Microsoft delays Outlook's auto-shared calendars until 2025

Microsoft has delayed the rollout of its automatically shared calendars feature in Outlook. Initially set for early 2024, the update will now arrive in stages from mid-March 2025. Many users have waited for this change to simplify calendar access across different Outlook versions.

The feature was first expected to launch in early February 2024, with full availability planned for March of that year. However, Microsoft has now pushed back the general release to April 2025. Testing will begin in mid-March 2025, starting with Windows users.

Once active, the update will let users see shared calendars when switching between classic and new Outlook for Windows. In workplaces, the 'auto-mapping' function will automatically display calendars from mailboxes with full access permissions. Users can find these calendars by clicking the calendar icon and selecting Automatically shared calendars under My calendars.

The change removes the need to manually open individual calendars when moving between different Outlook views. For Mac users, Microsoft has not yet set a release date, though the feature will remain exclusive to Windows for now.

The feature will first appear for Windows users in mid-March 2025, with full availability the following month. Businesses and individuals relying on shared calendars will no longer need to manually adjust settings. The update aims to streamline workflows for those frequently switching between Outlook versions.