Outlook Calendar: Settings to Shorten Meeting Duration

This article details how you can adjust the settings in our Outlook Calendar to automatically set the meetings you create to end earlier than the default 30 minute and 1 hour increments. Enabling these settings gives you a 5+ minute break between your meetings to balance your schedule. You can customize the specific length of time in your Outlook settings. 

Learn how to edit these settings in the full version Outlook for Windows PCs and for Office 365 on the web.

Note: this setting will only apply to the system you set it up in. If you use both the desktop app and Office 365, be sure to enable this setting in both places. 

Outlook (PC)

1. Open the Outlook application on your Windows PC
2. Click on the File menu
3. Then select Options from the left-hand menu
   
    
4. In the window that pops up, go to the Calendar Tab and find the Calendar Options section
   
5. Check the box next to End appointments and meetings early and customize these increments to your preferences. 
6. Be sure to click OK when you are finished adjusting settings.
   

Office 365 in your web browser

1. Open the Outlook app in your web browser from your Office 365 dashboard
2. Click on the gear icon in the upper right corner
   
3. Click on View all Outlook Settings
   
    
4. In the screen that opens up, click on the Calendar tab
   
5. Go to Events and Invitations tab and find the "Events you create" section. 
6. Check the box next to Shorten duration for all events and customize the options to your preferences. 
   
7. Be sure to click the Save button after you've made your changes.