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I created a new contacts group as shown in the video. Outlook 2010 Contacts Properties/Outlook Address Book 'Show this folder as an e-mail Address Book' is greyed out. I can not click on it. How do I fix this. It is a home PC and I am the administrator. To delete a contact group, open the group, and then on the Group tab, click Delete. Deleting a group does not delete contacts that you already have saved in Outlook or contacts from your organization's directory. You can view the contact names in the header of a message or meeting request. Experience the new Outlook for Mac. Try out the powerful performance and simple design of the new Outlook for Mac, available to all users next month. It brings updates across Mail, Search, Calendar, and People experiences that are designed for simplicity, reliability, and customization.

Summary: This article covers the most common questions asked by customers and administrators about using Outlook for iOS and Android with Exchange Online and Microsoft 365 or Office 365.

The Outlook for iOS and Android app is designed to enable users in your organization to do more from their mobile devices, by bringing together email, calendar, contacts, and other files. The following sections highlight the most common questions we receive, across three key areas:

• Outlook for iOS and Android architecture and security

• Managing and maintaining Outlook for iOS and Android in your Exchange organization after it has been deployed

• Common questions from end-users who access information in your Exchange organization with the Outlook for iOS and Android app on their mobile devices

Architecture and security

The following questions are about the overall architecture of Outlook for iOS and Android in Exchange Online, as well as user authentication and other security concerns.

Q: What cloud architecture is utilized by Outlook for iOS and Android for Microsoft 365 or Office 365 accounts?

For more information on the architecture, see Outlook for iOS and Android in Exchange Online.

Q: Can I add two different Microsoft 365 or Office 365 accounts from different regions to Outlook for iOS and Android?

Yes, provided both accounts do not have Intune App Protection Policies assigned. However, for Government Community Cloud customers, users may only add their own account and OneDrive for Business storage account to the app; adding personal or other commercial accounts is prevented to meet FedRAMP requirements. For more information on Government Community Cloud restrictions with Outlook for iOS and Android, please see Using Outlook for iOS and Android in the Government Community Cloud.

Q: What authentication mechanism is used for Outlook for iOS are Android? Are credentials stored in Microsoft 365 or Office 365?

See Account setup with modern authentication in Exchange Online.

Q: Do Outlook for iOS and Android and other Microsoft Office mobile apps support single sign-on?

See Account setup with modern authentication in Exchange Online.

Q: What is the lifetime of the tokens generated and used by the Active Directory Authentication Library (ADAL) in Outlook for iOS and Android?

See Account setup with modern authentication in Exchange Online.

Q: What happens to the access token when a user's password is changed?

See Account setup with modern authentication in Exchange Online.

Q: Does Outlook for iOS and Android support certificate-based authentication?

Outlook Mac Create Contact Group Greyed Out

Yes, Outlook for iOS and Android supports certificate-based authentication for modern authentication-enabled accounts (Microsoft 365 or Office 365 accounts or on-premises accounts leveraging hybrid modern authentication). For more information, see:

Q: What does background synchronization enable? I notice that when I launch the app with it enabled, I still have to wait for messages to download, even after I've received new mail notifications for them; and sometimes, I get reminders for appointments that had been canceled.

Background synchronization enables new message notifications, calendar reminders, badge count updates, and background synchronization of mailbox and calendar information for Outlook for iOS and Android.

If background synchronization is disabled by the user in the mobile operating system's settings, then the user must launch the app and keep it in the foreground in order to synchronize messages and have an up-to-date calendar.

Background synchronization in Outlook for iOS and Android can also be temporarily disabled by the following actions:

• Force quitting Outlook for iOS.

• Restarting the iOS device.

• Outlook for iOS crashes and is not restarted by the user.

• Not opening the app for a given period of time. iOS will automatically freeze third-party apps, like Outlook, based on usage patterns. Android doze mode and app standby features can also prevent background updates to the app while those features are active.

• On some Android devices, you can also restrict background processing or network access per-app. In these cases, Outlook for Android will not be able to process updates in the background. Android device manufacturers can modify the way you can interact with settings, therefore it is not possible to document every device scenario, but in general, these are the steps you can take to remove battery optimization:

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Tap Battery.

  3. Tap the ellipse and tap Battery optimization.

  4. Tap the down arrow and tap All apps.

  5. For the Microsoft Authenticator, Intune Company Portal and Outlook apps, tap Not optimized to turn off battery optimization.

If the mobile operating system prevents background synchronization, users will experience the following:

• New mail notifications will continue to be delivered, however, upon launching the app, the new messages will have to be downloaded.

• Calendar reminders will fire for appointments that have been canceled because the app was unable to download and process the meeting cancellation.

Note

Apple allows its native Mail and Calendar apps to do background refreshes without any restrictions. Therefore, users may notice a difference in the background synchronization experience between the apps. However, this also results in improved battery life and less data consumption with Outlook for iOS.

Q: Does each user's instance of Outlook for iOS and Android have a unique device ID in the Microsoft 365- or Office 365-based architecture? How is the device ID generated and is this same device ID used in Intune?

Upon initial account login, Outlook for iOS and Android establishes a connection to the Microsoft 365- or Office 365-based architecture. A unique device ID is generated, and this device ID is what appears in Active Directory device records (which can be retrieved with cmdlets such as Get-MobileDevice in Exchange Online Powershell) and which appears in HTTP request headers.

