Outlook Calendar is a handy and resourceful tool from Microsoft that allows users to create events and appointments, organize meetings, view group schedules, and do plenty of other activities. But all such usage of Outlook Calendar becomes more convenient if you know some simple tips and tricks to do things quickly. In this blog, we will present the 7 best Outlook Calendar tips that can save you significant time.
1.Shortcut Key for Date
It takes extra time when you have to go to a specific date and add or see your schedule. But you can quickly do it with the shortcut key. Once you are in the Outlook Calendar, press "Ctrl" + "G". It will show up a "Go To Date" prompt where you can add the date, display format, and then click "OK". Also, you don't have to specifically follow the same format of date showing in there, as you can write "may 15" or "sat" and it will take you to that date instantly.
2.Viewing Multiple Time Zones
Outlook Calendar shows the time based on your time zone, but you can also add multiple time zones. To do that, go to "Files" and then click "Options". From the Outlook Options section, go to the "Calendar" tab and scroll down till you see the "Time zones" section. This is where you can add multiple time zones. So, tick the checkbox narrating "Show a second time zone" and then choose the time zone from the drop-down option. You can also label your time zones. Once you are done adding the time zones, click "OK" to save the settings. Now you can see that in your Outlook Calendar there will be multiple time zones.
3.View Calendar from Email Inbox
It can be time-consuming to go repeatedly from Outlook email inbox to Outlook Calendar. That's why Outlook provides functionality to view a mini-calendar directly from the Outlook inbox window. Go to your Outlook inbox window and then go to the "View" tab. From there, click on "To-Do Bar" and then click "Calendar". A mini calendar section will be added in the right section of your Outlook inbox. Now you can easily click on any date to see your schedule. You can also see more details of your particular schedule or edit it by clicking on it and it will take you to the calendar interface, but this time it is in a new window instead of taking you to the Outlook Calendar section.
4.Share the Calendar through Email
Outlook Calendar does not just help you to set up your schedule, but it also allows you to share the calendar with others through email. To do that, start composing a new email. Now go to the "Insert" tab and click on "Calendar". A prompt will appear where you have to choose the calendar you want to share (in case you have multiple calendars). Next, it asks to tell the date range the other person should see and the calendar details like availability only, full access, etc. So, you can set the details as per your choice and then click "OK". You will see that the Calendar section is added to the email, which shows only the dates and information you have allowed it to show. But you will notice that it shows a very user-friendly calendar, which is easy to read and navigate. Now once you send this email to the other person, that person can go-through your calendar dates shown to him/her and contact you accordingly.
5.Apply Colors automatically to Outlook Events
Instead of the traditional black and window calendar interface, Outlook allows you to apply colors to your events and schedules to make them more prominent. You can do it with conditional formatting where you set settings, like when a specific word is written in the event, then turn that event to that specific color. To do that, go to the "View" tab from the top, click on "View Settings", and then click "Conditional Formatting". A prompt will appear which is where you will add the words or phrases and assign specific colors. Click on the "Add" button and give a name to it and the color you want to assign. Next, click on the "Condition" button and then write the word(s) for which you want to use the assigned color. Then choose where should the Outlook Calendar look for the word(s), such as in the subject field only, notes fields, etc. So, set the settings accordingly and then click "OK" to close all the pop-up windows one-by-one. To test your setting, go to any date, create an event, and write that specific word in it. Once you save the event, you will see that the section has turned into your assigned color automatically.
6.Turn Email to a Calendar Event
Somethings you may receive an email from someone and you want to discuss it later and make a calendar event for it. Outlook helps you to quickly turn any email into a calendar event. To do that, go to your Outlook inbox section and drag that email to the calendar section. This way, it will automatically create a new event with the title same as the email subject and all the email details added into the event notes section. Now you just have to set up the date and time of that event/appointment. You can even invite attendees or do other customizations for that event. Once done, you can click "Save & Close" so that the event is added to your calendar.
7.Add Public Holidays to the Calendar
If you dealing with clients from different countries or even you are involved with the ones residing in your country, you might want to remain updated with public holidays. Outlook allows you to automatically add public holidays to the calendar for any country you want. To do that, go to "Files" and then click "Options". From the Outlook Options section, go to the "Calendar" tab and then look for the "Calendar options" section. In there, click on "Add Holidays" and you will see different locations for which public holidays you can add. So, choose the ones as per your choice and click "OK". This way, you can see that all the related public holidays of that particular location are added to your calendar.
Wrapping Up
The above seven tips are just a few of the many tricks and customizations that Outlook provides to enhance user experience. In a nutshell, with the growing digital dependence of the world, Outlook Calendar is one handy tool we need in the present era to manage daily personal and professional activities effectively.