Western - Outlook - Calendars

How to enable and add calendar groups in Microsoft Outlook by using existing groups from the Cornell address book. Following these steps allows staff to efficiently share and view multiple calendars without adding each calendar individually.

Why We Use Calendar Groups in Outlook

Calendar Groups make it easy to view and share multiple calendars at once.

Instead of adding calendars one by one, you can add an entire group in a single step—saving time and ensuring your calendar list stays up to date with active staff and shared resources.

Note:

• You only need to complete the below steps once to set up and add the desired Outlook groups.
• Once added, calendar groups are automatically kept up to date.

Important: Group calendars work only in Outlook Classic, not in "New Outlook".

Allowing Group Calendars in Outlook

If you are experiencing issues or see an error when trying to add calendar groups to your Outlook calendar, follow the steps below.

1. Open Outlook
2. Click on File
3. Click on Account Settings button then Account Settings drop-down option
4. Double click on your primary Cornell e-mail account (to open settings)
5. Click on the "More Settings" button
6. Click on the "Advanced" tab
7. Uncheck "Turn on shared calendar improvements"
8. Click OK to close window
9. Click Next and Done 
10. Click Close to close Account Settings window
11. Close and reopen Outlook to apply the changes.

How to video: https://app.screencast.com/qhgWwDMaJzTWC (2 min)
 

Types of calendar groups for Extension employees

 

Adding Reference Group Calendars to Outlook

How to video: https://app.screencast.com/UBagvFyWX4HLy (no sound in this video)

1. In Outlook calendar view, under the Home tab, click Open Calendar.
    
2. Select From Address Book from the drop-down menu.
    
3. Under Address Book field, select "Global Address List - ..."
    
4. Add Employee group:
   1. In the search field, type in rg.ext[first 3 characters of county name].
      • Example:  rg.extwyo
   2. Click the right arrow or hit the return key to start the search.
   3. Click on the name of the group to select it then click the Calendar button
       
5. Add Association Affiliates group
   Affiliate groups typically contain staff who work closely with or in your office but are not an employee of that office.  (Ex. Regional staff, Ag Team staff)
   1. In the search field, type in ext-rg-[first 3 characters of county name]
      • Example: ext-rg-mon-affiliates
   2. Click the right arrow or hit the return key to start the search.
   3. Click on the name of the group to select it then click the Calendar button
       
6. Add Association calendar group:
   1. In the search field, type in ext-[first 3 characters of county name]-calendar
      • Example: ext-wyo-calendar
   2. Click the right arrow or hit the return key to start the search.
   3. Click on the name of the group to select it then click the Calendar button
       
7. Additional team group(s), if applicable:
   1. In the search field, type in ext-rg
   2. Scroll through the list of existing Extension reference groups to select and add your desired group calendar.
       
8. Click OK to add the selected groups to your Outlook calendar.

Note:  It may take a minute for the calendars to load.  If you receive an error, refer to the steps above in the Allowing Group Calendars in Outlook section.

If there are questions about existing groups, or interest in creating a new group, please send in a ticket to http://westernhelpdesk.cce.cornell.edu. 

 

---

Using a reference group to easily add everyone to a meeting:  https://app.screencast.com/Bt3QkCrv40BTx