Intune uses a different device ID. The basic workflow for how Intune assigns a device ID is described in App-based conditional access with Intune. In Intune, the device ID is assigned when the device workplace joins for all device-conditional access scenarios. This is an AAD-generated unique ID for the device. Intune uses that unique ID when sending compliance information, and ADAL uses that unique ID when authenticating to services.

Q: Does Outlook for iOS and Android support RMS?

Yes. Outlook for iOS and Android supports reading protected messages. Outlook for iOS and Android works differently than desktop versions of Outlook when it comes to RMS. For desktop versions of Outlook, once a protected message is received and access is attempted, and Outlook verifies that the user can read RM messages, Outlook connects to Exchange to request an encryption key. The Outlook desktop client uses that encryption key to decrypt the message in front of the user (client-side). Mobile clients operate differently. When Outlook for iOS and Android sets up its initial relationship with Exchange, it notifies Exchange that it supports RMS. Exchange decrypts any protected messages before passing them to the client. In other words, decryption is performed server-side. Outlook for iOS and Android doesn't perform any decryption itself.

In cases where Outlook for iOS and Android receives protected messages and prompts end-users to use an RM client to open the file, it means that Exchange hasn't decrypted the message, which is due to an issue on the Exchange side.

Note

Outlook for iOS leverages iOS's native preview technology to quickly expose attachments to end users. iOS's preview technology does not support rights management and will report error 'The operation couldn't be completed. (OfficeImportErrorDomain error 912)' when a user attempts to open a rights-protected attachment. Users will need to tap the respective Word, Excel, or PowerPoint app icon to open the rights-protected attachment in the native app.

Q: Does Outlook for iOS and Android support Teams meetings?

Yes, Outlook for iOS and Android supports both Skype for Business and Teams meetings. The Teams coexistence mode at the Microsoft 365 or Office 365 organization level and the user level (the user setting takes precedence over the tenant setting) determines the meeting creation experience in Outlook for iOS and Android:

In addition, for users leveraging the native Microsoft sync technology, a Teams Join button is available in calendar events. This makes it easy to Join a Teams meeting and will be available for all coexistence modes. Users who are not leveraging the native Microsoft sync technology will be able to join Teams Meetings using the weblink in the meeting description.

For more information on the Teams coexistence modes, please see Choose your upgrade journey from Skype from Business to Teams.

Q: What ports and end points does Outlook for iOS and Android use?

Outlook for iOS and Android communicates via TCP port 443. The app accesses various end points, depending on the activities of the user. Complete information is available in URLs and IP address ranges.

Q: Does Outlook for iOS and Android support proxy configurations?

Yes, Outlook for iOS and Android supports proxy configurations when the proxy infrastructure meets the following requirements:

• Supports HTTP protocol without TLS decryption and inspection.

• Does not perform authentication.

Outlook for iOS and Android will consume the proxy configuration as defined by the platform operating system. Typically, this configuration information is deployed via a PAC file. The PAC file must be configured to use hostnames instead of protocol; no additional custom settings are supported. For a list of hostnames that Outlook for iOS and Android accesses, please see URLs and IP address ranges.

For tenants that have not been migrated to the native Microsoft sync technology, the following additional requirement applies:

• Supports and has SOCKS proxy capability enabled. The Outlook for iOS and Android client utilizes TCP connections to our Microsoft 365- or Office 365-based architecture. The IP ranges for the SOCKS connections are not restricted to a subset of Azure IP ranges, which means that customers cannot define a allow list range. The PAC must be configured to use hostnames instead of protocol and return the SOCKS proxy information given the host URL; no additional custom settings are supported.

Q: Does Outlook for iOS and Android support shared mailboxes?

Yes, Outlook for iOS and Android supports shared mailboxes when the user mailbox and shared mailbox are located in Exchange Online and using the native Microsoft sync technology.

A shared mailbox is a special mailbox type that is created using the -Shared parameter. Access to the shared mailbox by a user is obtained via permissions and not through the use of alternate credentials. For more information, please see Shared mailboxes in Exchange Online.

Q: Does Outlook for iOS and Android support delegate mailboxes?

Yes, Outlook for iOS and Android has extended the shared mailbox capability to now allow users to add another person's mailbox when the user has been granted FullAccess permissions to the other person's mailbox. Granting SendAs or Send on Behalf of permissions also allows the user to send messages as the other person's mailbox. For more information on permission assignment, please see Manage permissions for recipients in Exchange Online.

Q: How many accounts does Outlook for iOS and Android support?

Outlook for iOS and Android supports a maximum of 25 accounts.

Q: Does Outlook for iOS and Android support contact management functionality? What about integration with the operating system features?

Yes, Outlook for iOS and Android supports contact management. Within the app, users can initiate phone calls, text messages, video chat (e.g. FaceTime), etc. Integration with the operating system, and contact management functionality, depend on the client platform, where the mailbox resides, and the authentication type used:

For information on consumer accounts, see Outlook's in-app support FAQ on People.

By enabling contact synchronization between Outlook and the native contacts app, users receive the rich experience that the native operating system provides (e.g. inbound and outbound caller-ID, text messaging name resolution, etc.). Only Outlook for iOS should be used for managing contact data and not the native iOS Contacts app. With Outlook for Android, users can utilize either the native Contacts app or Outlook for managing contact data, as contact changes are synchronized bi-directionally.

