Clever Clogs tip # 724
5 January 2023


Workaround to keep cancelled meetings in your calendar (Microsoft Outlook) *

Hello and welcome to the first tip of 2023. Have fun, learn heaps and make it your best year yet!

This month's tip is inspired by Julie Durrant, who asked whether it was possible to cancel a meeting, but keep a record of it in the calendar.

Well, there's no built-in option as such, but there is a workaround. Please be aware this doesn't work for recurring meetings though! (Thanks for letting me know, Julie.)

Here's how:

  1. Use CTRL + C and CTRL + V to copy the meeting. (Right-clickers will notice the usual Copy option isn't there.)
  2. Cancel (one of) the meeting(s), as normal.
  3. Open the remaining event and give it a different title. (Bonus tip: Set up Conditional Formatting so that, for example, any meeting labelled CANCELLED will show up in red.)
  4. Close the dialog box. (Warning: Do not click "Send".)
  5. If prompted, click Save changes but don't send.

That's it. Let me know if any of you have a different method of keeping track of deleted appointments.

Related tips

  1. Colour-code appointments and meetings by words in the title (Microsoft Outlook): tip_660.php
  2. Top ten tips to search in Outlook: tip_718.php

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K.

PS To help you put these tips into practice I developed a series of 60-minute webinars, giving you the opportunity to see the hints, tips and time-saving shortcuts in action. And as a tip subscriber you are eligible for a 10% discount on my 'off the shelf' training; see the course and webinar schedule for our current dates. (Please quote: TIPS.) Oh, and I've decided not to increase my prices, despite the soaring inflation.


* Unless stated otherwise this tip is written for Microsoft 365 desktop apps and Windows 10 users, but might also be useful in Office 2010, 2013 and 2016.