How to Use the Scheduling Assistant in Outlook

Applies to: Microsoft Outlook (Desktop, Web), Microsoft 365
Article Type: How-To
Last Updated: 2026-08-09

Summary

Six people, four calendars you cannot see, and eleven emails trying to land on a Tuesday. Outlook answers this two ways: the Scheduling Assistant shows you everyone's free and busy hours before you send the invite, and a Scheduling Poll puts the options to a vote when their calendars are hidden from you.

Before You Start

• A Microsoft 365 account with Outlook access.
• For Scheduling Assistant: works in Outlook Desktop (Classic and New) and Outlook on the Web.
• Nothing to install for either tool. Scheduling Poll is built into Outlook and replaced the old FindTime add-in, which Microsoft retired in December 2023.

Instructions

1. Use the Scheduling Assistant (Built Into Outlook)

The Scheduling Assistant shows you a visual timeline of every attendee's availability so you can pick a time that works for everyone — without asking each person individually.

Outlook Desktop (Classic)

1. Open Outlook and go to Calendar.
2. Click New Meeting (or press Ctrl + Shift + Q).
3. Add your attendees in the To field (or Required / Optional fields).
4. Click the Scheduling Assistant tab (next to the Appointment tab at the top).
5. You will see a grid with each attendee listed on the left and their calendar displayed as colored blocks:
   • Dark blue/purple = Busy
   • Light blue/striped = Tentative
   • Purple with pattern = Out of Office
   • White/empty = Free
6. Look for a vertical column where all attendees show as Free (white).
7. Click on the free time slot to set the meeting time, or drag the meeting block to adjust the duration.
8. Optionally, use the AutoPick button (bottom left) to let Outlook automatically suggest the next available slot.
9. Switch back to the Appointment tab to add the meeting subject, location, and agenda.
10. Click Send.

Outlook on the Web

1. Go to outlook.office.com and open Calendar.
2. Click New event.
3. Add attendees in the Invite attendees field.
4. Click Scheduling Assistant in the event toolbar (or it may appear automatically as a side panel).
5. The availability grid works the same way — look for free slots and click to select.
6. Add your meeting details and click Send.

New Outlook (Desktop)

1. Open New Outlook and go to Calendar.
2. Click New event.
3. Add attendees in the Invite attendees field.
4. Click the Scheduling Assistant button in the toolbar.
5. Browse the availability grid, select a free slot, and send the invitation.

Tip: The Scheduling Assistant only shows availability for people within your organization. External attendees' calendars will appear as "No information available" — for those situations, send a Scheduling Poll (Step 3) instead.

2. Use Suggested Times (Quick Alternative)

Outlook can automatically suggest meeting times based on attendee availability.

1. Create a New Meeting and add your attendees.
2. Look for the Suggested times panel on the right side of the meeting form (Outlook Web and New Outlook) or below the scheduling grid (Classic Outlook).
3. Outlook shows a list of time slots ranked by availability — green checkmarks mean everyone is free.
4. Click a suggested time to apply it to the meeting.
5. Add your details and click Send.

3. Send a Scheduling Poll When You Cannot See Everyone's Calendar

A Scheduling Poll puts three or four candidate times to the attendees and lets them vote, which is the way through when the Scheduling Assistant cannot see the calendars you need.

This is the tool for external contacts, for large groups, and for anyone whose availability shows as unknown. Microsoft replaced the old FindTime add-in with Scheduling Poll, and built it into Outlook — there is nothing to install.

Step A: Open Scheduling Poll

The entry point differs by client, so use the one that matches what you are working in.

1. Classic Outlook for Windows — with an email open in the reading pane, click Reply with Scheduling Poll on the Home tab. From a message you are composing, click New Scheduling Poll on the Message tab. From a meeting, click New Scheduling Poll on the Meeting tab.
2. Outlook on the web — create or reply to an email and click Scheduling poll on the Message tab. From a calendar event, click Scheduling poll on the Event tab.
3. Outlook for Mac — the entry point is on the toolbar, and you may have to add it: open Customize Toolbar and drag Scheduling Poll onto the toolbar. If your Mac previously had the FindTime add-in, it is already there.
4. Add your attendees before you open the poll — required attendees in To, optional ones in Cc. The poll reads that list to work out who has to agree.