Note

In order to manage contacts (add/edit/delete) in Outlook for Android, contact sync must be enabled. This is because Outlook for Android delegates CRUD operations to the native Contacts app.

Administrators have additional capabilities with respect to contact synchronization between Outlook and the native Contacts app:

• Administrators can disable contact synchronization via an Intune App Protection Policy. For more information, see iOS app protection policy settings and Android app protection policy settings in Microsoft Intune.
• Administrators can enable contact synchronization by default on enrolled devices. For more information, see Deploying Outlook for iOS and Android app configuration settings.
• Administrators can reduce the amount of data that is exported to the native Contacts app via an Intune App Protection Policy with contact field export controls. For more information, see Deploying Outlook for iOS and Android app configuration settings.

Q: Is Outlook for iOS and Android available in China?

Yes, Outlook for iOS is available in Apple's App Store in China.

The Google Play Store is not available in China. However, Microsoft has distributed the Outlook for Android app in the following third-party app stores that are available in China:

As Google's notification service, Firebase Cloud Messaging, is not available in China, new mail push notifications do not function. Instead, Outlook for Android relies on polling notifications. For the native Microsoft sync technology, background polling occurs every 15 minutes while the app is in the background (assuming background synchronization is not disabled).

Native Microsoft sync technology migration

The following questions are about the migration from the REST API data sync protocol to the native Microsoft sync technology used by Outlook for iOS and Android for accessing mailbox data.

Q: Is there a minimum version of Outlook for iOS and Android required to use the native Microsoft sync technology?

For Outlook for iOS, users should install 3.10.1 or later. For Outlook for Android, users should install 3.0.14 or later. As always, we recommend users keep the Outlook app up to date.

Q: What will my users experience when our tenant is migrated to the native Microsoft sync technology?

Assuming the user is running a supported version of Outlook for iOS and Android, after your tenant is migrated, your users may see a brief notice indicating that we are updating their email and calendar data. Otherwise the user experience to migrate to the updated architecture will be seamless.

Q: As a tenant administrator, can I control which of my users will be migrated to the native Microsoft sync technology?

No, the migration to the native Microsoft sync technology will be on a tenant-by-tenant basis and not a per-user basis. While the tenant selection order for migration is random, we are being deliberate about migrating Microsoft 365 or Office 365 mailboxes first before we migrate on-premises mailbox accounts. If you are a customer operating in a hybrid configuration where a portion of your mailboxes remain on-premises, the on-premises users leveraging hybrid modern authentication will be migrated to the native Microsoft sync technology at a later date. This means that your Microsoft 365 and Office 365 users will migrate to the native Microsoft sync technology, while the on-premises users continue to use the REST API to connect to Exchange Online.

Once your tenant is migrated, a user will not switch to the native Microsoft sync technology, until after they launch/resume Outlook for iOS and Android.

Q: If my user doesn't upgrade to a supported build of Outlook for iOS and Android prior to my tenant's migration, does that mean the user will lose access to email and calendar data while mobile?

No, the user will continue to connect using the existing REST-based data sync protocol.

Q: Will my Intune App Protection Policies or Azure AD Conditional Access policies be affected by this migration?

No, both Intune App Protection Policies and Azure AD Conditional Access policies will continue to be applied to the targeted identity, regardless of the data sync protocol leveraged by Outlook for iOS and Android.

Q: Will I have to update my Exchange mobile device access policies (allow block quarantine (ABQ) rules)?

No, the user agent string that Outlook for iOS and Android uses does not change. For more information on what that user agent is, see Securing Outlook for iOS and Android in Exchange Online.

Q: As an Exchange administrator, is there a way for me to determine which data sync protocol Outlook for iOS and Android clients are utilizing in the Microsoft 365- or Office 365-based architecture?

Yes, execute the following command from Exchange Online PowerShell:

The ClientType property indicates which data sync protocol is in use. If the value is REST, then the client is utilizing the REST API. If the value is Outlook, then the client is using the native Microsoft sync technology.

Alternatively, a user can login to Outlook on the web and, from within Options, select Mobile Devices to view the details of a mobile device. Like the cmdlet, the user can see the value for the ClientType property.

Administrating and monitoring Outlook for iOS and Android in your organization

The following questions are about managing and monitoring the Outlook for iOS and Android app within your organization after the app has been deployed.

Q: Is it necessary to file an in-app support ticket when I experience an issue with Outlook for iOS and Android?

Yes, if you want to troubleshoot and resolve the issue, or if you want to inform us of a product defect or limitation, you will need to file an in-app support ticket. Only through filing an in-app support ticket can the Outlook app's logs get collected and analyzed by our product engineers.

Customers with a Microsoft Premier agreement can open support cases with Customer Service & Support (CSS). Instead of having the user initiate an in-app support ticket, the user can leverage Collect Diagnostics to upload the logs and share the incident ID with CSS/Premier. Collect Diagnostics will capture data from Outlook for iOS and Android, Authenticator, and the Company Portal and upload all the relevant logs to Microsoft. Microsoft Support Escalation Engineers can use the incident ID to access the diagnostic logs and troubleshoot the user's issue.

