Outlook Calendar Best Practices

Outlook Calendar Sharing and Permission Settings

FOREWORD: Versions

This page contains best practices and instructions for using the Microsoft Outlook and Outlook 365 Web applications. Theres been some confusion about which version of Outlook maximizes the new features of Office 365. While they each have their own style of interface, and while both have unique features, you don't have to stick with one or the other. It is recommended, however, to use the Microsoft Outlook desktop application while on campus, and to use the 365 Web version as a supplement.

Microsoft Outlook provides several calendar options that allow you control how other users can view your calendar and allows you to assign permission for other users to view details, modify, edit and/or create events on your calendar.

By default, your calendar settings should be set to "Free / Busy Time", which means that other users viewing your calendar can see the time blocks of your appointments but cannot see the details of your meeting.

The following will detail the recommended settings and procedures for securing or sharing your Office calendar. First, lets go over permissions.

Permissions Overview

Modifying Permission Settings on Your Calendar:
Under Outlook, your calendar has several security settings that enable or disable access to other users. By default, your calendar settings should be set to Free / Busy Time. This means that other users trying to access your calendar can see the time blocks of your appointments, but not the details.
1. To access your Calendar permissions, open your Outlook program and access the Calendar section.
2. Right-click on Calendar under the heading My Calendars. It should be located on the left side of the screen.
3. Left-click on Permissions.
4. A new window will appear (Outlook Desktop example shown below). At the top, there will be a user named Default, followed by a permission level. It should be set to Free / Busy Time. This is the default view for all people who view your calendar except those you give special sharing permission to.
5. If the Default is not set to Free/Busy Time
  1. Left-click Default
  2. Select Free/Busy Time from the dropdown menu
  3. Click Apply (You have just changed the Default view others see when accessing your calendar).
In the event that your Default setting is not set to Free / Busy Time:
Left-click Default. Underneath, there will be a dropdown menu that lists all available permission levels, from Reviewer to Editor. Select Free / Busy Time from the list, then click Apply.
Add Calendar Users and Assign Permissions
To grant more detailed information access or to allow another user to modify, edit or create appointments on your behalf, you can add the user(s) to your Permissions group.

On the Permissions screen:
1. Click Add below the user list window.
2. A new window will appear. Search for the name of the user(s) with whom you wish to share your calendar in the search bar.
3. Select their name when it appears in the search results, and click Add
4. Repeat for each user. When you are finished adding users, click OK.
The users you wish to share your calendar with will now appear in Permissions list. You can assign access levels based on how much control you want to give to each specific user. The permission levels are shown below.
Sharing your Calendar
Sharing your calendar allows other users to see your schedule. Depending on the level of access, they can view, modify, or add calendar appointments for you. This is a two-step process. It involves the person sharing the calendar, and the person receiving access.

To grant access to your calendar, you must add the users to your Permissions group. Add Calendar Users and Assign Permissions:
1. Click Add
2. In the new window that appears, search for the name of the user(s) youre adding in the search bar.
3. Click their name, and click Add. When you are finished adding users, click OK.
The users will appear in your Permissions group. You can assign access levels based on how much control you wish to give. The permission levels are shown below.
Accessing a Shared Calendar
Once the users permissions have been set, your calendar can be shared. The user will add the shared calendar under his/her Outlook program by doing the following.
1. In the Calendars sections of Outlook, under the Manage Calendars subsection click "Open Calendar."
2. Click "From Address Book"
3. In the Address Book window, find the name of the user granting you access to his/her calendar. (The below example has blanked out the users list. You will see users sorted by last name.)
4. Add users by clicking on them and clicking the "Calendar" button.
5. When you are finished, click "OK."
The calendar shared with you will now show up under a new subheading called Shared Calendars on your calendar screen in the Outlook App.

In the Address Book window, find the user who has given you access to their calendar. (The below example has blanked out the users list. You will see users sorted by last name.)

Calendar Permission Definitions

Review each role below to see which permissions that role allows.

Owner

Create, read, modify, and delete all items and files, and create subfolders. As the folder owner, you can change the permission levels that other people have for the folder. (Does not apply to delegates.)
Publishing Editor

Create, read, modify, and delete all items and files, and create subfolders. (Does not apply to delegates.)
Editor

Create, read, modify, and delete all items and files.
Publishing Author

Create and read items and files, create subfolders, and modify and delete items and files that you create. (Does not apply to delegates.)
Author

Create and read items and files, and modify and delete items and files that you create.
Contributor

Create items and files only. The contents of the folder do not appear. (Does not apply to delegates.)
Reviewer

Read items and files only.
Custom

Perform activities defined by the folder owner. (Does not apply to delegates.)
None

You have no permission. You cannot open the folder.

Calendar Permissions on Office 365 for the Web

If you're using the Office 365 Web version of the Outlook Calendar, your customization is limited. ITS recommends using the Outlook program as your default mail and calendar client, but permissions can be set or changed in Office 365 for the web by navigating to calendar settings found in the drop down menu for the user settings "gear" icon.

