View several Outlook calendars at once: split view or overlay
Comparing your calendar with a colleague’s or a team calendar is easier when you choose the right layout. Outlook offers side-by-side columns and an overlay, with different controls in new and classic Outlook. Arte Soft, the developer of Cloud Calendars, explains each.
Controls by client
| Action | New Outlook / web | Classic Outlook |
|---|---|---|
| Add a calendar to the view | Select it in the calendar list | Tick it in the Navigation Pane |
| Side by side | Arrange → Split view on | Default when ticking another calendar |
| Overlay | Arrange → Split view off | View in Overlay Mode on the calendar tab |
| Back to side by side | Split view on | View in Side-by-Side Mode |
| Remove from view | Deselect it | Clear check box or Close |
What most people assume
An overlay merges calendars, so moving an item moves it in all of them.
New Outlook and Outlook on the web
Select the extra calendars in your calendar list. In the Arrange group, select Split view to show them side by side. Deselect Split view to see them in one grid; Microsoft says the events appear overlaid on the default calendar in their assigned colours.
Classic Outlook
Tick another calendar in the Navigation Pane and it opens next to the current one. On that calendar’s tab, select View in Overlay Mode to stack it on the first (usually your default). To unstack, select View in Side-by-Side Mode on its tab. To remove it from view, clear its check box or select Close on its tab. You can also right-click a calendar and choose Open in New Window.
Which layout for which question
Side by side helps answer “whose visible event is this?” because each calendar has its own column. Overlay helps spot overlaps in one grid, but colour and the opened item identify the owning calendar. Neither layout supplies calendar access you do not already have, and an empty-looking area alone is not confirmation that a person is free.
Showing calendars together doesn’t change ownership: each item still belongs to its own calendar and its own permissions.
Worked example: a team lead’s Tuesday
A fictional team lead opens their own calendar and two colleagues’ shared calendars in new Outlook with Split view on. Both colleagues have no visible event between 15:00 and 16:00, but the lead’s own column contains an appointment at 15:30. They switch Split view off and see that appointment in the combined grid; opening it confirms it belongs to their own calendar.
Check: open the 15:30 item to confirm which calendar it belongs to before booking.
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
- Select the calendars to compare.
- Use split or side-by-side view to see who is busy.
- Use overlay to spot any clash; open items before acting.
- Remove extra calendars from view when done.
Questions
- How do I overlay calendars in new Outlook?
- Select the calendars and turn Split view off in the Arrange group.
- Does overlay mode combine the calendars?
- No. It only displays them together; each item stays in its own calendar.