To gather the logs:

1. Within Outlook for iOS and Android's settings, tap Help & Feedback.

2. Tap Collect Diagnostics.

3. Tap Get Started.

4. Tap Upload Outlook Logs (iOS) or Collect Logs (Android).

5. Share the incident ID with CSS.

Q: As an Exchange administrator, I would like to deploy Outlook for iOS and Android, but in my testing I can't log in. What might be the issue?

Assuming authentication is not the issue, there are two areas you can check:

1. Check whether you have an EWS application policy that restricts which client applications can connect.

2. Check whether you have EWS enabled for the account.

For more information, see Securing Outlook for iOS and Android in Exchange Online. If one of the above checks doesn't resolve the issue, please open an in-app support ticket.

Q: Will Outlook for iOS and Android support third-party unified endpoint management (MDM, EMM, or UEM) solutions?

For more information, please see Managing Outlook for iOS and Android in Exchange Online.

Q: Is a license required to use Outlook for iOS and Android?

Outlook for iOS and Android is free for consumer usage from the iOS App store and from Google Play. However, commercial users require an Office 365 or Microsoft 365 subscription that includes the Office desktop applications: Microsoft 365 Apps for Business, Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, Office 365 Enterprise E3, Office 365 Enterprise E5, or the corresponding versions of those plans for Government or Education. Commercial users with the following subscriptions are allowed to use the Outlook mobile app on devices with integrated screens 10.1' diagonally or less: Office 365 Enterprise E1, Office 365 F1, Office 365 A1, Microsoft 365 Business Basic, and if you only have an Exchange Online license (without Office). If you only have an Exchange on-premises (Exchange Server) license, you are not licensed to use the app.

Common questions from end-users

The following questions concern end-users in your organization who are using Outlook for iOS and Android on their devices to access their Exchange mailboxes.

Q: My users enabled the 'Save Contacts' advanced settings option. However, they are complaining that not all contacts have synchronized on their iOS devices. Are there limitations with synchronization?

The initial export of contacts can only begin when Outlook is in the foreground. A user can switch between apps and the export will continue while Outlook is active in memory. There are iOS limitations when syncing with iCloud that may result in data inconsistency, but Outlook will automatically trigger a reconciliation to ensure that the contacts are always consistently exported (e.g., reconciliation will remove duplicates in the event that Outlook detects exported contacts from a previous export activity). Reasons for missing/duplicate contacts might include:

• Outlook for iOS being suspended during sync.
• Enabling 'Save Contacts' simultaneously on multiple devices (such as an iPad and an iPhone).
• Accrued sync errors over time.

In the event you are seeing an inconsistency and it has not been resolved after a short period of time, wait twenty four hours and then restart the app to trigger the reconciliation process. If that does not work, perform the following steps:

1. Disable 'Save Contacts' for the affected account.
2. Check that all instances of the contacts are removed from the native iOS contacts app. If duplicates remain, go to Settings > Help & Feedback > Delete All Saved Contacts in order to remove any lingering duplicates.
3. Re-enable 'Save Contacts' for the affected account.
4. Follow the on-screen prompts, which may instruct you to keep the phone open and plugged in during initial sync.

Q: Why are the Office mobile apps required to be installed on Android in order to render attachments in Outlook, while iOS devices provide a preview of the attachments within Outlook?

This is due to the differences in the base operating systems. iOS provides native content rendering for known attachment types, which Outlook for iOS uses to provide basic attachment rendering. Android provides nothing similar. Android users have to install the Office apps and/or third-party apps in order to render attachment content.

Q: A new message included an attachment, but while I was offline I couldn't open the attachment. Why is that?

Outlook (like other mobile clients) does not download attachments automatically. This is by design, in order to conserve device space. Attachments are only downloaded at the request of the user.

Q: A week ago I accessed an attachment in a message, but now that I'm offline I can no longer access that attachment on my iOS device. However, I can access it on my Android device. Why is that?

Outlook for iOS stores attachments in our own database. As a result, every attachment we download to the client takes up a considerable amount of space in our database. To ensure the client is able to provide fast performance and take a small amount of space, we purge data rather aggressively based on usage (attachments will be cached up to seven days).

Unlike iOS, Android uses an accessible file system, so when Outlook for Android downloads an attachment, it doesn't go into the database, rather it is stored as a temporary file.

Q: Why does data within Outlook for iOS disappear and then re-appear after I toggle the Focused Inbox or the Organize by Thread settings?

Whenever those options are changed, Outlook for iOS performs a soft reset. This wipes the existing data that has been downloaded to the app and requires a re-synchronization.

Q: Can I view organization chart information in Outlook for iOS?

Yes. Outlook for iOS provides your company's organization information as part of a person's contact card details. Your company's reporting structure and a list of colleagues is also provided, to help employees connect with the people and teams they need to work with.

The list of people displayed as part of the Other Colleagues list under Show Organization is based on common email distribution lists, group memberships, and degrees of separation in the Organization structure defined in Azure Active Directory.

If you do not have organization chart data exposed in the app, consult with your directory administrator. There are two main scenarios to consider:

1. Your company has a hybrid topology where an on-premises directory is synchronized with Azure Active Directory. You will need to update Active Directory with the organization chart information, either directly in the directory or via your Human Resources system. Data will be synchronized into AAD automatically and will be accessible via the Global Address List in Exchange Online.

