Find a Meeting Time With Scheduling Poll

Overview

Scheduling Poll (formerly FindTime) cuts down on back-and-forth emails when picking a meeting time. You propose a few time slots, attendees vote on what works, and Outlook books the winning slot automatically. This guide covers Outlook on the web.

Before You Begin

• Outlook on the web at outlook.office.com, or Outlook for Windows or Mac.
• Email addresses of every person you want to invite, including any external attendees.
• A rough sense of which days and times you can offer.

Steps

From Outlook on the Web

1. Open Outlook in your browser at outlook.office.com.
2. Click New mail.
3. Add your attendees in the To field.
4. Type a subject for the meeting.
5. In the message toolbar, click the three-dot menu and pick Scheduling Poll. (If you do not see it, click Apps and turn it on.)
6. Pick a date in the calendar.
7. Pick one or more time slots. Outlook shows free/busy for internal attendees, with green for free and red for busy.
8. Repeat for additional days as needed.
9. Set meeting length, location, and time zone at the top.
10. Click Next.
11. Review your settings. Turn on Hold selected times on my calendar to block those slots while voting happens.
12. Click Add to email. Scheduling Poll inserts a voting link into your message.
13. Click Send.
14. Attendees vote by clicking the link. Once everyone has voted, Scheduling Poll sends the meeting invite automatically.

From Outlook for Windows

1. Click New Email and add attendees.
2. On the Message ribbon, look for Scheduling Poll. (Click Get Add-ins if it is not visible.)
3. Follow the same flow: pick times, review, insert into the email, send.

Troubleshooting

• If you do not see Scheduling Poll as an option: click Get Add-ins from the message toolbar and add FindTime / Scheduling Poll. It is free and made by Microsoft.
• If external attendees say the vote link does not work: they may need to enter their email to vote. The link is public — they do not need a Microsoft account.
• If two slots tie: Scheduling Poll picks one based on your preferences, or holds the meeting until you confirm. Check the poll status link in your sent message.
• If you change your mind about a time: open the poll status link and cancel the poll before the auto-schedule fires.

Related Articles

• Share Your Calendar in Outlook
• Open Another Person's Calendar in Outlook
• Cancel an Outlook Meeting Without Notifying Attendees
• Create and Share a Contact List in Outlook

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