New Out of Office Google Calendar Features

July 10, 2018

Google has updated Google Calendar with a new out of office option and customizable working hours.

Indicating out of office time

When creating an event on the web, select the “Out of office” Calendar entry type. The out of office option will have a different look on the Calendar, showing others your availability. Meetings during times you are unavailable will be automatically declined. The decline message can be customized and you can edit the visibility of your out of office indicator.

Note: Based on the title you enter, Google Calendar may automatically try to guess the best event type when you’re creating an out of office indicator. You can always correct what Google suggests for an event type, if needed.

Out of Office

Showing work hours

Once you have set your work hours, people who try to schedule meetings with you outside of your hours will be informed that you are not available. 

Note: Based on your timezone and past scheduling patterns, Google Calendar may guess your working hours. You might see a prompt asking you to set them, and you can further customize them as needed.