Outlook: Show calendar as busy, free, tentative, and out of office

Author: Kelly Last Modified: 2025-04-09

As an Exchange user in Microsoft Outlook, you can set permission for others to view the Free/Busy information in your calendar. Therefore, other users can pick up free time for group schedules, such as meetings. Apart from granting permission to view Free/Busy information, you need to mark your appointments as busy, free, or others. This article will guide you to show appointments in calendars as busy, free, tentative, or out of office in Microsoft Outlook.

The following steps will guide you to show your appointments as busy, free, tentative, or out of office.

Step 1: Create a new appointment:

In Outlook 2010 and 2013, click "New Items" > "Appointment" on the "Home" tab;
In Outlook 2007, click "File" > "New" > "Appointment".

Step 2: In the Appointment window, click the "Show As:" box in the "Options" group on the "Appointment" tab.

There are five options in the drop-down list of "Show As:" box: Free, Tentative, Busy, Out of Office, and Working Elsewhere. You can select one of them based on your needs.

Step 3: Compose your appointment, and click the "Save & Close" button.

Then these appointments will be marked and shown as Free, Busy, Tentative, or Out of Office, both in your Outlook and in other Exchange users’ Outlook who share your calendar information. See screenshot: