How to Book Appointments with Microsoft Bookings

Applies to: Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, Bookings Web App)
Article Type: How-To
Last Updated: 2026-05-17

Summary

This article shows you how to use Microsoft Bookings to create a self-service booking page, add services, manage appointments, and share your scheduling link — allowing colleagues, clients, or external contacts to book time with you directly without back-and-forth emails.

Prerequisites

• A Microsoft 365 account with Bookings enabled (included in most Business and Enterprise plans).
• An active internet connection.
• No admin rights are required for any step in this article.

Instructions

1. Open Microsoft Bookings

You can access Bookings from multiple entry points in Microsoft 365.

1. From the web: Navigate to https://outlook.office.com/bookings and sign in with your Microsoft 365 account.
2. From the Microsoft 365 app launcher: Click the App launcher (grid icon) in the top-left corner and select Bookings. If it is not visible, click All apps and search for Bookings.
3. From Outlook (New Outlook / Web): Click Calendar in the left navigation, then click Create Bookings page in the toolbar.

Verification: The Bookings home page displays with options to create a new booking page or manage existing ones.

2. Create a Booking Page

A booking page is your public scheduling interface — think of it as a personal or team calendar that others can use to book time with you.

1. Click Create a booking page (or + New if you already have existing pages).
2. Enter a Business or page name (e.g., IT Support Consultations or Sarah's Office Hours).
3. Choose the type:
   • Personal — For your individual calendar. Only you are a staff member.
   • Shared — For a team or department. Multiple staff members can receive bookings.
4. Click Create.
5. The booking page editor opens with tabs for Services, Staff, Business information, and Booking page settings.

3. Add Services (Appointment Types)

Services define what people can book — each service has its own duration, description, and availability.

1. Click the Services tab in your booking page editor.
2. Click + Add a service.
3. Fill in the service details:
   • Service name: A clear, descriptive name (e.g., 30-Minute IT Consultation, New Hire Onboarding Session).
   • Description: A brief explanation of what the appointment covers.
   • Duration: Set the length (e.g., 30 minutes, 60 minutes).
   • Buffer time: Add padding before or after appointments to avoid back-to-back meetings (e.g., 5 minutes).
   • Price: Set to Free for internal use, or add a price for external-facing services.
   • Location: Choose Microsoft Teams meeting (auto-generates a Teams link), In person, Phone, or Customer specifies.
4. Under Availability, configure when this service can be booked:
   • Use your default business hours, or set custom hours for this specific service.
   • Set Lead time (how far in advance someone must book) and Maximum advance (how far into the future bookings are allowed).
5. Click Save.

Verification: The new service appears in the Services list. Click Preview to see how it looks to a person booking.

4. Add Staff Members (Shared Booking Pages Only)

For shared booking pages, add team members so appointments are distributed across multiple calendars.

1. Click the Staff tab.
2. Click + Add staff.
3. Search for the person by name or email and select them.
4. Set their role:
   • Administrator — Can manage the booking page, services, and all appointments.
   • Team member — Can view and manage their own appointments.
   • Viewer — Can see the calendar but cannot manage bookings.
5. Configure their Availability if it differs from the default business hours.
6. Click Save.

Verification: The staff member appears in the Staff list and their calendar is checked for conflicts when customers book.

5. Configure Your Booking Page Settings

Customize how the public booking page looks and behaves.

1. Click the Booking page tab (or Settings depending on your interface version).
2. Key settings to review:
   • Page status: Toggle Published to make the page live, or keep it as Draft while you configure it.
   • Require sign-in: Choose whether customers must sign in with a Microsoft account or can book anonymously by providing their name and email.
   • Email notifications: Enable or disable confirmation and reminder emails sent to customers.
   • Staff approval: If enabled, bookings require manual approval by a staff member before they are confirmed.
   • Cancellation policy: Set whether customers can cancel or reschedule their own bookings, and specify a minimum notice period.
3. Under Business information, add your organization's address, phone number, and logo (these appear on the public page).
4. Click Save and publish when ready.

6. Share Your Booking Page Link

Once published, share the link so people can start booking with you.

1. Open your booking page and click Share in the toolbar.
2. Copy the Booking page URL — this is the public link you can send to anyone.
3. Distribution options:
   • Email: Paste the link into an email or add it to your email signature.
   • Teams: Post the link in a Teams channel or chat.
   • Website: Embed the booking page on an internal portal or SharePoint site using the provided embed code.
   • QR Code: Some booking pages offer a downloadable QR code for physical spaces (reception desks, posters).
4. External users (outside your organization) can book without needing a Microsoft 365 account — they enter their name and email on the booking form.

Verification: Open the link in an incognito/private browser window. The public booking page should display your services and available time slots.

7. Manage and View Appointments

Once bookings start coming in, manage them from the Bookings dashboard or your Outlook calendar.

1. Open Bookings and click your booking page.
2. Click the Calendar tab to see all upcoming and past appointments.
3. To view details, click on an appointment to see the customer name, service, time, and any notes.
4. To cancel or reschedule, click the appointment and select Cancel booking or Reschedule. The customer receives an automatic notification.
5. Bookings appointments also appear in your Outlook calendar as regular events, including the Teams meeting link if applicable.

Troubleshooting

INFO

Microsoft Bookings is separate from Outlook's scheduling assistant and FindTime. Bookings creates a self-service page for external or internal customers to book with you, while scheduling assistant helps you find mutual availability within your organization.

Symptom / Error	Potential Cause	Solution
Bookings app is not visible in the app launcher	Bookings not enabled for your tenant	Contact IT to verify that Microsoft Bookings is enabled in your Microsoft 365 admin settings.
External customers cannot access the booking page	Page is still in Draft status	Open the booking page settings and toggle the status to Published.
Time slots show as unavailable even when calendar is free	Business hours or service availability misconfigured	Check the Availability settings on both the booking page and the specific service. Ensure they cover the expected hours.
Customer did not receive a confirmation email	Email notifications disabled	Open Booking page settings and verify that email notifications are toggled on for confirmations and reminders.
Booked meeting does not appear in Outlook	Calendar sync delay	Wait a few minutes for the appointment to sync. If it still does not appear, open the Bookings calendar directly to verify the booking exists.

Related Articles

• How to Create a Calendar Event in Outlook
• How to Use Room Finder in Outlook
• How to Share Your Screen in a Teams Meeting
• How to Manage Calendar Sharing Permissions in Outlook
• Understanding Microsoft 365 Apps — What Each App Does and When to Use It

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