Tips for managing multiple Outlook calendars

Having multiple different Outlook calendars comes in handy when you’re trying to organize and manage different aspects of your life. For example, some choose to have an Outlook calendar for their personal life and an Outlook calendar to keep track of work events.

Making sense of multiple Outlook calendars

Luckily, Outlook makes it even easier to manage your calendar no matter where you are. Learn how you can manage multiple Outlook calendars to keep track of all your commitments. Whatever you use your Outlook calendar for, taking the time to organize your calendars will ensure you never miss an important meeting or a family event.

Your Outlook can change everything

Spend less time organizing your life and more time enjoying it with Outlook

Learn more

View all your calendars at once

Having multiple Outlook calendars isn’t helpful if you can’t see them all. You can view up to ten Outlook calendars at a time. To view all of your calendars simultaneously:

Click Calendar in Outlook.
Go to My Calendars on the left-hand side.
Check the boxes of the calendars you would like to see.

Rename your calendars

Giving each calendar a more specific name will keep you from confusing your calendars. Keep it simple but specific. For example, you may want to name one calendar “Work” and the other “Personal,” and you can get even more specific with different projects or obligations.

To rename your calendars:

Click the Folder tab in Outlook.
Select the calendar that you want to rename.
Click Rename Calendar under the Folder tab.
Type in the desired name for your calendar and hit Enter.

Note that you cannot rename the default calendar in Outlook.

Use color coding to group your Outlook calendars

Use different colors for each calendar to help you differentiate them and give Outlook a fresh, fun look. For example, you might want to make your work calendar green and your personal calendar blue.

Changing the color of your Outlook calendar is easy:

Find the My Calendars section on the left side of Outlook.
Right-click the name of a calendar.
Click Color, then select what color you’d like to use for the
calendar.

Color-code events by category

Try the Categorize tool to color-code specific events. You can use different colors to help you differentiate the purpose of each calendar event. For example, you might want to label doctor’s appointments in red or department meetings in purple to quickly visualize and understand your schedule. To quickly change the colors of existing events:

Right-click the event in your calendar
Click Categorize
Select the color you would like to use for the event.

You can also designate the color of an event while you are making a new event. To color-code a new event:

Under the Home tab, click New Appointment
Enter the information for your appointment. Click Categorize to set the color for the appointment.

By default, each color category will have a generic name like “Blue category” or “Green category.” You can rename each color category to make it easier to remember what each color in your calendar is for. To change the name of a color category:

Right-click an event on your calendar.
Click Categorize under the Appointment tab.
Select All Categories.
Select the color you want to rename, then click Rename.

If you’ve run out of color labels, or don’t like the color categories provided:

Right-click an event on your calendar.
Click Categorize under the Appointment tab.
Select All Categories.
Click New on the right-hand side.
Choose your preferred color and name the category.
Click Ok to save.

Choose your favorite view

There are a few different Outlook calendar views to choose from that will make organizing your events simpler. Choose the one that is easiest for you to use and understand. Your view options include:

Day, which shows events happening on all your calendars for the day
Work week, which only shows the days of your work week on all your calendars and excludes the days that you have off
Week, which displays Sunday through Saturday on all your calendars
Month, which displays the entire month for all your calendars
Schedule View, which shows your calendars in a horizontal layout. This view is best to use if you are trying to plan meetings.

To choose your favorite view for your Outlook calendars, click the View tab and select your favorite calendar layout.

Sync your calendars

If you use Outlook on a new device, it’s important to make sure all your calendars are up to date. If you notice an event is missing, try syncing your calendars. To sync your calendars:

Click the Send/Receive tab.
Click Send/Receive All Folders. This will sync all your calendar appointments.

If you take the time to adjust your calendar settings, you can make all of your Outlook calendars show you vital information at just one glance. For more ways to keep your digital life uncluttered, check out tips on how to organize your inbox or take effective digital notes.