Microsoft has been trying to get more users onto New Outlook for Windows, and it is doing so not just by enforcing the newer app but also by making improvements along the way. In doing so, though, the company has caused the Classic Outlook app to bug out in the past.
The classic app received a major Shared Calendar-related upgrade recently, with many " long-awaited improvements" as well as "small changes in form and function." As the name suggests, the Outlook Shared Calendar essentially allows multiple people to interact with and manage the calendar.
With Shared Calendar improvements enabled, users will see the following changes:
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Instant sync and view of shared calendars
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Editing series end date does not reset the past
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Accepting meeting without having to send a response
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Last Modified By no longer shown in the meeting item
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Adding same calendar multiple times can"t be done
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Duplicate calendars simultaneously selection
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Attachments addition not possible when responding to a meeting invitation
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Event drafts auto-save changes
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The "Download shared folders" setting is ignored
Unfortunately, as with any major feature upgrade, there are bugs, and Microsoft has confirmed this is no different. The tech giant has shared official guidance for it so that users can work around the problems. According to the company, "Shared Calendar improvements are now enabled by default in the most recent versions of Outlook, in all update channels for Microsoft 365 Apps," and thus, the bugs are likely to affect many.
Here are some of the bugs Microsoft is investigating, as well as their workarounds:
| Bug | Workaround |
|---|---|
| Meeting cancellation sent unexpectedly to some attendees in classic Outlook In a REST shared calendar, after adding or removing an attendee, or forwarding a meeting, a meeting cancellation may be sent unexpectedly to some attendees. | Use the Outlook Web App or new Outlook when adding or removing an attendee or forwarding a meeting. |
| Attendees do not get updates on attachment changes by Delegate
When a delegate sends an update on a meeting that requires removing an attachment on an occurrence of a meeting series, the recipients may not get some or all of the attachment changes. In the delegate"s Sync Issues folder, you"ll see sync errors. Example:
| There is no known workaround. It is recommended, whenever possible, to save attachments to SharePoint or to OneDrive and share with a link. |
| After an attachment is deleted from an existing meeting, it may reappear after being deleted | Please wait approximately one minute to give the sync time to complete. Additionally, it is advisable to save attachments to SharePoint or OneDrive whenever possible and share them using a link. |
| A meeting created by a delegate with limited calendar access disappears and is unsent when a sensitivity label other than "Normal" is selected | Three potential solutions to address this issue, each with their own implications for functionality:
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Aside from these, Microsoft has also fixed several other bugs, which you can find in the official support article here on the company"s website.