Shared Outlook Calendar Reminder Not Popping Up for All Users

Question

My boss created a calendar and shared it with me and another colleague. I help to create events under his calendar and set reminders (e.g., 12 hours before the event).

The issue is:

The reminder notification only pops up on my phone.

The reminder does NOT pop up on my boss’s phone or my colleague’s phone.

We would like the reminders to be consistent and pop up for everyone.

May I check:

Do reminders only trigger for the person who creates the event?

Is there a way to ensure reminder notifications appear for all shared calendar members?

Appreciate any advice. Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi @suei, 

Thank you for taking the time to share your question with us here on Microsoft Q&A.  

In Outlook, there isn’t a built‑in mechanism that automatically triggers reminders for all members of a shared calendar. Instead, reminders are handled individually by each person’s Outlook app and device settings. So it’s not that only the event creator gets the reminder. It’s simply that each user’s device decides whether to surface the notification based on their own configuration. 

Every user has their own default reminder settings, their own notification preferences, and their own OS‑level permissions that determine whether a pop‑up or sound will actually appear. Because of this design, even if you create an event with a reminder in the shared calendar, it won’t necessarily pop up on your boss’s or colleague’s devices unless their local reminder and notification settings allow it. 

With that in mind, for each user to receive reminders from a shared calendar, they need to add the shared calendar to their Outlook client and ensure that reminders are enabled on their device. Microsoft’s documentation also provides helpful guidance here if you’d like to review it: Add or delete notifications or reminders in Outlook - Microsoft Support 

Please also understand that as a forum moderator, my role is to clarify how the existing product is designed and how its features currently work. I’m not able to modify or override the built‑in behavior of Outlook.  

I hope this explanation helps and provides a bit more clarity. If you have any follow‑up questions or if there’s anything you’d like to update us on, feel free to reply here. I’m more than happy to continue assisting you. 

Thank you again for reaching out! 

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Answer 2

Reminders on Outlook calendars are per mailbox/device, not “broadcast” to everyone who can see a shared calendar.

1. Reminders do not only trigger for the person who creates the event, but they do trigger only for the mailbox where the event actually lives and where reminders are enabled.
   • If the meeting is on the boss’s calendar, the reminder belongs to that calendar item in the boss’s mailbox.
   • Each person’s Outlook/Outlook mobile then decides whether to show reminders for items in calendars that are in that mailbox and visible in that profile.
   • If reminders are disabled in a user’s Outlook, or controlled by Group Policy, they will not see any reminders even if the event has a reminder set.
2. To make reminders appear for all participants or shared-calendar members, each person must:
   • Have the calendar added/visible in their Outlook/Outlook mobile.
   • Have reminders enabled in their Outlook client.

For Outlook desktop (boss and colleague):

1. Open Outlook.
2. Go to File > Options.
3. Select Advanced.
4. In the Reminders section, ensure “Show reminders” is checked, then select OK.

If this option is grayed out or controlled by policy, it is being managed by Group Policy and must be changed by the administrator.

If reminders still do not appear, check whether any Windows or device-level notification settings (such as Do Not Disturb, Focus Assist, or app notification settings) are blocking Outlook notifications.

On mobile, ensure:

• The shared calendar is added and visible in the Outlook app (Calendar view > + to add shared calendars if needed).
• OS-level notifications for Outlook are allowed.

There is no setting that forces a reminder created by one person to automatically pop up on all other users’ devices unless each user’s client is configured to show reminders for that calendar and notifications are allowed on their device.

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References:

• Reminders in Outlook do not appear
• Add or delete notifications or reminders in Outlook
• Why does my shared calendar not show up in mobile?
• Receive notifications from a shared calendar in Outlook