2. Your company only leverages Azure Active Directory for directory management. You will need to update Azure Active Directory with the organization chart information, either directly in the directory or via your Human Resources system. This data will be accessible via the Global Address List in Exchange Online.

Q: How much of my mailbox data is synchronized with Outlook for iOS and Android?

For initial folder synchronization, Outlook for iOS and Android synchronizes 500 items per folder, with up to 1000 items per folder if the user taps Load more conversations. The app periodically trims the items per folder down to the default number, in order to ensure optimal app performance.

Q: Why are tasks and notes not available with Outlook for iOS and Android?

Microsoft's strategic direction for task management and note taking on mobile devices is the To-Do and OneNote apps, respectively. OneNote provides access to notes stored in an Exchange Online mailbox with Sticky Notes. To-Do provides integration with the tasks stored in Exchange Online mailboxes; however, Outlook for iOS and Android provides users the ability to create tasks from messages and exposes top tasks in the Zero Query search pane.

Q: Does Outlook for iOS and Android support moderator message approval or rejection scenarios?

No, Outlook for iOS and Android does not support moderated message requests for approving or rejecting email. Outlook for iOS and Android does not provide an approve/reject button, so a moderator cannot approve or reject moderated messages when using Outlook for iOS and Android.

Original KB number: 10106

Note

If you would like to share calendar or folder to others, or change permissions after sharing rather than opening, check the following articles at first:

• Outlook 2016/2013/2010/2007: Share an Outlook calendar with other people
• Outlook.com: Share your calendar in Outlook.com
• Outlook on the Web or Outlook Web App: Share your calendar in Outlook on the web for business
• Outlook 2016 for Mac: Share your calendar in Outlook 2016 for Mac
• Outlook for Mac 2011: Share a folder in an Exchange account

Who is it for?

Users of Outlook, Outlook for Mac, Outlook on the Web and Outlook Web App who can't open shared calendars from an invitation.

How does it work?

We'll begin by asking you questions about the Outlook version you are using and the issue you're experiencing. Then we'll take you through a series of troubleshooting steps that are specific to your situation.

Important

The third party mail services such as Gmail,AOL,Yahoo are not supported by Microsoft and this guide might not apply to them.

Estimated time of completion:

10-15 minutes.

Select your version of Outlook

Don't know which version of Outlook you are running

First determine which outlook version you are using.

For Windows

If you find Office Account:

If you find Help:

If you do not find either Office Account or Help on the File menu, then follow these steps:

1. Start Outlook.

2. Select File, and then find either Office Account or Help, and follow the steps for which option you find. If you do not find either option, see the steps below.

   1. Select Office Account, and then select About Outlook.

   2. The product version will be listed here.

   3. Select OK.

   Or

   1. Select Help, and then select Additional Version and Copyright Information.

   2. The product version will be listed here.

   3. Select OK.

   Or

   1. On the Help menu, select About Microsoft Office Outlook.

   2. The product version will be listed here.

   3. Select OK.

For Mac

1. Start Outlook for Mac.

2. On the Outlook menu, select About Outlook.

3. The About Outlook window will appear similar to one of the following, depending on your version of Outlook for Mac.

   Outlook 2016 for Mac	Outlook for Mac 2011

For Outlook on the web or Outlook Web App

If you are using browser to connect an Office 365 or Exchange mailbox, select Outlook On the Web/Outlook Web App.

Or

For Outlook app on mobile or tablets devices

If you are using Outlook App on mobile devices or tablets, including Windows Phone, iPhone, iPad, Android phones, select the option Outlook App on mobile/tablet devices at the bottom.

Open a shared calendar in Outlook 2010

Note

If you would like to share an Outlook calendar to other people rather than open a shared calendar from others in Outlook 2010, please check Share an Outlook calendar with other people.

To open a shared calendar from the Outlook sharing invitation, select Open this Calendar in the sharing invitation.

If you see something different, what problem do you encounter?

Open a shared calendar in Outlook for Mac 2011

Note

If you would like to share an Outlook calendar to other people rather than open a shared calendar from others in Outlook for Mac 2011, see See and share multiple calendars.

The sharing invitation that you receive resembles the following screenshot. Notice that there's no option to open the shared calendar.

To open the shared calendar, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, point to Open, and then select Other User's Folder.

2. Select Find User .

3. Type the name of the person who granted you access, select Find, select the person's name, and then select OK.

4. On the Type menu, select Calendar, and then select OK.

   The shared calendar appears in the navigation pane under the Shared heading.

If you cannot open the shared calendar, what problem do you encounter?

Open a shared calendar in Outlook Web App

Note

If you would like to share an Outlook calendar to other people rather than open a shared calendar from others in Outlook Web App, please check Sharing your calendar in Outlook Web App.

To open a shared calendar from the sharing invitation, select Accept to open the shared calendar, and then you will see the shared calendar in the left pane under Other Calendar and the events in the right pane.

If you see something different, what problem do you encounter?

There is no Accept option

To work around this problem, open directly into the shared calendar.

For example, assume that your Outlook on the Web (formerly known as Outlook Web App) URL is https://yourdomain/owa, and that a user (user@yourdomain.com) shared his or her calendar with you.