Sharing a Web 365 Calendar
1. Go to 365 Web Application ( http://mail.etsu.edu ).
2. Go to Calendars and find My Calendars.
3. Right click and select Share Calendar
4. Add information about whom you wish to share your calendar with, and select how much information you wish to share.
5. If some event should be private, it can be set as Private.
6. Permission levels and sharing options can be changed by user at any time.
7. Calendars that have been shared will appear under Peoples Calendar.
8. Public Folders/Calendars will appear under Other Calendars and below that are Groups I have created or belong to.

Delegates

If you work with someone else's Exchange folders as a delegate, you will want to add the other person's Exchange mailbox to your Outlook profile. Doing so will automatically open the other person's mailbox every time that you open Outlook. The other mailbox appears in the Navigation Pane underneath your Exchange mailbox folders. The person who is sharing a mailbox must grant you Folder Visible permission on the root folder of the Exchange mailbox. The shared mailbox usually appears as Mailbox - user name.

Granting Folder Visible for Delegate
As the manager, do the following in Outlook:
1. Right-click the root folder of the Exchange mailbox, and then click Folder Permissions.
2. The shared mailbox usually appears as Mailbox - user name.
3. Click the name of the delegate.
4. Under Permissions, under Other, select the Folder Visible check box.
5. Click OK.
To give the delegate sufficient permissions to accept meeting requests for the manager, the manager must do the following:
1. Click the File tab.
2. Click Account Settings, and then click Delegate Access.
3. Enter the delegate's information and click Add.
4. Do one of the following:
5. In the Delegate Permissions dialog box, give the delegate Editor (can read, create, and change items) permissions in the manager's Calendar or Tasks folder and at least Reviewer (can read items) permissions in the manager's Inbox.
6. Click OK to close the Delegate Permissions dialog box, then select the check box at either My delegates only, but send a copy of meeting requests and responses to me or My delegates only.
Accepting Delegate Access
As the delegate, do the following in Outlook:
1. Click the File tab.
2. Click Account Settings, and then click Account Settings.
3. Account Settings in the Backstage view
4. On the E-mail tab, in the list, click the Exchange account type, then click Change and then click More Settings.
5. On the Advanced tab, under Open these additional mailboxes, click Add, and then enter the mailbox name of the person whose mailbox you want to add to your user profile. If you do not know the mailbox name, ask the person who granted you Delegate Access permissions.
Delegate Opening Manager Folder
Open another person's folders:
1. Click the File tab.
2. Click Open.
3. Click Other User's Folder.
4. TIP: To avoid this step in the future, see the instructions on how to add another person's mailbox to the Navigation Pane in the Add another person's mailbox to your profile section of this article.
5. In the Name box, enter the name of the person who granted you Sharing or Delegate Access permissions, or click Name to select from a list.
6. In the Folder type list, click the folder that you want to open.
Delegate Send or respond to Meeting requests for Manager
To respond to meeting requests
1. Open the other person's Inbox if his or her meeting requests are not sent to you directly.
2. Open the meeting request.
3. Click Accept, Tentative, or Decline.
4. To send a meeting request
5. Open the other person's calendar.
6. On the Home tab, in the New group, click New Meeting.
7. Enter the attendees, subject, location, and start and end times as you ordinarily do.
Delegate Sending Email for Manager
To create an email message
In Mail, on the Home tab, or in the New group, click New E-mail.
1. In the From box, type the name of the person on whose behalf you are sending the message.
3. Add recipients, a subject, and the contents of the message as you typically do.
4. To reply to an email message
5. In the other person's mailbox, select the message that you want to reply to on behalf of your manager.
6. On the Home tab (If you have opened the message, on the Message tab), in the Respond group, click Reply, Reply All or Forward.
7. Respond group on the ribbon
8. Keyboard shortcut To reply to an email message, press Ctrl+R.
9. In the From box, type your manager's name. To select the name from a list in the Address Book, click From. If you do not see the From button and box, on the Options tab, in the Show Fields group, click From.
10. Add recipients, a subject, and the contents of the message as you typically do.
Save sent items in another person's Sent Items folder

When email messages and meeting requests are sent by a delegate on behalf of a manager, a copy of each item is saved in the delegate's Sent Items folder. This behavior is by design.

As an alternative, the manager can grant permissions to his or her Sent Items folder to the delegate. The delegate can then move or copy the items from his or her own Sent Items folder to the manager's Sent Items folder.
Manager Confirming Delete's Permissions for Sent Folders
The manager should do the following:
1. In the Navigation Pane, right-click the Sent items folder.
2. Click Change Sharing Permissions.
3. On the Permissions tab, click the name of the delegate.
4. Under Permissions, in the Permission level list, click Editor (can read, create, and change items).
5. Click OK.
6. The manager's Sent Items folder appears in the delegate's Navigation Pane under Mailbox - manager.

PST (Personal Folders)

PSTs (also known as Personal Folders) are collections of email that have been taken off the mail server. In the past, this was to conserve inbox space. With the introduction of the new inbox space limit (50GB), this storage method has been deprecated. Still, you may have one or more PSTs on your local computer.

