When you need to propose meeting times in an email, Outlook has several ways to insert your real availability without typing time slots manually. The right method depends on which Outlook you use and whether you want recipients to click to book a slot or just see which times you’re free.

This guide covers every current method.

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1. New Outlook & Outlook on the Web (Send Availability)

The fastest way is the built-in Send availability feature in new Outlook and Outlook on the web. It generates clickable time blocks that recipients can pick from — and once one of them clicks a slot, Outlook automatically sends a meeting invite.

Send availability from an email

1. Open new Outlook or outlook.office.com.
2. Open a new mail or reply to an existing message.
3. Click the three-dot menu (More actions) in the compose toolbar.
4. Select Send availability.
5. Set the meeting duration and time zone.
6. Pick a date range to look at.
7. Outlook shows a calendar grid with your free slots highlighted. Click each slot you want to offer.
8. (Optional) Toggle Allow new time proposals if recipients can suggest different times.
9. Click Insert to email. The selected slots appear as clickable links inside your message.
10. Add any context, then click Send.

What recipients see

Each time slot in the email is a clickable link. When the recipient clicks one, Outlook opens a confirmation page where they enter their name and email. As soon as they confirm, you get a calendar invite for the chosen slot — no extra steps for either of you.

Note: Send availability uses the Bookings with me infrastructure under the hood, so it requires a Microsoft 365 work or school account. Personal Outlook.com accounts don’t have it.

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2. Classic Outlook for Windows (Insert Calendar)

Classic Outlook has an older feature called Insert Calendar that embeds your free/busy schedule directly into the email body. It doesn’t generate clickable booking links — recipients just see which times you’re free and reply with a preference.

Insert your calendar in an email

1. Open classic Outlook and click New Email.
2. In the message window, go to the Insert tab.
3. Click Calendar.
4. In the Send a Calendar via Email dialog:
   • Calendar — pick which calendar to share (usually your default Calendar).
   • Date Range — choose Today, Tomorrow, Next 7 days, or Specify dates for a custom window.
   • Detail — select Availability only (just shows free/busy), Limited details, or Full details.
5. Click Show to expand advanced options if you want to include working-hour limits or attached calendar items.
6. Click OK. Outlook inserts a formatted summary of your availability and (optionally) attaches an .ics file.
7. Add a message and Send.

What recipients see

Recipients see a table or list of your free time slots inside the email body. If they’re using Outlook themselves, they can also import the attached .ics calendar to overlay your schedule on their own.

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3. Outlook for Mac

Outlook for Mac (new version) supports Send availability the same way as new Outlook for Windows.

1. Open Outlook for Mac and start a new email.
2. Click the three-dot menu in the toolbar.
3. Select Send availability.
4. Pick your slots and insert them.

The legacy Outlook for Mac uses the older Insert > Calendar flow, similar to classic Outlook for Windows.

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4. Outlook Mobile

Outlook for iOS and Android can insert availability when you reply to a meeting-related email:

1. Open the email and tap Reply.
2. Tap the calendar icon in the toolbar at the bottom of the compose screen.
3. Tap Send availability.
4. Choose duration, date range, and time zone.
5. Tap the slots you want to offer.
6. Tap Done, then send the reply.

The mobile flow is slimmer than desktop but the resulting email is the same — recipients click to book.

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5. Use Scheduling Assistant for Internal Meetings

If everyone you’re meeting with is in your organization, the Scheduling Assistant is faster than copying availability into an email.

1. Click New Meeting instead of New Email.
2. Add attendees on the Required line.
3. Click Scheduling Assistant.
4. Outlook overlays everyone’s free/busy time. Pick a slot where the column is clear and click it.
5. Send the invite directly — no email negotiation needed.

This only works for people whose calendars you can read (typically inside your tenant). For external contacts, use Send availability or Scheduling Poll instead.

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6. Microsoft Bookings (Standing Booking Page)

If you’re sending availability to clients or prospects on a regular basis, set up a Bookings with me page once and share the link instead of generating new slots every time.

1. Go to outlook.office.com/bookwithme.
2. Create a meeting type (duration, location, hours).
3. Copy the link.
4. Paste it into emails: “You can grab any 30-minute slot here: [link].”

Bookings with me is included with most Microsoft 365 plans.

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Send Availability vs. Insert Calendar vs. Bookings — Which to Use?

Method	Best for	Recipient experience
Send availability	One-off meetings, external contacts	Clickable slots, instant booking
Insert calendar	Showing your week to a colleague	Read-only view of your schedule
Scheduling Assistant	Internal meetings with colleagues	Direct invite, no email back-and-forth
Bookings with me	Regular calls with clients	Self-service booking page
Scheduling Poll	Group meetings with 3+ people	Recipients vote on times

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Hand Off Scheduling Entirely

If you’re constantly negotiating times in your inbox, Carly is an AI assistant that watches your calendar and your email together — it can read incoming meeting requests, propose times that fit your real schedule, and book the meeting without you touching the thread. It connects to Outlook plus 200+ other apps.

More on Outlook: How to create a meeting poll in Outlook · How to share your Outlook calendar · How to set working hours · How to set up recurring meetings · How to add time zones to Outlook calendar

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