How to automatically decline meeting invites from specific people in Outlook? 

In Outlook, we can create a rule to decline some meeting invites from specific people automatically, but, how to deal with it? This article will introduce a method in details.

Decline meeting invites from specific people automatically in Outlook

Decline meeting invites from specific people automatically and delete the meeting from calendar as well

Decline meeting invites from specific people automatically in Outlook

Please do with the following steps to finish this job:

1. First, you should create a message template for the decline meeting invites. In the Message window, type the message you want to send for declining the meeting invites. See screenshot:

2. Then save the message as template format, please click File > Save As, in the Save As window, enter a name for the message into the File name text box, and then choose Outlook Template(*.oft) from the Save as type drop down list, see screenshot:

Note: When you select Outlook Template(*.oft), a default user template folder will be opened.

3. Then click Save button to save the message template, and close the message window.

4. And then, you can create a rule. Please click Rules > Manage Rules & Alerts under the Home tab, see screenshot:

5. In the Rules and Alerts dialog box, click New Rule from the E-mail Rules tab, see screenshot:

6. In the popped out Rules Wizard, click Apply rule on message I receive option under the Start from a blank rule section, see screenshot:

7. Then click Next button, and in the popped out dialog box, check from people or public group in the Step1: Select condition(s) list box, and then click the text link people or public group to open the Rule Address dialog box, and select the people which you want to decline the meeting from, see screenshot:

8. Click OK button, still in this dialog box, please scroll to check which is a meeting invitation or update option from the Step1: Select condition(s) list box, see screenshot:

9. Go on clicking Next button, in the following dialog box:

(1.) Check reply using a specific template option in Step1: Select action(s) list box;

(2.) And then click the text link a specific template to open the Select a Reply Template dialog box;

(3.) In the Select a Reply Template dialog box, choose User Templates in Files System from the Look In drop down;

(4.) Then select the message name you have created just now;

(5.) Click Open button.

10. Go back to the original dialog box, go on checking delete it option in the Step1: Select action(s) list box, see screenshot:

11. The click Next > Next to go the last step dialog. In the Finish rule setup section, specify a name for this rule, and check Turn on this rule option from the Step2: Setup rule options, see screenshot:

12. Click Finish button to finish this rule, then click OK to close the dialog box.

13. From now on, when receiving the meeting from this specific people, a decline email will be sent to him automatically, and the meeting message will be deleted as well.

Decline meeting invites from specific people automatically and delete the meeting from calendar as well

The first method helps to send an email telling the person that you will not attend the meeting, but the meetings will always be displayed in your calendar. If you need to delete the meetings which appear in your calendar at the same time, the following VBA code can do you a favor.

1. Hold down the ALT + F11 keys to open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.

2. In the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window, double click ThisOutlookSession from the Project1(VbaProject.OTM) pane to open the module, and then copy and paste the following code into the blank module.

VBA code: Automatically decline meeting invites and delete the meetings from calendar as well:

Private Sub Application_NewMailEx(ByVal EntryIDCollection As String)
Dim xEntryIDs
Dim xItem
Dim i As Integer
Dim xMeeting As MeetingItem, xMeetingDeclined As MeetingItem
Dim xAppointmentItem As AppointmentItem
On Error Resume Next
xEntryIDs = Split(EntryIDCollection, ",")
For i = 0 To UBound(xEntryIDs)
    Set xItem = Application.Session.GetItemFromID(xEntryIDs(i))
    If xItem.Class = olMeetingRequest Then
        Set xMeeting = xItem
        xMeeting.ReminderSet = False
        If VBA.LCase(xMeeting.SenderEmailAddress) = VBA.LCase("") Then 'Specify the person you need
            Set xAppointmentItem = xMeeting.GetAssociatedAppointment(True)
            xAppointmentItem.ReminderSet = False
            Set xMeetingDeclined = xAppointmentItem.Respond(olMeetingDeclined)
            xMeetingDeclined.Body = "Dear, " & vbCrLf & _
                                    "I am not at office. " & vbCrLf & _
                                    "I'm sorry that I will not attend the meeting invitations."
            xMeetingDeclined.Send
            xMeeting.Delete
        End If
    End If
Next
End Sub

3. Then, save and close this code window. From now on, if there are meetings from this specific person, he will receive a declined email and the meeting will be deleted from your calendar automatically.