member's Microsoft 365 calendar must sync with Bookings so that existing Outlook appointments are reflected as unavailable time slots. If staff availability is not appearing correctly, it is usually due to permission issues, calendar selection errors, or licensing conflicts.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Verify that the staff member has a valid Microsoft 365 licence that includes Exchange Online.
2. Ensure the staff member is added to the Bookings calendar as a staff member within the Bookings app.
3. Ask the staff member to open Outlook and confirm their calendar is visible and syncing.
4. Refresh the Bookings page or log out and back into Microsoft 365.

Detailed Instructions

Add and Configure Staff in Microsoft Bookings

1. Open Microsoft Bookings from the Microsoft 365 app launcher.
2. Select your booking calendar from the list.
3. In the left navigation menu, click Staff.
4. Click Add staff and select the affected staff member from your organisation's directory.
5. Ensure the staff member's status is set to Active.
6. Click on the staff member's name to open their details.
7. Under Calendar, confirm that the correct Outlook calendar is selected for syncing.
8. Click Save to apply any changes.
9. Ask the staff member to accept any permission prompts to allow Bookings to access their Outlook calendar.

Verify Outlook Calendar Availability

1. Ask the staff member to open Outlook (desktop or web).
2. Navigate to their Calendar view.
3. Ensure appointments are marked as Busy or Out of Office, not Free or Tentative, as Bookings only blocks time for busy statuses.
4. Check that the calendar being used is their primary @yourorganisation.com.au mailbox and not a shared or secondary calendar.

Re-sync the Calendar Connection

1. In Microsoft Bookings, go to Staff and select the affected staff member.
2. Remove the staff member from the booking calendar and re-add them to refresh the connection.
3. Click Save.
4. Wait up to 15 minutes for the sync to process, then check if availability updates in the Bookings calendar.

Troubleshooting

Staff Member Not Appearing in Bookings

• Confirm the user has a Microsoft 365 licence assigned in the admin centre.
• Ensure the user is not an external guest account; they must be an internal member of your organisation.
• Check that the user has signed into Outlook at least once to initialise their mailbox.

Appointments Not Blocking Time in Bookings

• Verify that Outlook appointments are set to Busy, not Free.
• Check for duplicate calendars in the staff member's Outlook profile.
• Ensure the staff member is not using a shared mailbox as their primary calendar in Bookings.

Sync Delays or Missing Updates

• Microsoft 365 calendar sync can take up to 15 minutes to reflect changes.
• Ask the staff member to restart Outlook to force a refresh.
• Clear the browser cache if accessing Bookings via a web browser.

If you have completed these steps and staff availability is still not syncing correctly, Open a Ticket with our support team for further assistance.

Still Having Issues?