You can use the following URL to open the user's calendar:

https://yourdomain/owa/user@yourdomain.com/?cmd=contents&module=calendar

Did this solve your problem?

• If yes, see Additional resources.
• If no, see Additional help.

There is no Open this Calendar option

This problem occurs when the person who shared the calendar with you is running a later version of Outlook.

In the invitation, notice whether Microsoft Exchange appears before the shared calendar name, as in the following screenshot.

If Microsoft Exchange appears before the shared calendar name

If Microsoft Exchange appears before the shared calendar name, this typically indicates that the shared calendar is an Outlook default calendar. To open it, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, point to Open, and then select Other User's Folder.

2. In the Open Other User's Folder dialog box, type the name of the user who shares the calendar with you in the Name box. In the Folder type box, select the type of shared calendar, and then select OK.

If Microsoft Exchange does not appear before the shared calendar name

If Microsoft Exchange does not appear before the shared calendar name, this typically indicates that the shared calendar is not an Outlook default calendar. In this situation, first add the user's Exchange mailbox to your Outlook profile.

1. In Outlook, select Account Settings on the Tools menu.

2. In the E-mail Accounts dialog box, select the E-mail tab, select your Exchange Server account, and then select Change.

3. Select More Settings.

4. In the Microsoft Exchange dialog box, select the Advanced tab, and then select Add.

5. In the Add Mailbox dialog box, type the name of the person who shares the calendar with you, and then select OK.

6. Select OK > Next > Finish > Close.

7. In the navigation pane, expand Mailbox - UserNameOfFolderOwner, and then select the calendar that the user shared with you.

Note

If you cannot expand the mailbox, see the Cannot expand the mailbox of another person section of this guide for the workaround.

Did this solve your problem?

• If yes, see Additional resources.
• If no, see Additional help.

Cannot expand the mailbox of another person

To work around this problem, ask the person who shared the calendar with you to grant you the Reviewer permission for his or her mailbox.

Important

The following steps are performed on the computer of the person who shared the calendar with you.

1. Use one of the following methods, depending on the version of Outlook that you're running:

   In Outlook 2007, right-click Mailbox - UserName, and then select Change Sharing Permissions.

   In Outlook 2010 or Outlook 2013, right-click your email address at the top of the folder list, and then select Folder Permissions.

2. Select the Permissions tab, and then select Add.

3. In the Add Users dialog box, specify the user with whom you want to share the calendar, select Add, and then select OK.

4. In the Name list, select the name of the user whom you added, select Reviewer in the Permission Level box, and then select OK.

Did this solve your problem?

• If yes, see Additional resources.
• If no, see Additional help.

You see nothing or you don't have the necessary permission to open the shared calendar

Ask the person who shared the calendar with you to perform the following steps on his or her computer.

For Outlook Desktop Client:

1. Use one of the following methods, depending on the version of Outlook that you're running:

   In Outlook 2016, Outlook 2013 or Outlook 2010, right-click the calendar you want to share, select Share, and then select Calendar Permissions.

   In Outlook 2007, right-click the shared calendar, and then select Change Sharing Permissions.

   Note

   If the Change Sharing Permissions is grayed out or unavailable, you might be using an internet calendar managed by third-party services, such as Gmail, Yahoo or AOL. Although you can modify most Internet calendars, calendar permissions are not supported.

   It is also possible that your organization restricts access to sharing permissions in your account for security purposes. In this case, contact your system administrator for help.

2. On the Permissions tab, select the user for whom you want to grant the permission.

3. In the Permission Level list, select Reviewer, and then select OK.

For Outlook on the Web or Outlook Web App:

In Outlook on the Web or Outlook Web App, select on the left top corner or the bottom in the left pane to open the calendar. Right-click the calendar you want to share to others, and then select Sharing Permissions. Next, follow the instructions in Sharing your calendar in Outlook on the web.

Did this solve your problem?

• If yes, see Additional resources.
• If no, see Additional help.

Open a shared calendar in Outlook 2016

Note

If you would like to share an Outlook calendar to other people rather than open a shared calendar from others in Outlook 2016 or Outlook 2013, check Share an Outlook calendar with other people.

To open a shared calendar from the Outlook sharing invitation, select Open this Calendar in the sharing invitation.

If you see something different, what problem do you encounter?

Open a shared calendar in Outlook 2016 for Mac

Note

If you would like to share an Outlook calendar to other people rather than open a shared calendar from others in Outlook 2016 for Mac, see Share your calendar in Outlook 2016 for Mac.

The sharing invitation that you receive resembles the following screenshot. Notice that there's no option to open the shared calendar.

To open the shared calendar, follow these steps:

1. At the bottom of the navigation bar, select Calendar.

2. On the Organize tab, select Open Shared Calendar.

   In the Search box, type the name of the person who has granted you access to their calendar, and press Enter.

3. Select their name, and select Open.

   Note

   The shared calendar appears in the left navigation pane under the Shared Calendar heading, with the person's name who shared the calendar below it.

If you cannot open the shared calendar, what problem do you encounter?

The Open Shared Calendar is not available

Symptoms

When you open your Calendar in Microsoft Outlook 2016 for Mac or Outlook for Mac 2011, the Open Shared Calendar button on the ribbon is unavailable.

Additionally, when you point to Open on the File menu, the Calendar option is unavailable.

