If you use the Calendar app on Mac and have various accounts set up in it, like Google or Exchange, then you have access to a cool availability feature. This lets you check the open times for those you invite to your events.
In addition to that convenience, you can decide if you want those accounts of your own to affect your availability.
If you haven’t checked out the availability options in Calendar on Mac, we’ll show you how.
See an invitee’s availability
If you’re planning an event, whether it be a meeting, party, or some other gathering, it can be hard to do if you don’t know everyone’s schedule. In Calendar on Mac, you can check the availability of those you invite to make planning easier.
Note on the feature from Apple:
You only see Check Availability if your event is on a calendar service that tracks availability, such as CalDAV.
1) Create your event as you normally would and add your invitees on the right side.
2) If you see the Check Availability button, go ahead and click it or select Window > Availability Panel from the menu bar.
3) When the panel opens, you’ll see a list of your invitees with their availability. You can also click to see All Day or just Work Hours, switch to a different date, or choose Next Available Time.
4) If you need to choose a different time for your event, you can do it right in the Availability Panel. You’ll then receive a notification that the event has changed, asking if you’d like to Revert, Edit, or Send the update.
5) When you finish using the panel, click Done at the bottom.
Disable the effect on your availability
Let’s say that you have your Google calendar enabled in the Calendar app but don’t use it to plan events. Maybe you use it to remind yourself of tasks, as a journal where you record activities each day, or even as a bucket list.
Adding these types of events to your calendar doesn’t mean you’re “unavailable” to meet with others, right? Here’s how to fix that.
1) Open the Calendars list in the sidebar and pick an account.
2) Either right-click the account or click Edit from the menu bar and select Get Info.
3) Uncheck the box for Events affect availability.
4) Click OK.
Now, if someone invites you to an event and checks your availability, you’ll show as Available to them for that account.
Hopefully, this trick will help you plan your next activity, meeting, or event in the Calendar app. And for more, check out how to snooze events for longer than 15 minutes or how to set the Calendar to start the week on Monday instead of Sunday.
Do you have any Calendar tips like this you’d like to share? If so, feel free to leave a comment below!
Check out next: