Propose a new meeting time in Outlook, and accept one as organizer
Outlook lets an attendee suggest a different time without editing the organizer’s meeting, but only for some meetings and some accounts. If the button is missing, the cause is usually one of three documented restrictions. Arte Soft, the developer of Cloud Calendars, wrote this guide; the controls are Microsoft’s.
Can you propose a new time?
| Situation | Proposal available? | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| One-off meeting, work or school account, proposals allowed | Yes | — |
| Recurring meeting | No (Microsoft) | Message the organizer |
| Organizer restricted proposals | No | Message the organizer |
| Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, MSN, IMAP or POP account | Not supported | Reply with your availability |
| Client other than new or classic Outlook for Windows | Not documented on Microsoft’s page | Check the client; otherwise message |
What most people assume
If I can’t make a meeting, I can always use Propose New Time.
Three reasons the option may not be there
Microsoft documents that you can’t propose a new time for a recurring meeting. It also says the organizer can send a meeting request that restricts proposals; in that case Propose New Time isn’t available. And the feature is only for work or school accounts: Microsoft lists personal Microsoft accounts (outlook.com, hotmail.com, live.com, msn.com) and IMAP or POP accounts from other providers as not supported.
So check those three before assuming your Outlook is broken. If any applies, reply to the organizer by message instead of moving your copy of the meeting; Microsoft warns that moving a meeting you were invited to leaves the organizer uninformed and your calendar at the wrong time.
As an attendee in new Outlook for Windows
Open the invitation, choose Propose new time, then pick I might attend or No, I won’t attend. Select the alternative slot, choose Done, add a message if useful, and select Send. Your choice of tentative or decline is sent along with the suggestion.
As an attendee in classic Outlook for Windows
Choose Propose New Time, then Tentative and Propose New Time or Decline and Propose New Time. Pick the new time and select Propose Time. Microsoft says this opens a meeting response and adds “New Time Proposed” to the subject; select Send.
Microsoft’s page documents only these two Windows clients for proposing. For Outlook on the web, Mac or mobile, look for the equivalent control in that client, and if it is not there, message the organizer.
As the organizer: accept or reject
In classic Outlook, open the proposal and choose Accept Proposal or View All Proposals. To accept, select Accept Proposal and then Send Update, which moves the meeting for everyone. To reject, Microsoft’s instruction is Delete. The page does not document the organizer flow for new Outlook, so check that client’s own options before relying on it.
Accepting one person’s suggestion can make the time worse for others. Before Send Update, check the other attendees’ availability for the proposed slot.
Worked example: one clash, two clients
A fictional analyst on a work account in new Outlook is invited to a one-off review at 14:00 Thursday that clashes with training. They open the invitation, choose Propose new time, select I might attend, pick 10:00 Friday and add “Training until 15:00 Thursday”.
The organizer, using classic Outlook, opens the proposal, chooses View All Proposals to see whether anyone else suggested a time, checks the other two attendees are free at 10:00 Friday, then selects Accept Proposal and Send Update.
Check: the analyst’s calendar now shows the review at 10:00 Friday from the organizer’s update. If the review had been a weekly series, the analyst would have messaged the organizer instead.
What it looks like
Cloud Calendars overview, using our product images. Provider settings and protocol examples described in this guide are separate from the screens shown here.
What to do
- Check the meeting is one-off and your account is work or school.
- Use Propose new time with a tentative or decline response and a short reason.
- Don’t move your copy of an invited meeting.
- As organizer, review all proposals and other attendees’ availability before accepting.
- Accept with Accept Proposal then Send Update (classic Outlook).
Questions
- Why can’t I propose a new time for our weekly meeting?
- Microsoft says proposals aren’t available for recurring meetings. Contact the organizer.
- Does proposing a time move the meeting?
- No. The organizer must accept the proposal and send an update.
- I use an Outlook.com address. Why is the option missing?
- Microsoft lists personal Microsoft accounts and IMAP/POP accounts as not supported for this feature.