Cause

This issue occurs if the Group similar folders, such as Inboxes, from different accounts check box is selected and the Hide On My Computer folders check box is cleared in General Preferences.

Workaround

To work around this issue, use one of the following methods:

Select the Exchange folder in My Calendars

1. Open the calendar.

2. Expand My Calendars to display the Exchange mailbox calendar, the On My Computer calendar, and calendars that are associated with any other accounts that are open in Outlook for Mac.

3. Select the Exchange check box.

After you do this, the Open Shared Calendar button on the ribbon is available.

Open another user's Calendar

1. On the File menu, point to Open, and then select Other Users Folder.

2. Search for and then select the user whose calendar you want to open.

3. In the Folder Type box, select Calendar.

4. Select Open.

Change the preferences settings that are related to the On My Computer folders

1. On the Outlook menu, select Preferences.
2. Select General.
3. Clear the Group similar folders, such as Inboxes, from different accounts check box.
4. If you want, select the Hide On My Computer folders check box.

Did this solve your problem?

• If yes, see Additional resources.
• If no, see Additional help.

Open a shared calendar in Outlook 2013

Note

If you would like to share an Outlook calendar to other people rather than open a shared calendar from others in Outlook 2016 or Outlook 2013, please check Share an Outlook calendar with other people.

To open a shared calendar from the Outlook sharing invitation, select Open this Calendar in the sharing invitation.

If you see something different, what problem do you encounter?

Open a shared calendar in Outlook 2007

Note

If you would like to share a Outlook 2007 calendar to other people rather than open a shared calendar from others, see Share your calendar information.

To open a shared calendar from the Outlook sharing invitation, select Open this Calendar in the sharing invitation.

If you see something different, what problem do you encounter?

Additional resources

Congratulations! We are glad that this guide helps solved your problem.

Here are some additional resources that you may find useful:

Additional help

We are sorry that this guide didn't solve your problem. We recommend that you go the Microsoft Community for more help.

Here are some additional resources that you may find useful:

Workaround for opening shared calendar on Mobile/Tablet devices

If you are using Outlook App on mobile or tablet devices, such as Windows Phone, iPhone, iPad, Android Phones, you cannot see other user's calendars on these devices as they only sync your own calendars. The workaround is that you need to use Outlook on the web or Outlook Web App to view the shared calendar, or view it when on a Desktop Outlook for Windows or Mac client.

To use Outlook on the web or Outlook Web App to open the shared calendar from an invitation, sign in with your exchange or office 365 account, you will see the share invitation like this:

Select Accept to open the shared calendar, and then you will see the shared calendar listed in the left pane under Other Calendars and the events on this calendar in the right pane.

Did this solve your problem?

• If yes, see Additional resources.
• If no, see Additional help.

Outlook 2016 stops responding when you try to open shared calendar

This issue might occur when you upgrade to Outlook 2016 without fully uninstall the previous Outlook version, which makes Outlook 2016 offline. The solution is completely removing the older Outlook version and restart Outlook 2016. Follow the instructions:

1. Tap Windows key, search Control Panel and open it.
2. Select Programs > Program and Features.
3. Check the list to find the older Outlook version, right-click on it and choose Uninstall to remove it.
4. Reboot your computer and restart Outlook 2016.

Did this solve your problem?

• If yes, see Additional resources.
• If no, see Additional help.

Get other errors when you try to open shared calendar

If the other solution doesn't work for you and you get a different error message, try the instructions below:

1. Make sure you have installed the latest Outlook version and fully patched.

2. Enable Download shared folders.

   1. Select the File tab.

   2. Select Account Settings, and then select Account Settings.

   3. On the E-mail tab, select the Exchange account, and then select Change.

   4. Select More Settings, select Advanced tab, select Download shared folders

   5. Select OK, select Next, select Finish, and then select Close in the Account Settings window.

   6. Quit and restart Outlook.

3. If still doesn't work, try to turn off Cache Exchange Mode with following steps:

   Caution

   We do not recommend turn off cache Exchange mode, especially you are using Office 365 mailbox. If you take this action, do remember to turn it on after resolving shared calendar issue.

   1. Select the File tab.

   2. Select Account Settings, and then select Account Settings.

   3. On the E-mail tab, select the Exchange account, and then select Change.

   4. Under Offline Settings, clear the Use Cached Exchange Mode check box.

   5. Quit and restart Outlook.

Did this solve your problem?

• If yes, see Additional resources.
• If no, see Additional help.

You receive error message when you open shared calendar in Outlook 2013

What error message do you receive?

Solution for receiving error messages when open shared calendar in Outlook 2013

This problem occurs when the following conditions are true:

• You have Outlook 2013 configured to use a MAPI over HTTP connection.
• Your primary mailbox is in cached mode.
• The Download Shared Folders option is disabled.

To resolve this issue, use this workaround to enable Download Shared Folders in Outlook 2013:

1. In Outlook, select File, select Account Settings, and then select Account Settings (again).
2. Select the Microsoft Exchange account, and then select Change.
3. Select More Settings.
4. Select the Advanced tab. Select the Download Shared Folders option.
5. Select OK, select Next, select Finish, and then select Close in the Account Settings window.

Did this solve your problem?

• If yes, see Additional resources.
• If no, see Additional help.

