The fastest way to see another person's calendar

To add someone's calendar to your Outlook view, you need their email address and their permission. In Outlook on the web, go to your calendar, select Add calendar at the top left, choose Subscribe to a calendar, paste their email address, and click Subscribe. In Outlook desktop (Windows or Mac), go to File > Open > Open Other User's Folder, enter their email address, select Calendar from the dropdown, and click OK. The person whose calendar you're viewing does not have to send you an invitation — but they do have to have shared their calendar with you first, or you'll get a permission error.

The calendar appears in your left sidebar under Other calendars (web) or in your calendar list (desktop). You can view it alongside your own calendar, color-code it, or hide it. You can see only what they've chosen to share — typically their free/busy times, event titles, and details, depending on their sharing settings.

Key Takeaways

  • The person must share their calendar with you before you can add it; you need their email address and their permission.
  • In Outlook on the web, use Add calendar > Subscribe to a calendar and enter their email address.
  • In Outlook desktop, use File > Open > Open Other User's Folder and select their calendar.
  • Once added, their calendar appears in your sidebar and you can view it, color-code it, or hide it without affecting their calendar settings.

How to share your own calendar so others can add it

Before someone can add your calendar to their Outlook, you need to share it with them. In Outlook on the web, right-click your calendar name in the left sidebar, select Share calendar, enter the person's email address, and choose your permission level: Can view when I'm busy (they see only free/busy times), Can view titles and details (they see event names and descriptions), or Can edit (they can add or change events). Click Share.

In Outlook desktop on Windows, right-click your calendar, select Properties, go to the Permissions tab, click Add, enter the person's name or email, and set their permission level. On Mac, right-click your calendar, select Sharing Permissions, and follow the same steps. Once you've shared your calendar, send the person your email address so they know to add it.

Troubleshooting: "You don't have permission to open this calendar"

This error means the person has not yet shared their calendar with you, or they shared it with a different email address than the one you're using. Ask them to check their sharing settings and confirm they've shared it with the correct email address. If they're using Outlook desktop, they may need to restart Outlook after changing permissions for the change to take effect.

If you're trying to add a calendar in Outlook desktop and the person's name doesn't appear in the directory, they may work for a different organization or use a personal email account. Ask them for their full email address and try again. If they use a Gmail or other non-Outlook account, you cannot add their calendar directly through Outlook's built-in tools — they would need to send you an invitation link or you would need to use a third-party calendar app.

Viewing multiple calendars at once

Once you've added someone's calendar, you can view yours and theirs side by side. In Outlook on the web, both calendars appear in the main view with different colors. In Outlook desktop, check the box next to each calendar name in your sidebar to show or hide it. You can overlay them (see both at the same time) or switch between them by clicking the calendar name.

To change the color of a shared calendar so it's easier to tell apart from yours, right-click the calendar name and select Change color (web) or Color (desktop). This changes only how it appears on your screen — it does not affect the original calendar's color for anyone else.

What you can and cannot do with a shared calendar

What you can do depends on the permission level the person set when they shared their calendar. If they chose Can view when I'm busy, you see only blocks of time marked as busy or free — no event titles or details. If they chose Can view titles and details, you see the full event name, time, location, and description. If they chose Can edit, you can add, change, or delete events on their calendar (use this only for shared team calendars or with explicit permission).

You cannot change someone's sharing settings, delete their calendar, or see events they've marked as private — even if they gave you edit permission. If an event shows as "Private" or "Confidential," you see only the time slot, not the details. If you need to see private events, ask the person to change the event's classification or share a different calendar with fewer restrictions.

Adding a calendar from outside your organization

If the person works for a different company or uses a personal email account, the process is the same, but it may take longer for the system to recognize their email address. In Outlook on the web, enter their full email address in Subscribe to a calendar and click Subscribe. In Outlook desktop, use Open Other User's Folder and enter their email address. If the system cannot find them, ask them to confirm their email address is correct and that they've shared their calendar with you.

Some organizations block calendar sharing across company boundaries for security reasons. If you get a permission error and the person has confirmed they've shared their calendar, contact your IT department — they may need to adjust your organization's sharing policies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a calendar if the person hasn't shared it with me yet?

No. You need their permission first. Ask them to share their calendar with your email address, then you can add it. If you try to add it before they've shared it, you'll get a permission error.

Does the person know when I add their calendar to my view?

No. They only know if they check their sharing settings. Adding a shared calendar is a one-way action — it does not notify them or change anything on their end.

Can I edit events on someone else's calendar?

Only if they gave you edit permission when they shared the calendar. If they chose Can view when I'm busy or Can view titles and details, you can see their calendar but cannot make changes. Ask them to change your permission level if you need to edit events.

What happens if someone stops sharing their calendar with me?

The calendar stays in your sidebar, but you'll see an error when you try to open it. You can delete it from your view by right-clicking and selecting Remove (web) or unchecking it (desktop). Ask the person to re-share it if you need access again.

Can I add a Google Calendar or Apple Calendar to Outlook?

Not directly through Outlook's built-in tools. You can subscribe to a public Google Calendar using its public URL in Outlook on the web, but private calendars from other services require a third-party app or manual syncing. Check your calendar provider's documentation for integration options.