How to cancel a meeting in Outlook

While working in the office, we often need to send out meeting requests to our co-workers for various reasons. It may be a one time meeting or a series of meetings. However, sometimes, we might have to cancel those meetings due to some reasons that are unavoidable. As a meeting organizer, we need to inform all the invitees about meeting cancellation. Lets see how we can cancel a meeting in Outlook 2103 Calendar.

Cancel a meeting in Outlook

Before we move ahead and understand how to cancel a meeting in Outlook, let’s first understand how Outlook works? The Outlook Calendar is an interesting and extremely useful application. Using Outlook calendar, one can easily send meeting requests. At the same time, the invitation request can also be canceled with ease. It is also very easy to schedule multiple occurrences meeting with Outlook. The organizer holds full rights of sending the meeting requests to various people as well as to cancel the meeting. The meeting can be a one-time meeting, a recurring meeting or one or more instance of the recurring meeting. Here are the simple steps that need to be followed for any type of meeting cancellation.

Steps to cancel a one-time meeting

1. Open Outlook. Go to Calendar tab. In Calendar, click the meeting without opening it.

2. On the meeting tab, click Cancel Meeting in Outlook in the Actions group

3. Type your text message which you want to attach with the cancellation notification.

4. Then finally click on ‘Send Cancellation’ button.

Note: ‘Cancel Meeting’ option on the Action menu is only present for the organizer. For those who are not available to see the option cannot cancel and delete the meeting.

Steps to cancel a recurring meeting

1. Open Outlook. Once opened, click on the Calendar tab. Click Open the series in Open Recurring Item dialog box and then press OK.

2. Click Recurrence on the toolbar.

3. Click End By which is mentioned under Range Of Recurrence. After clicking on ‘End By’, select the date for which you want the meeting to end and then press Ok.

4. Click Send Update.

Note: If you are not able to view Recurrence on the Standard Toolbar, then you won’t be able to cancel the meeting as you are not the meeting organizer.

Steps to cancel an instance of the recurring meeting

1. Open Outlook and the open the instance of the recurring meeting.

2. Click on Open This Occurrence in Open Recurring Item and the press Ok.

3. Click Cancel Meeting in Outlook present in Actions Menu.

4. In the Confirm Delete dialog box, click Delete This Occurrence.

Note: If you are not able to see Cancel Meeting in Outlook in Actions menu then you are not an organizer and you don’t have a right to cancel the meeting.

Remember one thing, whenever you cancel or delete any meeting as the organizer, it is always advisable to notify every person that was given an invitation previously. There is no hard and fast rule to inform every person involved but still it comes under good etiquette.