To view the contents of PSTs, you must attach them to your Outlook mailbox. Heres how.

Navigate to the location of your PST. In most cases, itll be in a folder called Outlook Files under your Documents folder. If you have trouble finding your PST files, please contact the Help Desk for assistance.
Once you find the PST file, select it and click Open.
The PST file will now be displayed under your Outlook Mailbox as a separate entity, either called Archives, or Personal Folders.

Viewing PST Contents
1. Under Outlook, Click File.
2. Click Open & Export
3. Click Open Outlook Data File
Navigate to the location of your PST. In most cases, itll be in a folder called Outlook Files under your Documents folder. If you have trouble finding your PST files, please contact the Help Desk for assistance.

Once you find the PST file, select it and click Open.

The PST file will now be displayed under your Outlook Mailbox as a separate entity, either called Archives, or Personal Folders.

Appointments & Meetings

Creating Appointments
1. Create an appointment in Desktop Outlook
2. In Calendar, click the Home tab.
3. In the New group, click New Appointment. Alternately, you can right-click a time block in your calendar grid and click New Appointment.
4. In the Subject box, type a description.
5. In the Location box, type the location.
6. Enter the start and end times.
Creating Appointments on Web - 365

Create an appointment in OWA (Online Web Access) Outlook

Go to Calendar > New > Calendar event.

Fill in the details and Save and or Attach a file.

Junk

Resolving Junk on Desktop Application
For an individual email sender:
1. Right-click the offending email and move the mouse over Junk.
2. Select Block Sender.
3. For an entire domain (I.E. the sent emails base location):
  1. Right-click the offending email and move the mouse over Junk
  2. Select Junk E-mail Options
  3. In the new window, left-click the Blocked Senders tab.
  4. Enter the domain of the email you wish to block, as seen below.
Resolving Junk issue on OWA

Locate the Junk icon on the Toolbar (Ribbon) or go to settings and define the OWA Junk behavior and details. Setting options include reporting unwanted email.
Sweeping away Junk
In fact, Sweep can help you manage your inbox with a simple set of actions. Sweep can set up rules from junk removal instructions the author provides related to a selected email.

When you select a message and click the Sweep icon, youll see four options based on the sender of that email.
1. Delete all messages from the Inbox folder (from that sender).
2. Delete all messages from the Inbox folder and any future messages (from that sender).
3. Always keep the latest message (from that sender) and delete the rest.
4. Always delete messages (from that sender) older than 10 days.
5. Its up to you how and when to institute these rules, but one great use is for the ubiquitous coupon and sale emails that many of us get. Perhaps you do want to stay informed about deals at your favorite store, but after 10 days, many of those emails become outdated. You could choose the final option, Always delete messages older than 10 days, and you no longer have to take any action on those outdated emailsSweep takes care of it for you.
Once you institute a Sweep rule, youll be able to see it by clicking on View rules in the sweep dialog box, or go to Options -> Mail -> Inbox and sweep rules.

Rules Management / Creation Desktop Software

Depending on preference, you may want certain emails to be forwarded to a specific folder, or trigger an alert when a specific type of message arrives. Outlook provides a template for creating these events, called Rules and Alerts. Below is a basic guide to activating and navigating the rules menu.

Creating Rules
For this example, a rule will be created that moves all emails with example in the Subject line to the Clutter folder, UNLESS the email is marked as High Importance.

Access the Rules menu by either left-clicking the Rules button at the top center of the email window, or clicking File at the top left, and selecting Manage Rules and Alerts.

In the window, under the E-mail Rules tab, click New Rule.

The Rules Wizard will appear. Under Step 1, select the template that you want from the available categories.

Under Step 2, click the appropriate underlined value. Each option will open the related window (I.E. Address Book for people or public group). Click next.

Under Step 1, select the conditions that you want the messages to meet for the rule to apply.

Under Step 2, click an underlined value for any condition that you added, and then specify the value, then click Next.

Under Step 1, select the action that you want to take when the specified conditions are met.

Under Step 2, click an underlined value for any action that you added, specify the value, and then click Next.

Under Step 1, select any exceptions, and then click Next.

Under Step 2, click an underlined value for any exception that you added, specify the value, and then click Next.
1. Under Step 1, enter a name for your new rule.
2. Under Step 2, select the check boxes for the options you want:
3. If you want to run this rule on messages that already are in your Inbox, select the Run this rule now on messages already in Inbox check box.
4. If you want the rule to be activated right away, ensure Turn on this rule is checked. You can disable it at any time from the Manage Rules menu.
Click Finish.

To see the newly created rule, return to the Manage Rules and Alerts menu.

You can disable any of your rules at any time by unchecking the box next to their names.

To create a new rule from scratch:
1. Access the Rules menu by either left-clicking the Rules button at the top center of the email window, or clicking File at the top left, and selecting Manage Rules and Alerts.
2. In the window, under the E-mail Rules tab, click New Rule.
3. Under Start from a blank rule, click either Apply rule on message I receive or Apply rule on message I send, and then click Next.
The next series of screens are exactly the same as using a preconfigured rule, so refer to the above guide.