delete a meeting in Outlook

How you can delete a meeting in Outlook

Delete an meeting in Outlook with just a few clicks

A more complex endeavour than you might think

Individual appointments in Outlook can be removed with just a few clicks – be it a single appointment, a recurring meeting or a meeting with several participants. There are a few points to bear in mind, especially if other people are affected or if it is a series of appointments.

In this article, you will learn how to delete an appointment in Outlook, what options are available and how participants can be informed of the cancellation.

1. Delete a single appointment in Outlook

If it is an appointment that you have only created for yourself:

Open Outlook and switch to the calendar.
Search for the appointment you want to delete.
Right-click on the appointment.
Select ‘Delete’ or press the Delete key on your keyboard.
The appointment is immediately removed from your calendar.

2. Cancelling a meeting with participants

If an appointment or meeting with other participants has to be cancelled, they should be informed. Outlook allows you to send a cancellation message so that everyone involved knows.

How to cancel a meeting:

Open the calendar and double-click on the meeting.
Click on ‘Cancel meeting’.
Outlook displays an email with the cancellation – you can leave a message for the participants here.
Click on ‘Send’ so that all participants are informed.

As soon as the invitation has been cancelled, the appointment is also removed from the participants’ calendars.

Tip: If the appointment is not cancelled without replacement, an alternative date can be suggested in the cancellation.

3. Delete a recurring series of appointments

If a regular meeting is no longer required, either an individual appointment or the entire series can be deleted.

Remove only a single instance of the series

If you only want to remove a single meeting from a series:

Open the calendar and search for the meeting.
Double-click on the appointment – Outlook asks whether only this event or the entire series should be edited.
Select ‘Only this event’
Click on ‘Delete’ or ‘Cancel meeting’ if participants are to be informed.

Delete the entire series of meetings

If the meeting is to be completely cancelled:

Open the calendar and double-click on an appointment in the series.
Select ‘The entire series’.
Click on ‘Delete’ or ‘Cancel meeting’..
Send a message to the participants to inform them of the cancellation.

The entire series will now be removed from the calendars of all participants.

4. Restore deleted meetings

If an appointment has been deleted by mistake, it can often be restored from the recycle bin:

Open the ‘Deleted items’ folder in Outlook.
Search for the appointment.
Drag it back into the calendar or right-click and select ‘Restore’.

Note: If the appointment has been permanently deleted, it can only be restored if your organisation uses Microsoft Exchange or a backup solution.

5. Common problems and solutions

I cannot delete an meeting

If a meeting cannot be deleted, this is usually due to a lack of authorisation.

Meetings with several participants: Only the organiser can cancel a meeting.
Shared calendars: If you do not have access to the calendar, the authorisations must be adjusted.

A cancelled appointment remains visible in the calendar:

Check whether the appointment has actually been removed from Outlook.
If the appointment is still displayed, restarting Outlook can help.

Participants do not receive a cancellation notification

If a meeting is cancelled, the cancellation must be sent explicitly so that Outlook informs the participants.
If the notification does not arrive, the recipient should check their spam folder or deleted items.

Make better use of meetings in Outlook - with arboo

Whether a single meeting, a meeting of participants or an entire series of appointments – Microsoft Outlook offers various options for removing or changing appointments.

Anyone who regularly books meeting rooms or services can use a booking solution such as arbooMEET to ensure that not only appointments but also associated services and resources are managed automatically.

Would you like to improve your meeting planning? Contact us for a live demo of arbooMEET and experience how appointment cancellations and rebookings can be managed seamlessly.