How to fix Outlook calendar showing the wrong week start (Monday vs Sunday) for Australian users

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to fix Outlook calendar showing the wrong week start (Monday vs Sunday) for Australian users. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

By default, Microsoft Outlook may display your calendar with the week starting on Sunday, which doesn't align with Australian business conventions where the working week begins on Monday. This guide will walk you through changing your Outlook calendar settings so the week starts on Monday, whether you're using the desktop application, Outlook on the web, or the new Outlook for Windows.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Open Outlook on your device.
2. Navigate to File > Options > Calendar (desktop) or Settings > Calendar > View (web/new Outlook).
3. Locate the First day of the week setting.
4. Select Monday from the dropdown menu.
5. Click OK or Save to apply the change.

Detailed Instructions

Microsoft Outlook for Windows (Classic Desktop)

1. Open Outlook on your computer.
2. Click File in the top-left corner of the ribbon.
3. Select Options from the left-hand menu.
4. In the Outlook Options window, click Calendar in the left sidebar.
5. Scroll down to the Display options section.
6. Find First day of the week and click the dropdown menu.
7. Select Monday.
8. Click OK to save your changes.

New Outlook for Windows

1. Open the New Outlook application.
2. Click the Settings icon (gear symbol) in the top-right corner.
3. Select Calendar from the left-hand settings menu.
4. Click View under the Calendar options.
5. Under First day of the week, choose Monday.
6. Close the settings pane — your changes are saved automatically.

Outlook on the Web (Microsoft 365)

1. Sign in to Outlook on the web via your browser or Microsoft 365 portal.
2. Click the Settings icon (gear symbol) in the top-right corner.
3. Select View all Outlook settings at the bottom of the panel.
4. In the Settings window, choose Calendar from the left sidebar.
5. Click View under the Calendar options.
6. Under First day of the week, select Monday.
7. Click Save to apply the change.

Outlook for Mac

1. Open Outlook on your Mac.
2. Click Outlook in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
3. Select Settings (on newer versions) or Preferences (on older versions).
4. Click Calendar in the settings window.
5. Scroll to the View section.
6. Under First day of the week, select Monday.
7. Close the settings window — your changes are saved automatically.

Outlook Mobile (iOS and Android)

The Outlook mobile app generally follows the system locale settings of your device. To change the first day of the week:

On iOS:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap General > Language & Region.
3. Tap Region and select Australia or another region where Monday is the first day of the week.

On Android:

1. Open the Settings app on your device.
2. Navigate to System > Languages & input > Languages.
3. Ensure English (Australia) is set as the primary language, or adjust your regional settings to a region where Monday is the first day of the week.

Troubleshooting

Settings aren't saving or the change isn't appearing

• Ensure you're signed in with the correct account if you manage multiple mailboxes.
• Close and reopen Outlook to force a refresh of your calendar view.
• Check that your organisation's Microsoft 365 administrator hasn't enforced a specific regional setting via group policy.

Calendar still shows Sunday as the first day

• Verify the setting was applied by returning to the same menu and checking the selection.
• If you're using a shared or delegated mailbox, the setting may only apply to your primary account.
• Try restarting Outlook completely to ensure the new settings are loaded.

Regional settings are overriding Outlook settings

• On Windows, check your system regional settings by going to Settings > Time & Language > Language & Region and ensuring the region is set to Australia or another country where Monday is the first day of the week.
• On Mac, verify System Settings > General > Language & Region is set to Australia.
• After changing system regional settings, restart Outlook for the changes to take effect.

Setting reverts after restarting Outlook

• This typically indicates a policy being applied by your Microsoft 365 administrator.
• Contact your IT administrator to confirm whether calendar display settings are managed centrally.

Still Having Issues?