How to Send a Calendar Invite in Outlook

To send a calendar invite in Outlook, open your calendar, create a New Event (or New Meeting), add the people you want in the attendee field, set the date and time, and select Send. Outlook emails everyone an invitation they can accept, decline, or mark tentative, and the event lands on your calendar and theirs. The exact buttons differ slightly between new Outlook for Windows, Outlook on the web, classic Outlook, and the mobile app, so this guide covers all four, plus how to separate required and optional attendees and how to edit or resend an invite later.

Send a calendar invite in new Outlook for Windows

New Outlook for Windows is the redesigned client Microsoft now ships by default. The flow mirrors Outlook on the web.

1. Select the Calendar icon in the left navigation pane.
2. On the Home tab, select New Event.
3. Type a title in the event name field.
4. In the attendee line (labeled Invite attendees), start typing a name or email address and pick the person from the suggestions.
5. Set the Start and End date and time. Toggle All day for a full-day event.
6. Add a Location, or turn on Teams meeting for an online meeting.
7. Select Send.

Everyone you added receives an email invitation. Their responses (Yes, No, Maybe) flow back to the event so you can track who is coming.

How to send a calendar invite in Outlook on the web

The outlook.com and Outlook on the web experience is nearly identical to new Outlook for Windows.

1. Go to your calendar by selecting the Calendar icon.
2. Select New Event.
3. Add a title, then enter attendee names or email addresses in the Invite attendees field.
4. Choose the date and time, and add a location or a Teams link.
5. Select Send.

If you only want to block your own time and not notify anyone, leave the attendee field empty and the Send button changes to Save instead.

Or skip the manual steps: highlight the event text anywhere in your browser, right-click, and the Text to Outlook Calendar extension creates the event for you - dates, times, and locations filled in automatically. It is handy when someone emails you a date and you would rather not retype it into a new event.

Send a calendar invite in classic Outlook for Windows

Classic Outlook (the older desktop ribbon interface) uses the word "Meeting" rather than "Event" for invites.

1. Open the Calendar by selecting it at the bottom of the navigation pane.
2. On the Home tab, select New Meeting (or press Ctrl+Shift+Q). You can also choose New Items > Meeting.
3. In the To line, type the names or email addresses of your attendees.
4. Add a Subject, a Location, and the start and end times.
5. Select Send.

If you have already created a regular appointment, you can convert it: open it and select Invite Attendees on the ribbon, which adds a To line and turns the appointment into a meeting invite.

Send a calendar invite from the Outlook mobile app

The Outlook app for iPhone and Android handles invites in a few taps.

1. Open the Outlook app and tap the Calendar icon at the bottom.
2. Tap the + (plus) button to create a new event.
3. Enter a title, then tap People (or Invitees) and add attendees.
4. Set the date, time, and location.
5. Tap the checkmark or Send in the top-right corner.

The app sends invitations the same way the desktop apps do, and responses sync back across all your devices.

Inviting required vs optional attendees

By default, everyone you add is a required attendee. Marking someone optional tells them their presence is nice-to-have, and it keeps the meeting from showing as a hard conflict on their calendar.

In new Outlook and Outlook on the web:

1. While creating the event, select the Scheduling Assistant (or the Invite attendees area).
2. Choose Add optional attendee and type their name. Required attendees go in the main line; optional ones go in the optional line.

In classic Outlook for Windows:

1. Open the meeting and select Scheduling Assistant on the ribbon.
2. Select Add Attendees, or click the icon next to each name to switch it between Required Attendee, Optional Attendee, and Resource.

The Scheduling Assistant also shows each person's free/busy times so you can pick a slot that works before you send.

How to edit or resend a calendar invite

Plans change. When they do, update the invite rather than creating a new one so attendees keep a single event on their calendar.

1. Double-click (or tap) the meeting in your calendar to open it. You must be the organizer to edit.
2. Change the time, location, attendee list, or details.
3. Select Send Update (classic Outlook) or Send (new Outlook and web).
4. If you only added or removed people, Outlook asks whether to send the update to only added or removed attendees or to all attendees. Choose the narrower option to avoid spamming everyone with a notice they do not need.

To resend an unchanged invite to someone who lost it, open the event, add them again, and send the update to only the new attendee. If you are an attendee rather than the organizer and want to loop someone in, open the meeting and select Forward instead.

Manually retyping dates and attendees from an email thread is the slow part of all of this. Instead, highlight the meeting details in any email or web page, right-click, and let the Text to Outlook Calendar extension parse the date, time, and location into a ready-to-send Outlook event. The first five events are free. If you also live in Gmail, see how to create a calendar event from an email in Outlook, and if you need others to see your schedule, our guide on how to share your Outlook calendar walks through permissions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I send a calendar invite in Outlook?

Open your Outlook calendar and select New Event or New Meeting. Add a title, type attendees' email addresses in the Invite attendees or To field, set the date and time, then select Send. Each attendee receives an email invitation they can accept, decline, or mark tentative.

What is the difference between required and optional attendees in Outlook?

Required attendees are people whose presence is essential, and the meeting registers as a firm commitment on their calendar. Optional attendees are invited for awareness or in case they can join, and the event is less likely to flag as a hard conflict for them. You can set this when adding people via the Scheduling Assistant or the optional attendee line.

Can I send an Outlook calendar invite to someone outside my organization?

Yes. You can invite external recipients such as Gmail or other email addresses to a meeting, and they will receive the invitation by email. They can accept it from most calendar apps, though some advanced response tracking works best when they use a Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com account.

How do I resend a calendar invite in Outlook?

Open the existing meeting (you must be the organizer), make any needed changes or simply re-add the attendee, then select Send Update in classic Outlook or Send in new Outlook and the web. When prompted, choose to send the update to only the added attendees so you don't notify everyone unnecessarily.

Why is the Send button showing as Save in Outlook?

Outlook shows Save instead of Send when there are no attendees on the event, because there is no one to invite. As soon as you add at least one person to the Invite attendees field, the button switches to Send so the invitation goes out.