Technology

Adding a Delegate to Your Calendar in Outlook

Last modified 7/25/2024

Your delegate can see your calendar and, depending on the permissions you grant, can create and respond to meetings on your behalf. You can also give your delegate permissions to your Microsoft 365 Inbox, contacts, tasks, notes, and journal. However, details on those delegate permissions are not covered here.

There are three types of delegates:

  • Editor - An editor can make changes to your calendar. When you make someone an editor, you can decide to have that person receive meeting-related emails sent to you. An editor can create meetings on your behalf, as well as accept and decline meeting requests on your behalf.
  • Author - An author can create meetings on your calendar, but cannot make any other changes. An author is less powerful than an editor.
  • Reviewer - A reviewer can view your calendar, but cannot make any changes to it. A reviewer has the least permissions.

What’s the difference between delegation and sharing?

The most important difference between delegation and sharing has to do with the editor delegate type. If you make someone an editor delegate, you can make that person receive meeting-related emails sent to you. When someone invites you to a meeting, both you and your delegate receive the email invite. Your delegate can then accept or decline the meeting on your behalf.

If you share your calendar with someone (even if you make that person an editor), he or she will not receive meeting-related emails sent to you. You can allow that person to create meetings on your behalf and make other changes to your calendar, but you are responsible for accepting and declining your own meeting requests.

If you want to share your calendar with someone, but do not want to make them a delegate, refer to Sharing Your Calendar in Outlook.

Add a Delegate in Outlook

To add a delegate to your Exchange calendar:

  1. Open Outlook.
  2. Click Calendar.
  3. Click the File tab and click Account Settings > Delegate Access.
  4. Click Add.
  5. Search using the last name of the person you want to make your delegate.
  6. Add the person to the Add box at the bottom of the window. Then click OK.
  7. Click the Calendar drop-down menu to select a delegate type. The three types of delegates are described above (i.e., Editor, Author, Reviewer).
  8. If you select Editor, the box labeled, Delegate receives copies of meeting-related messages sent to me, is checked.
    • If you do not want your delegate to receive meeting emails sent to you, remove the check mark from this box.
    • If this box is checked, your delegate will be able to easily accept or decline meeting requests on your behalf.
  9. Click the Tasks drop-down menu and select None.
  10. Put a check mark in the box labeled, Automatically send a message to delegate summarizing these permissions.
  11. To allow your delegate to see your private calendar items, put a check mark in the box labeled, Delegate can see my private items.
  12. Click OK.
  13. Click Apply and then OK.

Your delegate may now open your shared calendar.

How to Get Help

Technical assistance is available through the Illinois State University Technology Support Center at:

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