How to Cancel a Meeting in Outlook

You can also update or reschedule a meeting in Outlook

By
Coletta Teske Whitehead
Coletta Teske
Coletta Teske Whitehead
Writer
  • Central Washington University
Coletta Teske is a Lifewire writer focusing on consumer electronics. She has 30 years' experience writing for Adobe, Boeing, Microsoft, and many others.
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Updated on December 21, 2020

What To Know

  • To cancel: View Switcher > Calendar > pick meeting. In the Meeting tab > Cancel Meeting > give a reason > Send Cancellation.
  • Recurring meetings: Calendar > pick meeting > Just this one. Meeting Occurrence > Cancel Meeting > Delete. Give a reason > Send.
  • To reschedule: Open the calendar, and pick the meeting. Change any details, and give an explanation. Press Send Update.

This article explains how to cancel meetings in Outlook, including recurring meetings, removing participants, and rescheduling. Instructions in this article apply to Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2019, Outlook 2016, and Outlook 2013.

Cancel a Meeting

To cancel a meeting and remove it from the calendar in the Outlook desktop app:

  1. Go to the View Switcher and select Calendar.

    Outlook 2019 showing the View Switcher to access the Outlook Calendar.

  2. Find the meeting on the calendar and double-click the meeting.

    The Outlook calendar showing scheduled meetings.

  3. In the meeting invitation, go to the Meeting tab and select Cancel Meeting. The meeting invitation changes to a meeting cancellation.

    The Outlook meeting cancellation message.

  4. In the meeting cancellation, enter a message explaining the reason why the meeting was canceled.

    A reason for the meeting cancellation is entered.

  5. Select Send Cancellation.

    The Outlook Calendar meeting cancellation message showing a canceled meeting.

  6. The meeting is removed from the calendar and the attendees receive an email message about the cancellation, just like you would for a meeting reminder.

Cancel an Individual Recurring Meeting

When you only need to cancel one meeting in a set of recurring meetings, select that meeting on the calendar to remove it.

To cancel an individual meeting in a set of recurring meetings:

  1. Go to the Calendar and select the recurring meeting you want to cancel.

    Selecting a meeting on an Outlook calendar.

  2. When prompted, select Just this one.

    Choosing to open a single instance of a meeting.

  3. Go to the Meeting Occurrence tab and select Cancel Meeting.

    The Outlook Calendar showing a series of recurring meetings.

  4. Confirm the deletion on meeting by selecting Delete this occurrence.

    Choosing to delete a single occurrence of a meeting.

  5. In the meeting cancellation, compose a message explaining the reason for the canceled meeting.

    Adding a reason for canceling a meeting.

  6. Select Send Cancellation.

    The Outlook meeting cancellation message showing a cancelled recurring meeting.

  7. The meeting is removed from the calendar and the meeting cancellation is sent to the attendees.

Cancel Future Recurring Meetings

If you set up a series of meetings that recur until a date in the future and you want to cancel all those meetings, send a meeting update with a new end date for the series.

To cancel recurring meetings after a specified date:

  1. Go to the Calendar and double-click any meeting in the series.

    Selecting a meeting on an Outlook calendar.

  2. In the Open Recurring Item dialog box, select The entire series and select OK.

    Selecting to open a series of calendar meetings in Outlook.

  3. In the meeting invitation, select Recurrence.

    The Outlook meeting cancellation message for recurring meetings.

  4. In the Appointment Recurrence dialog box, select End by and enter a date that comes before the date that you want to hold the last meeting.

    Selecting a new end date for a meeting in Outlook.

  5. Select OK.

    The Outlook Appointment Recurrence dialog box.

  6. In the message area, compose a message to all attendees that tells them why the future meetings are canceled.

    A reason for the calendar changes has been entered.

  7. Select Send Update.

    The Outlook meeting cancellation message showing the cancellation of a series of recurring meetings.

  8. The recurring meetings that are after the end by date are removed from the calendar and an update email is sent to the attendees.

    This approach works best for meetings without a lot of modifications to the series, because the update retroactively modifies attendees' calendars.

Reschedule a Meeting

When plans change and you want to change the time or date of a meeting scheduled in Outlook, reschedule it.

To reschedule a meeting in the Outlook desktop app:

  1. Go to the calendar and double-click the meeting.

    Selecting a meeting instance to open.

  2. Change the date, time, and any other meeting details that have changed.

    Changing the details of a meeting in Outlook.

  3. Compose a message explaining the change.

    A message is entered into a meeting.

  4. Select Send Update.

    The Outlook update meeting message.

  5. The meeting details change on the calendar and a meeting update email is sent to the attendees.

Remove a Participant From a Meeting

If someone can’t make it to the meeting, remove that person from the meeting invitation.

To remove an attendee:

  1. Go to the calendar and double-click the meeting.

    Opening up a meeting on an Outlook calendar.

  2. In the meeting invitation, go to the Scheduling Assistant tab.

    Selecting the Scheduling Assistant.

  3. In the All Attendees list, click to clear the check box next to the person you want to remove.

    De-selecting a participant in an Outlook meeting.

  4. Select Send.

    The Outlook Scheduling Assistant showing a deleted attendee.

  5. In the Send Update to Attendees dialog box, choose to either Send updates only to added or deleted attendees or Send updates to all attendees.

    Choosing who to send updates to in Outlook.

  6. Select OK.

    The Outlook Send Update to Attendees dialog box.

  7. The meeting update transmits to the selected attendees.

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