General troubleshooting for other errors when open shared calendar in Outlook 2013

If you get other errors, try the following instruction for general troubleshooting:

1. Ensure the user has shared the calendar with you, with proper permissions. You can check Share an Outlook calendar with other people to get instructions about how to share calendar and grant proper permission.

2. Check the right bottom corner in Outlook to see if the status looks like below to make sure Outlook is connected to the network and able to receive mail successfully, and isn't too busy performing other tasks such as updating folders.

   If you see , it indicates that the Outlook 2013 is connected to the network and Exchange server successfully.If you see , it indicates that the Outlook 2013 isn't connected to the network or Exchange server, check your network cable connection or contact your Network Admin.

3. Try again later to see if the shared calendar works.

Did this solve your problem?

• If yes, see Additional resources.
• If no, see Additional help.

You don't have permission to view a shared calendar in Outlook 2016 for Mac or Outlook for Mac 2011

When you try to open a shared Calendar folder in Microsoft Outlook 2016 for Mac or Outlook for Mac 2011, you receive the following error message even though you were granted permission to the folder:

Outlook cannot open the folder. You do not have permission to open this folder. Contact<Calendar owner's name> for permission.

This issue occurs because the owner of the folder that you want to access shares the sub calendar folder with you but does not share their default (primary) Calendar folder. To fix this issue, the calendar owner must share both the primary and the secondary Calendar folders with you. For more information, see 'You do not have permission' error message when you try to open a shared Calendar folder in Outlook for Mac.

Did this solve your problem?

• If yes, see Additional resources.
• If no, see Additional help.

You get blank calendar or permission error on Mac even if you have free/busy permission in Outlook 2016 for Mac or Outlook for Mac 2011

A user grants you Free/Busy permission to their calendar, but when you try to open that user's calendar in Microsoft Outlook 2016 for Mac or Outlook for Mac 2011, you receive the following error message:

Outlook cannot open the folder. You do not have permission to open this folder. Contact <user_name> for permission.

This issue occurred because the Free/Busy feature is only available in Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013 for Windows. To open a shared calendar in Outlook for Mac, the user must grant you permissions of Reviewer or higher. Or, you can view the user's Free/Busy information by creating a new meeting request and then adding that user in the Scheduling Assistant. For more information, see User with Free/Busy permission can't open another calendar in Outlook for Mac.

Dis this solve your problem?

• If yes, see Additional resources.
• If no, see Additional help.

Can't open one or more of the shared Calendar folders in Outlook 2016 for Mac or Outlook for Mac 2011

In Outlook 2016 for Mac and Outlook for Mac 2011, you cannot open a shared Calendar folder that is not a subcalendar of the user's shared default Calendar folder.

• Calendar

• Second Calendar

• Third Calendar

In this example, the Second Calendar folder is a subcalendar of the user's shared default Calendar folder. Therefore, you can open the Second Calendar folder in Outlook for Mac. However, the Third Calendar folder is not a subcalendar under the default Calendar folder. Therefore, you cannot open this folder in Outlook for Mac. To resolve this issue, have the calendar owner create all shared calendars under the default Calendar folder.

Did this solve your problem?

• If yes, see Additional resources.
• If no, see Additional help.

Workaround for opening shared calendar on Mac system

Add Outlook Contacts To Mac

We recommend using Outlook on the Web or Outlook Web App as a workaround to open shared calendar in Mac system.

Log in Outlook on the Web or Outlook Web App with your Exchange or Office 365 account in browser, select Accept in the invitation email, and then you will see the shared calendar in the left pane under Other Calendar and the events in the right pane.

Note

If you don't know the Outlook web url, please contact your system admininistrator for help.

If you see something different, what problem do you encounter?

Open a shared calendar in Outlook 2016 (only for Office 365 users on Monthly Channel)

To open a shared calendar from the Outlook sharing invitation, select the Accept button in the sharing invitation. The shared calendar will be added to your Calendar pane under the Shared Calendars section.

Did this solve your problem?

• If yes, see Additional resources.
• If no, see Additional help.

Open a shared calendar in Outlook on the web

To open a shared calendar from the sharing invitation, select the Accept button in the sharing invitation. The shared calendar will be added to your Calendar pane under the People's calendars section.

Did this solve your problem?

• If yes, see Additional resources.
• If no, see Additional help.

Open a shared calendar in Outlook mobile apps for iOS & Android

Outlook For Mac Contact Group Greyed Out

To open a shared calendar from the Outlook sharing invitation, select Accept button in the sharing invitation. The Accept button will then change to View and you can then select it to view shared calendar. You can also locate the Calendar pane in your Outlook app to view a shared calendar by selecting the hamburger menu icon and then selecting that shared calendar from the list of calendars that is displayed in that menu.

Contact List Outlook Mac

Did this solve your problem?

• If yes, see Additional resources.
• If no, see Additional help.

Open a shared calendar from Outlook.com

When you share your Outlook.com calendar with people, they can add it directly to their calendar view in Outlook. Depending on the permission that you give them, they can view your calendar or edit it.

Other Users Greyed Out Mac

For detailed information about how to share a calendar in Outlook.com, refer to Share your calendar in Outlook.com.

User Account Greyed Out Mac

Did this solve your problem?

• If yes, see Additional resources.
• If no, see Additional help.