How to fix Outlook calendar events showing as 'Free' instead of 'Busy' to colleagues in Microsoft 365

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to fix Outlook calendar events showing as 'Free' instead of 'Busy' to colleagues in Microsoft 365. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

When your Outlook calendar appointments show as Free to your colleagues, they can book meetings over the top of your existing commitments without realising it. This usually happens because the default availability setting on a new appointment is set to Free, or a custom view is overriding your normal working hours. The steps below will walk you through restoring the correct Busy status so your colleagues see your true availability across Microsoft 365.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Open the affected appointment in Outlook and check the Show As status on the Appointment tab.
2. Change Show As from Free to Busy, then click Save & Close.
3. Open Outlook on the web (outlook.office.com) and verify the appointment now displays as Busy.
4. If the issue persists, check your working hours and calendar permissions in Outlook on the web > Settings > Calendar.

Detailed Instructions

Step 1: Check the Show As status on the appointment

1. Open Outlook on your desktop or via outlook.office.com.
2. Double-click the appointment that is appearing as Free.
3. On the Appointment ribbon, locate the Show As dropdown in the Options group.
4. If it reads Free, click the dropdown and select Busy.
5. Click Save & Close.

Step 2: Review default Show As status for events created from email

1. In Outlook on the web, click the Settings cog (top right), then select View all Outlook settings.
2. Go to Calendar > Events from email and review the default Show as option for automatically created events.
3. Change any Free defaults to Busy or Tentative as appropriate.
4. Click Save.

Step 3: Confirm your working hours are set correctly

1. In Outlook on the web, go to Settings > View all Outlook settings > Calendar > Working hours.
2. Confirm your working days, start time, and end time reflect your actual schedule.
3. Set your Time zone to match your correct local time zone.
4. Click Save.

Step 4: Verify calendar sharing permissions

1. In Outlook on the web, go to Settings > View all Outlook settings > Calendar > Sharing and permissions.
2. Confirm colleagues have at least Can view when I'm busy access. For full transparency, choose Can view all details.
3. Click Save if changes are made.

Step 5: Check for conflicting rules or third-party add-ins

1. In Outlook on the web, go to Settings > View all Outlook settings > Mail > Rules.
2. Review any rules that may be modifying calendar items and change their Show As status.
3. In the classic Outlook desktop app, click File > Options > Add-ins and disable any non-Microsoft calendar add-ins temporarily to test.
4. Restart Outlook and recheck your calendar.

Troubleshooting

Appointments still show as Free after following the steps

• Wait 5 to 10 minutes for changes to propagate across Microsoft 365 services.
• Ask a colleague to refresh their Outlook view by pressing F5 on the calendar.
• Check the appointment from a different device or Outlook on the web to rule out a local caching issue.

Mobile devices show different availability

• Open the Outlook mobile app and ensure you are signed in with the same Microsoft 365 account.
• Pull down on the calendar to refresh and resync.
• Confirm the mobile app has calendar permissions enabled in your phone settings.

Recurring appointments revert to Free

• Open the recurring series and change the Show As status on the entire series, not just a single occurrence.
• Save the series and verify a few occurrences in the web view.

Still Having Issues?