New Outlook - non-MSA account calendar invites do not save to default calendar

Question

There is a problem with Calendars in the New Outlook.

In Classic Outlook, a calendar invite sent to an IMAP account would be saved in the default calendar, i.e., my default Outlook.com calendar.

In the New Outlook, that invite is saved to a local calendar connected to the IMAP account. I can't even copy the event between Calendars, i.e., to my default calendar.

We should at least have an option to save all calendar invites to the default calendar regardless of account. I don't know why Microsoft would do this without adding CalDAV support.

Answer 1

Dear C. Yusuf Mumtaz,

Thank you for posting your question to the Microsoft Q&A forum. I understand how disruptive it is when a workflow that was seamless in Classic Outlook—like unifying calendar invites from different accounts—no longer available in the new interface.

The behavior you are experiencing is due to a fundamental shift in architecture. While Classic Outlook allowed for a "Global" default calendar for all account types, the New Outlook siloes data by account to maintain synchronization integrity. This currently causes IMAP invites to save to a local "ghost" calendar rather than your primary Microsoft account.

While Microsoft is actively developing better cross-account calendar integration, please review the following workarounds to maintain your visibility and synchronization.

Part 1: The Forwarding Workaround

If you need the event to appear on your primary Outlook.com calendar so it syncs to your mobile devices, re-routing the invitation is the most effective method.

1. Open the invitation email in your IMAP Inbox.
2. Do not accept the invite immediately. Instead, click Forward.
3. Enter your own Outlook.com (or Microsoft 365) email address in the "To" field.
4. Send the forwarded message.
5. Navigate to your Outlook.com Inbox, open the forwarded invite, and click Accept from that account.
   • Result: The event will now be "owned" by your primary calendar and will synchronize across all devices.

Part 2: The Overlay View

If your primary concern is viewing all your appointments in a single grid without switching tabs, you can use the Overlay feature.

1. Navigate to the Calendar View.
2. In the left navigation pane, ensure both your Default Calendar and the Local IMAP Calendar are checked.
3. Right-click (or select the three dots) next to the IMAP calendar name.
4. Select Overlay.
   • Result: This merges the two views into a single combined grid. Please note that while this helps with visibility on your laptop, it does not sync these items to your Outlook.com cloud storage.

Part 3: Reverting to Classic Outlook

If your professional workflow relies heavily on IMAP calendar unification and third-party tools (like CalDAV), the New Outlook may not yet meet your production requirements.

1. Locate the New Outlook toggle in the top-right corner of the application.
2. Switch the toggle to Off.
3. Note: Classic Outlook remains fully supported until 2029. For robust non-Microsoft calendar support, using Classic Outlook alongside the "CalDav Synchronizer" plugin remains the industry standard for professional environments.

I hope this explanation provides some clarity on why this architectural change occurred and helps you maintain your scheduling efficiency. Please let me know how these suggestions work for you.

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Answer 2

The issue you're experiencing with the New Outlook, where calendar invites sent to an IMAP account are saved to a local calendar instead of the default Outlook.com calendar, appears to be a known limitation of the New Outlook. Currently, it seems that the New Outlook does not support saving invites to the default calendar for non-MSA accounts in the same way that Classic Outlook does. Unfortunately, there is no built-in option to change this behavior or to copy events between calendars directly within the New Outlook interface.

This limitation may be due to the differences in how the New Outlook handles calendar data compared to the Classic version, and the absence of CalDAV support could further complicate integration with non-MSA accounts. Users have expressed similar concerns regarding functionality and the need for more robust calendar management options in the New Outlook.

If this is a critical feature for your workflow, you might consider using Classic Outlook until these issues are addressed in the New Outlook.