Step B: Choose the Time Options

1. The panel shows your calendar and the calendars of colleagues on your Microsoft 365 account.
2. Click the slots you want to offer. Three to five gives attendees a real choice without turning the vote into work.
3. Anyone outside your organization, or on a calendar not attached to a Microsoft 365 account, shows as unknown availability rather than free — offer them a spread of times rather than guessing.

Step C: Set the Poll Options

1. Set the meeting duration.
2. Choose whether it is a Teams meeting or has a physical location.
3. Consider Schedule when attendees reach consensus. With it on, the event is booked automatically once every required attendee has voted for a time — and where several times qualify, the earliest one wins. Leave it off if you want to make the final call yourself.
4. Holding the proposed times on your own calendar stops you double-booking the slots you have offered.

Step D: Send It

1. Insert the poll into the message. A voting link appears in the body.
2. Write a line of context around it — a bare link reads as spam, and attendees vote faster when they know what the meeting is for.
3. Send. Recipients click through, vote, and you are notified as results arrive.

4. Book a Room Using Room Finder

When your meeting needs a physical conference room, use Room Finder alongside the Scheduling Assistant.

1. Create a New Meeting and add attendees.
2. Click Room Finder (in the ribbon or the location field).
3. Browse available rooms by building, floor, or capacity.
4. Rooms that are free during your selected time slot appear with a checkmark.
5. Select a room and it is added to the meeting as the location.

See How to Use Room Finder in Outlook for detailed Room Finder instructions.

5. Best Practices for Scheduling Meetings

• Check availability first — Always use the Scheduling Assistant before sending an invite. Booking over someone's existing meeting creates conflicts and frustration.
• Include an agenda — Even a few bullet points in the meeting body helps attendees prepare and decide if they need to attend.
• Use "Optional" wisely — Mark attendees as Optional if they do not need to be present but need to be informed.
• Set the correct duration — Default meetings are 60 minutes, but many discussions need only 30 or even 15 minutes. Shorter meetings respect everyone's time.
• Use a Scheduling Poll for large groups — For meetings with five or more people, or any external contact, a poll settles it faster than hunting the grid for a gap.
• Propose a new time — If you receive a meeting invite that conflicts with your schedule, click Propose New Time instead of declining outright.

Troubleshooting

TIP

The Scheduling Assistant is most useful when all attendees are within your organization and have up-to-date calendars. If someone's calendar shows as completely free when you know they are busy, they may not be keeping their Outlook calendar updated — reach out to them directly.

Symptom / Error	Potential Cause	Solution
Attendee shows "No information available"	External contact, or a calendar not on your Microsoft 365 account	Send a Scheduling Poll instead (Step 3). The Scheduling Assistant can only read calendars inside your organization.
Scheduling Poll is not in the ribbon or toolbar	You are looking on the wrong tab, or on a Mac it is not on the toolbar yet	The tab differs by client — see Step 3A. On a Mac, open Customize Toolbar and drag Scheduling Poll onto the toolbar. Do not go looking for the FindTime add-in: Microsoft removed it, and it cannot be reinstalled.
All time slots show as busy	Attendees have packed schedules	Extend the range to next week or the week after. Failing that, send a Scheduling Poll and let attendees say which of your options they can actually move.
AutoPick does not find any open slots	Working hours mismatch or calendar conflicts	Manually scroll through the scheduling grid. Consider scheduling outside standard hours with attendee agreement.
Meeting was booked but room shows as unavailable	Room was booked by someone else between selection and sending	Re-open the meeting, use Room Finder to select a different available room.
Poll link does not work for an external recipient	Their organization blocks external links	Write the time options into the email as plain text and ask them to reply with a preference. Add their answer to the poll yourself.

Related Articles

• How to Create a Calendar Event in Outlook
• How to Use Room Finder in Outlook
• How to Manage Calendar Sharing Permissions in Outlook
• How to Troubleshoot Outlook Calendar Issues (Missing Meetings, Sync Problems)
• How to Set Up an Out-of-Office Reply in Outlook
• Understanding Teams Meetings — Features, Roles, and Best Practices

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