Microsoft Bookings is a simple online scheduling tool in Microsoft 365 that lets people book time with you through your bookings web page. It checks your availability from your Outlook calendar, adds appointments, and can send confirmations, reminders, and a Teams (or customizable) meeting link. This article walks you through the basic setup and management of a Microsoft Bookings page.
Why Use Microsoft Bookings?
Microsoft Bookings is a scheduling tool tied directly to your Outlook calendar. It lets students and colleagues grab a time with you via a link and eliminates back-and-forth scheduling emails.
- Share one link: They pick a time that works for them.
- No double-booking: It only shows when you’re free.
- Automated links: Adds Teams or in-person locations automatically.
- Reminders: Sends confirmation and reminder emails to reduce no-shows.
- Self-Service: Easy to reschedule or cancel; calendars update for everyone.
Pre-Requisites: Licensing
To use Bookings, your Cornell Microsoft account (netid@cornell.edu) must be assigned an A5 license. Without this, you will be unable to access the portal.
Note: The A5 License is unavailable to certain affiliations, including: Temporary, Exception, Student, Alumni, and Former Postdocs.
Step 1. Set Your Outlook Work Hours
Bookings uses your Outlook "Work Hours" as the boundaries for when meetings can occur. Set these first to avoid meetings being booked during your commute or after-hours. You can configure your work hours setting either from Outlook on the web, or Outlook on your desktop(Windows).
For Outlook On the Web: Navigate to outlook.office.com > Gear Icon > Calendar > Work hours and location.
For Outlook On Desktop(Windows): File > Options > Calendar > Work hours and location.
**Tip: To block out a lunch break or recurring time, simply create a "Busy" event on your Outlook calendar. Bookings will respect this and hide those times from your booking page.
Step 2. Access the Microsoft Bookings Dashboard
Login at outlook.office.com/bookings. There are two different ways to use Microsoft Bookings:
- Personal Bookings ("Bookings with me"): Best for individual office hours or 1-on-1 advising. You can create simple individual appointments, which are added to your personal, sharable bookings page.
- Shared Booking Pages: You can create a shared booking page. This is best for departmental groups or collaboration, where multiple people can be booked. You can also customize information on the intake forms.
Step 3. Create a New Appointment Type (For Personal Bookings Page)
- Click the (+) icon to create a new meeting type (e.g., "Student Advising"). Fill in your desired information.
- Under Availability, ensure "Use my regular work hours" is selected.
- Under Advanced Options, Set Buffer time (e.g., 10 minutes) to prevent back-to-back meetings.
- You can either set the appointment to appear as "Public" or "Private". "Public" appointments will appear to others on your personal bookings page. "Private" meetings only you, or the person you share it with, will be able to see.
**TIP: https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/me shows all of your appointments, private & public, and allows you to share your public page link, as well as create new meeting types.
Once an appointment is created, it is added to your personal bookings page, where the link can be shared or it can be edited later. If making changes, be sure to generate a new link. Be sure to test your links before sharing or sending them to someone else.
You can also further customize the look and feel of your personal page, by setting the banner image. Click the elipses on the far right of your dashboard, under personal bookings page.
Step 4. Creating a Shared Bookings Page:
1. Initialize the Page
- Access: Log in to outlook.office.com/bookings.
- Create: In the Shared booking pages section, click the Create or (+) button.
- Naming (Critical): Choose a descriptive name (e.g., "ILR Admissions Office").
- Note: This name creates a permanent Shared Mailbox address in the background. Choose carefully, as this name/URL is difficult to change later.
- Business Type: You can select "Education" or "Other," though this is mostly for categorization and doesn't affect functionality.
2. Enter Business Information
- Go to the Business Information tab.
- Upload a Logo
- Set General Hours: These are the "Operational Hours" for the entire department (e.g., 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM). This acts as the maximum window for any staff member on the page.
Step 5. Manage Staff & Services (Shared Pages Only)
If managing or creating a shared page, use the Staff tab to add colleagues by NetID. Ensure "Events on Office calendar affect availability" is checked for everyone to prevent scheduling conflicts with their personal appointments.
Under the Service tab, you will also need to create the "Services" (or Appointment Type) you want to host. Be sure to assign the appropriate staff to the services, by searching for their NetID and checking the box next to their name, and save changes, for example:
Step 6. The Calendar Tab (Shared Page)
The Calendar tab is your central dashboard for managing daily appointments. While the system is designed to be "hands-off," this page provides the bird’s-eye view of your schedule.
- Monitor Staff (Shared Pages Only): View a side-by-side comparison of all staff schedules to see who is busy or available at any given time.
- Manual Bookings: Use the "New Booking" button to manually schedule an appointment for someone if they are unable to use the web link.
- Manage Cancellations: Click on any existing appointment to reschedule or cancel it; Bookings will automatically notify the attendee and update all calendars.
- Add Time Off: Use the "Add time off" feature to block out specific days (like holidays or research leave) without needing to create individual "Busy" events in Outlook.
- Intake Details: Click any appointment to view the information provided by the attendee, such as their NetID or specific questions they submitted.
Step 7. Time Zone Settings (Shared Page)
If you are managing a shared bookings page, be sure your time zone settings are correct for your appointments.
Under Bookings Page > Region & Time Zone settings:
Step 8. Share Your Links
From your bookings dashboard, next to your shared page, lick Share to share the link to your page. Copy the URL and add it to your email signature, Canvas site, or departmental webpage. When someone books a slot, it appears on your Outlook calendar instantly.
You may also share links for individual appointments from your personal bookings dashboard, by clicking on the ellipsis next to the individual appointment and clicking "copy link". This will allow you to copy and paste our link. If you have made changes to your page or appointment, be sure to test your links in a browser before sending or sharing it.
Be sure to test the links yourself in a browser before sharing them. If successful the links should direct you to either the page you want to share or prompt the user to book an appointment with you during an available time.
If you have questions or need technical assistance, please contact ILR Tech Services.