Block or Remove Blocked Time on Your Calendar

Summary

Blocking time on your Outlook calendar allows you to show when you are unavailable, out of the office, or busy. These steps work for both Windows and Mac users. Blocking time is different from setting an Out of Office auto-reply.

Prerequisites

  • Outlook installed on your computer
  • Access to your UTHSC email account

Instructions

Block Time

  1. Open Outlook.
  2. Select the Calendar icon.
  3. Double-click the day and time you want to block.
  4. Enter a title such as “Winter Break” or “Annual Leave.” The subject is only visible to you.
  5. If needed, adjust the Start and End times.
  6. Select “All day” if you are taking the entire day.
  7. Windows users: Change your status to Out of Office from the “Show As” dropdown, then select Save & Close.
  8. Mac users: Select More Options, change your status to Out of Office, make any needed changes, then select Save.

Remove Blocked Time

  1. Open Outlook.
  2. Select the Calendar icon.
  3. Right-click the blocked time you want to remove.
  4. Select Delete.
  5. Mac users: Confirm deletion when prompted.

Troubleshooting

  • If your blocked time does not appear correctly, verify you are editing the correct calendar.
  • If you cannot delete a blocked entry, ensure it is not part of a recurring series.
  • If Outlook is not saving changes, restart the app and try again.

Additional Notes

  • Blocking time on your calendar does not send an Out of Office auto-reply. To set an auto-reply, see the Out of Office article.
  • This article applies to both Windows and Mac versions of Outlook.

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