How to fix timezone discrepancies in calendar invites for Outlook and Google Calendar

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to fix timezone discrepancies in calendar invites for Outlook and Google Calendar. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

When Outlook and Google Calendar use different timezone settings, meeting times can appear incorrect for recipients. This guide walks you through aligning the timezone configuration in both applications, fixing existing invites, and preventing future mismatches.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Confirm your computer’s timezone is correct in Settings → Time & language → Date & time.
2. In Outlook, verify the calendar timezone:
   1. Open Outlook.
   2. Go to File → Options → Calendar.
   3. Under Time zones, ensure the correct zone is selected and tick Show a second time zone if you work across regions.
3. In Google Calendar, check the timezone:
   1. Open Google Calendar in a browser.
   2. Select Settings ⚙️ → Settings.
   3. Under Time zone, choose the same zone as in Outlook.
4. Resend the affected meeting invite after both calendars show the same timezone.

Detailed Instructions

1. Align Operating System Timezone

1. Press Win + I to open Windows Settings.
2. Navigate to Time & language → Date & time.
3. Turn Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically on, or manually select your local zone from the dropdown.
4. Click Sync now to apply changes.

2. Configure Outlook Desktop

1. Open Outlook and click File in the top‑left corner.
2. Select Options, then choose Calendar from the left pane.
3. In the Time zones section:
   • Set Current time zone to your local zone.
   • Optionally, tick Adjust for daylight saving time automatically.
4. Press OK to save.

3. Configure Outlook on the Web (OWA)

1. Log into Outlook on the web.
2. Click the Settings gear icon, then choose View all Outlook settings.
3. Go to Calendar → View.
4. Under Time zones, select the correct zone and click Save.

4. Configure Google Calendar

1. Open Google Calendar in your preferred browser.
2. Click the Settings gear icon and select Settings.
3. In the General tab, find the Time zone section.
4. Choose the same timezone you set in Outlook and click Save at the bottom of the page.

5. Correct Existing Invites

1. Open the original meeting in Outlook.
2. Click Edit, then verify the Start time and End time reflect the correct zone.
3. In the Options dropdown, ensure Time zone is set to Same as my calendar.
4. Save and Send Update.
5. For Google Calendar invites, open the event, click the pencil icon to edit, adjust the timezone if needed, then Save.

Mobile Apps

Outlook Mobile

1. Open the Outlook app on your iOS or Android device.
2. Tap your profile icon or the Settings gear.
3. Tap Calendar.
4. Verify the timezone matches your desktop settings.

Google Calendar Mobile

1. Open the Google Calendar app.
2. Tap the Menu icon, then Settings.
3. Tap General.
4. Tap Time zone and select your local zone.

Daylight Saving Time Warning

Scheduling Across Different Timezones

When you are the organiser and your attendees are in different regions, use the built-in timezone pickers to avoid confusion.

Outlook

1. Create a new meeting.
2. Click Time zones next to the start and end time fields.
3. Select the appropriate zone for the meeting.
4. Send the invite; attendees will see the time converted to their own calendar settings.

Google Calendar

1. Create a new event.
2. Click More options.
3. Find the Time zone dropdown under the date and time fields.
4. Select the correct zone and Save.

Troubleshooting

Invite Still Shows Wrong Time

• Verify both sender and recipient have the correct timezone set in their respective calendars.
• Open the event details and confirm the timezone shown matches the intended meeting time.
• Ensure daylight saving settings are enabled in both Outlook and Google Calendar.
• Ask the recipient to refresh their calendar or restart the app.

Recurring Meetings Drift Over Time

• Open the series in Outlook, confirm the Recurrence pattern uses the correct timezone.
• In Google Calendar, edit the series and verify the Timezone field under More options is set correctly.
• If the problem persists, delete the series and recreate it after confirming both calendars are synchronised.

Calendar Sync Services (e.g., Microsoft 365, G Suite) Show Different Times

• Log into the admin portal (Microsoft 365 admin centre or Google Workspace admin console) and confirm the organisational default timezone matches your local zone.
• Ask users to refresh their calendar cache: in Outlook, File → Options → Advanced → Send/Receive → Send/Receive All; in Google Calendar, clear browser cache and reload.

If you have followed these steps and the issue remains, please Open a Ticket for further assistance.

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