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Sharing a Published Calendar in Outlook

Sharing a Published Calendar in Outlook

This article is for users who’d like to create a calendar that can be shared, and users receive updates to the calendar regardless which Outlook app they prefer to use. This method will allow the creator to modify dates on the calendar even after creation, and the users who are subscribed to the calendar will always have an updated version.

In this article, click to expand to learn:

Creating and Publishing a Calendar

This step must be performed from the Outlook (New) app or Outlook for Web (OWA).

If will be publishing a shared mailbox’s calendar (and you have permissions to do so), please open the shared mailbox, and then you can skip to step 5 in these instructions.

  1. Click Calendar View

    image-20251015-170716.png

     

  2. Click Add calendar

    image-20251015-170839.png

  3. Click Create blank calendar and choose options you like. Then Save

    image-20251015-171040.png

     

  4. Now you can fill in your calendar with events if you like.

  5. Now click Settings (Gear icon) - this looks slightly different between Outlook (New) and OWA but it is at the top right:

    image-20251015-171601.png
    image-20251015-171636.png

     

  6. Click on Calendar in the left navigation menu, and Shared Calendars in the sub-menu:

    image-20251015-172512.png

     

  7. Under Publish a calendar, select the drop-down and select your calendar, and what level of detail you want people viewing this calendar to see. In most cases, that’s probably “Can view all details”. Click Publish.

    image-20251015-173223.png

If you don’t see your calendar listed here and you just created this calendar, you may need to close and reopen your app.

  1. You’ll get both a Web Link that users can access this calendar through via the web, and an ICS link. You can also Unpublish this calendar from here if needed.

    image-20251015-173615.png
    Click either link to get copy link or handling options.

Important!

The HTML link goes to a Web Calendar that displays this calendar in the user’s default web browser.

The ICS link is the more useful one for the next section that shows users how to subscribe to a calendar, however, there is one edit that must be made. This link is provided as an https: link but Outlook (New) and Outlook for Web will both require a webcal link. However, this is easy to generate: you just replace the https: in the link with webcal:

e.g.: instead of

https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/string/calendar.ics

edit this to be:

webcal://outlook.office.365.com/owa/calendar/string/calendar.ics

The webcal address is what you’ll want to communicate to users to subscribe to this calendar with the instructions in the next section.

Explanation: During publication of calendars, the link Microsoft gives is in the https: format, but swapping that URI to webcal: works for calendar import uses.

Optional - Add Sharing Permissions

You may also want to add other individuals to view, help add, or manage the events on this calendar. These instructions will go over that.

  1. In Calendar View, right-click the Calendar and choose Sharing and permissions

    image-20251015-174103.png

  2. Add your individual by their name or OTC email address and set their permissions from the available options in the drop-down:

    image-20251015-174304.png

This option saves automatically.

Subscribe to a Published Calendar

In Outlook (New) or Outlook for Web

  1. In Calendar View, Click Add Calendar:

    image-20251015-170839.png

  2. Click Subscribe from web:

    image-20251015-180519.png

     

  3. Paste the webcal/.ics link to the calendar you want to subscribe to and click Import. This should be a link that starts with webcal:

If you have an .ics uri that starts with https:, you may be able to replace the https: with webcal:

e.g. instead of (example):

https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/string/calendar.ics

edit this to be:

webcal://outlook.office.365.com/owa/calendar/string/calendar.ics

Explanation: During publication of calendars, the link Microsoft gives is in the https: format, but swapping that URI to webcal: works for calendar import uses.

 

Subscribe to a Published Calendar in Outlook (Classic)

Outlook Classic is the older, more fully featured Outlook desktop application that many office users of O365 still prefer. The instructions are only a little different.

  1. In Outlook (Classic) click Calendar View and the Add if you’re using the Simplified Ribbon or Add Calendar if you’re using the Classic ribbon, then From Internet. Please note if your client is resized smaller, you may need to click the three dots to find additional options:

    image-20251015-185519.png
    image-20251015-185703.png

    or

    image-20251015-185757.png

  2. Paste the webcal/.ics link to the calendar you want to subscribe to and click OK. This should be a link that starts with webcal:

If you have an .ics uri that starts with https:, you may be able to replace the https: with webcal:

e.g. instead of (example):

https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/string/calendar.ics

edit this to be:

webcal://outlook.office.365.com/owa/calendar/string/calendar.ics

Explanation: During publication of calendars, the link Microsoft gives is in the https: format, but swapping that URI to webcal: works for calendar import uses.

If you need additional assistance, please contact the Help Desk.