How to set permission for viewing Free/Busy information in Outlook?

Author: Kelly Last Modified: 2025-04-14

For an exchange account in Microsoft Outlook, it allows users to share their calendar "Free/Busy" information with other users. Therefore, according to the "Free/Busy" information, other users can pick out a suitable time for meeting requires easily. Here we will talk in details about how to set permission and allow other users to view the "Free/Busy" information in your Microsoft Outlook.

Set permission for viewing Free/Busy information in Outlook 2010 and 2013

Set permission for viewing Free/Busy information in Outlook 2007

Note: The permission for viewing "Free/Busy" information will share part of information in your Microsoft Outlook with other users, and it requires your email account is an exchange one.

Set permission for viewing Free/Busy information in Outlook 2010 and 2013

This method will show you how to set or change the permission level for others viewing your "Free/Busy" information easily in Microsoft Outlook 2010 and 2013.

Step 1: Shift to the "Calendar" view, and select a calendar that you will share its "Free/Busy" information with others under "My Calendars".

Step 2: Go to the "Share" group on the "Home" tab, and click the "Calendar Permissions" button.

Step 3: Now the "Calendar Properties" dialog box comes out, please go to the "Permissions" section, and check one of Read permission levels according to your own needs.

There are four kinds of permission levels allowing others to view the "Free/Busy" information in the selected calendar: "None"; "Free/Busy time"; "Free/Busy time, subject, location"; and "Full Details". See the following screenshot:

screenshot of steps about setting permission for viewing free or busy in outlook 2010 and 2013 2

Step 4: It’s optional. Please set the internet "Free/Busy" options by clicking the "Other Free/Busy" button in the "Calendar Properties" dialog box.

In the new popping up "Internet Free/Busy Options" dialog box:

(1). Check the option of "Publish at location", and enter a location in the following box;
(2). Specify the period how many months of "Free/Busy" information in the selected calendar that you will share with others;
(3). Specify the interval period that how often the "Free/Busy" information will be updated.

screenshot of steps about setting permission for viewing free or busy in outlook 2010 and 2013 3

Step 5: Click all "OK" buttons in each dialog box.

After your permission, others can share your "Free/Busy" information of your specified calendar on your specified permission level.

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Set permission for viewing Free/Busy information in Outlook 2007

As you see, Microsoft Outlook 2007 still remains the classic menus in its main interface, and the steps to open the "Calendar Permission" dialog box are different from that in Outlook 2010 and 2013.

Step 1: Shift to the "Calendar" view, and select the calendar that you will share its "Free/Busy" information with others.

Step 2: Click the "Tools" > "Options" to open the "Options" dialog box.

Step 3: In the "Options" dialog box, please click the "Calendar Options" button on the "Preferences" tab.

Step 4: In the popping up "Calendar Options" dialog box, please click the "Free/Busy Options" button at the bottom. See the following screenshot:

screenshot of steps about setting permission for viewing free or busy in outlook 2007 2

Step 5: Now you get into the "Calendar Properties" dialog box. And you can follow the same steps we show in Microsoft Outlook 2010 and 2013 to finish the configuration.