Unable to enable From line field in outlook (Classic) when setting up a meeting as a delegate for my Managers shared calendar

Question

Unable to enable From line field in outlook (Classic) when setting up a meeting as a delegate from my Managers shared calendar. I have followed various Microsoft KB's that mention to enable the From line field from Option tab, When on manager shared calendar, i click on : New meeting and a dialogue form opens and does not display From line field and starts with Title. On the other hand, the option tab is not viewable from the new meeting dialogue form. I have correct permissions provided for my managers shared calendar as a delegate.

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I just received a new laptop with the same permissions and settings. But on my new laptop shared calendar will not show the From line on the shared calendar of my manager. On my old laptop the From line feature is displayed correctly on the same shared manager calendar.

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Can someone with expertise share a working KB or how to enable From line feature from New calendar meeting without the mentioning the option tab? The ONLY option is the add-in that display Show As, Reminder and Recurrence. But no Option tab.

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Answer 1

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Hi Harrison Muchori

Based on image 3, you are currently viewing the "Meeting" tab. In many recent builds of Outlook Classic (365/2016+), the "From" button is actually located on the "Format Text" tab or requires a Registry toggle if the profile is fresh (new laptop).

Here are some recommended solutions to enable the "From" line without relying on the missing "Options" tab.

Check the "Format Text" Tab

In Image 3, I can see the Format Text tab at the top of the window (between Insert and Review).

• Open the New Meeting window.
• Click the Format Text tab in the top ribbon and look for the "From" button in the "Show Fields" section of this ribbon.
  • Why this happens: On a new laptop/installation, Outlook often defaults to hiding the field, and it is contextually placed under "Format Text" rather than the main "Meeting" tab.

Force Add "From" to the Quick Access Toolbar (The Workaround)

Since the Ribbon seems to be confusing or missing the buttons the customer is used to, the fastest way to get the feature back is to pin it to the very top bar (Quick Access Toolbar).

• Open a New Meeting window > At the very top left of the window (above "File"), click the small down arrow (Customize Quick Access Toolbar) > Select More Commands...

• In the "Choose commands from" dropdown menu, select All Commands.
• Scroll down to find From > Click Add >> to move it to the right side > Click OK. A small "From" icon will now appear at the very top of every meeting window. Clicking it will toggle the From line on/off instantly.

The Registry Fix

Since this is a new laptop, the registry value that remembers "Show From field = True" has not been set yet. You can force this via the Registry.

• Close Outlook > Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.
• Navigate to the following path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Preferences
• Right-click on the right side pane > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value and name it: ShowFrom
• Double-click ShowFrom and set the Value data to 1> Restart Outlook.

I hope this helps and if you have any updates or need any additional information, please feel free to let me know via comment section. 

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Answer 2

The behavior is by design and matches the documented Outlook limitation: the From field in meeting requests does not list or expose all accounts, so it cannot always be switched or explicitly shown when creating a meeting as a delegate.

The supported workaround is to start the meeting request from the calendar that belongs to the account that should appear as the organizer:

1. In Outlook, switch to the Calendar view.
2. In the folder list, select the calendar for the intended account (for example, the manager’s calendar or the shared mailbox calendar).
3. With that calendar selected, create the new meeting (New Meeting / New Appointment, then invite attendees).
4. The meeting will be sent from that account, even though the From line is not visible.

If the From field still shows the delegate’s address when replying from a shared mailbox in an on‑premises Exchange 2013 environment, install Exchange Server 2013 Service Pack 1, or manually change the From field to the shared mailbox address when sending.

There is no additional supported method in Outlook Classic to force the From line to appear in the new meeting window beyond this calendar‑selection workaround.

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References:

• The From field in a meeting request does not list all accounts in Microsoft Outlook
• Default from delegate's address in shared mailboxes in Exchange Server 2013