Send an invite from your calendar

Open Outlook and go to your Calendar view. Click the New Event button (or double-click an empty time slot on your calendar). A new event window opens.

Fill in the event details: the title in the Subject field, the date and time, and the location if there is one. Then click in the Attendees field and type the email address of each person you want to invite. Outlook will suggest contacts as you type — click the name to add them.

Once you have added all attendees, click Send. Outlook sends the invite to each person's inbox. They will see it as a calendar invitation they can accept, decline, or mark as tentative.

Key Takeaways

  • You create a meeting invite from the Calendar view by clicking New Event and filling in the subject, time, and attendee email addresses.
  • Type email addresses directly into the Attendees field, and Outlook suggests matching contacts as you type.
  • Clicking Send delivers the invite to each attendee's inbox as a calendar invitation they can respond to.
  • You can edit or cancel an invite after sending it by opening the event and clicking Edit or Cancel.
  • If you are sending from an email message instead of the calendar, use the Scheduling Assistant to see when attendees are free.

Add attendees one at a time or all at once

You can type multiple email addresses into the Attendees field separated by semicolons. For example: john@company.com; sarah@company.com; mike@company.com. Outlook recognizes the semicolon as a separator and adds each person to the invite.

If you are unsure of someone's exact email address, type their name instead. Outlook searches your contacts and shows matching names — click the one you want. This method is faster and reduces the chance of typos.

Use the Scheduling Assistant to find a time that works

After you add attendees, click the Scheduling Assistant button (usually near the top of the event window). A panel opens showing each attendee's calendar availability in a grid. Green blocks mean they are free; red or gray blocks mean they are busy or their calendar is not shared with you.

Use this view to pick a time when most people are free. Drag the event to a new time slot on the grid, and Outlook updates the meeting time automatically. This step saves back-and-forth emails about rescheduling.

Send an invite from an email message

You can also create a meeting invite while composing an email. Click the Meeting button in the toolbar at the top of your message. Outlook converts the email into a meeting invite and opens the event details window.

Add the subject, time, location, and attendee email addresses the same way you would in the calendar view. The people you already typed in the To field of the email are automatically added as attendees. Click Send to deliver the invite.

Edit or cancel an invite after sending

If you need to change the time, location, or attendees after sending, open the event from your calendar and click Edit. Make your changes and click Send Update. Outlook notifies all attendees of the change.

To cancel a meeting entirely, open the event and click Cancel Meeting. Outlook sends a cancellation notice to all attendees and removes the event from their calendars. If only some people can no longer attend, you can remove them from the Attendees field and send an update instead.

Troubleshoot common invite problems

If an attendee says they never received your invite, check that you spelled their email address correctly. Typos are the most common reason invites do not arrive. Ask them to check their spam or junk folder — sometimes calendar invites get filtered there.

If Outlook shows a red X next to someone's name in the Attendees field, that email address does not exist or is not recognized. Delete it and ask the person for the correct address. If you are inviting someone outside your organization, make sure their email domain is spelled correctly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see if someone has accepted my invite before the meeting?

Yes. Open the event from your calendar and look at the Attendees section. Each person's name shows their response status: Accepted, Declined, or Tentative. You can also see this information in the meeting details window.

What is the difference between Required and Optional attendees?

When you add someone to the Attendees field, they are Required by default. Click on their name and change their status to Optional if their presence is not critical. Optional attendees still receive the invite and can respond, but it signals that the meeting will happen whether or not they attend.

Can I send an invite to a group email address?

Yes. Type the group email address into the Attendees field the same way you would an individual address. Outlook sends one invite to the group address, and the group's email system distributes it to all members. Individual members cannot respond to the invite on behalf of the group.

What happens if I change the meeting time after people have accepted?

Open the event, change the time, and click Send Update. Outlook sends a new invite to all attendees showing the new time. Their previous acceptance carries over, but they see the change and can update their response if needed.

How do I make an invite recurring?

In the event details window, click Recurrence and choose how often the meeting repeats — daily, weekly, monthly, or a custom pattern. Set an end date or leave it open-ended. When you send the invite, attendees see it as a recurring meeting and can accept all instances or individual ones.