How to Accept/Decline on Classic Outlook but not send an email?

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How to Accept/Decline on Classic Outlook but not send an email?

Stephen_pol 20

How can I accept or decline a meeting but do not send a response on classic outlook so that the meeting is updated but the organiser is not emailed?

*Edit AI suggested that I could do it on office365 but I want to do it via email and not have to find the calendar invite then accept and not email organiser?

I know the New Outlook app has the option but that must depend on the organisation as to which version as I don't have it in my new role and had it at my last one.

PS the design of Microsoft needs to be better considering the large number of daily users and this issue has been open for over 10 years.

Stephen_pol 20 Reputation points

2026-03-13T03:25:16.0166667+00:00

To add to the answer from Hani-Ng, I discovered that I can accept but not send an email on the iPhone app.
Hani-Ng 9,990 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-13T05:13:15.5133333+00:00

Hi Stephen_pol

Thank you so much for sharing this information.

Answer accepted by question author

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Stephen_pol 20 Reputation points

2026-03-13T03:25:16.0166667+00:00

To add to the answer from Hani-Ng, I discovered that I can accept but not send an email on the iPhone app.
Hani-Ng 9,990 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-13T05:13:15.5133333+00:00

Hi Stephen_pol

Thank you so much for sharing this information.

Answer 1

Hani-Ng 9,990 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Stephen_pol

Thank you for reaching out to the Q&A Forum.

Based on your description, I also tested this on my device and realized that in Outlook Web App (https://outlook.office365.com/calendar/) and New Outlook, you can accept or decline without sending a notification by unchecking the "Email Organizer" box.

User's image

In case a response was already sent and you want to edit without notification, you can go to the meeting, choose Change, and uncheck "Email Organizer" and update again.

User's image

If this is not your concern, could you please send me a screenshot showing the issue so I can better understand?

I hope this information proves helpful and I look forward to your response!

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Hani-Ng 9,990 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-10T05:02:39.0533333+00:00

Hi Stephen_pol

I just wanted to quickly check in to see if you have any updates or need any additional information. Please feel free to let me know!
Stephen_pol 20 Reputation points

2026-03-12T02:38:11.3+00:00

Sorry I didn't get notified that you had replied. Yes that worked thanks although it would be better if the "Email Organiser" was unchecked by default, as most get too many emails. I doubt that will ever reach Microsoft but hopefully someone sees it.
Hani-Ng 9,990 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-12T03:18:37.6033333+00:00

Hi Stephen_pol

Thank you for your response.

You can try submitting feedback directly to Microsoft via Outlook > Help > Feedback. This way, the Microsoft engineering team will be made aware of the behavior and, hopefully, investigate it further.

Best regards.
Stephen_pol 20 Reputation points

2026-03-31T00:42:26.8666667+00:00

@Hani-Ng I want to do it via email and not have to find the calendar invite then accept and not email organiser, is there a way to do that?

I know the New Outlook app has the option but that must depend on the organisation as to which version as I don't have it in my new role and had it at my last one?
Hani-Ng 9,990 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-31T06:17:47.6866667+00:00
Hi Stephen_pol

You are completely right; your IT department controls whether you have access to New Outlook. For Classic Outlook, here is how it works via email:

For New Invites: You can do it from the email. Click the drop-down arrow just below the Accept or Decline button (in the top ribbon or reading pane) and select "Do not send a response"

For Existing/Past Invites**:** You cannot do this from an email. Once you accept a meeting, Outlook deletes or disables the original invite email. To change your mind later, you must go to your calendar, and you can use the "Work Offline" as a trick to avoid emailing them.

Go to Send/Receive tab > click on Work Offline > go to Calendar and open the meeting you wish to Accept/Decline then change your response (because you are offline, the email will not be sent immediately; it will sit in your Outbox).

Go to Outbox folder and delete the meeting response > back to Send / Receive > click Work Offline again)

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How to Accept/Decline on Classic Outlook but not send an email?

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