RSVP options missing in New Outlook and OWA for delegates

Question

The Accept, Decline, and Tentative options are missing on meetings received by delegates. These options still appear on meeting requests that are sent directly to them. Is this by design or a bug?

Answer 1

Dear @KarlaN and @Lolue,   

I am glad to hear that the RSVP options have started working again for your users. 

I have just checked on my side as well. After restarting the new Outlook, the RSVP options are now visible and working as expected. At this time, I am not seeing any other Outlook updates or changes reflected on my side. 

If the issue appears again and starts affecting multiple users in the tenant, the next recommended step would be to open a Microsoft Support case. This will allow the support team to review backend logs and validate the tenant state more thoroughly. 

Please feel free to post back if anything changes or if you notice the issue returning. I will be happy to assist further within my scope. 

Answer 2

Dear @KarlaN and @Lolue, 

I appreciate both of you taking the time to share updates and details about what you are experiencing. 

Based on my earlier testing, the buttons appeared as expected in the inbox when using both Outlook on the web and the new Outlook desktop app. However, as of today, when testing again in the new Outlook desktop app with Microsoft Outlook version 1.2026.310.300 on Targeted Release in the Current Channel, I no longer see these buttons. They are still visible in Outlook on the web. This change suggests that the behavior may be related to a specific build or release channel of the new Outlook. 

At this time, I don’t see any related advisories or incidents listed in the Microsoft 365 admin center. However, this does not necessarily mean the issue does not exist, as it may currently affect only a small number of users and hasn‘t yet been widely reported. 

I would like to clarify that my role is limited to sharing public documentation, testing observations, and general troubleshooting guidance. I do not have access to internal diagnostic tools, engineering backlogs, or build level investigations. Because of that, I am not able to confirm whether this behavior is linked to a known product issue or bug. 

To have this investigated more deeply and confirmed at the product level, I recommend contacting your IT administrator and asking them to create a support ticket with Microsoft Support. This will allow the support team to review your tenant, version and environment details in more depth. 

Please feel free to keep this thread updated with any new findings or changes from your side. I hope this helps clarify the current situation and the available next steps. 

Thank you for your detailed follow-up, as well as your patience and understanding throughout this troubleshooting process.

Answer 3

Dear @KarlaN, 

Thanks for submitting your concern. I understand how disruptive it can be when delegates do not see the Accept, Decline, or Tentative options on meeting requests they receive on behalf of someone else. 

What you are experiencing in New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web often occurs when the assistant is not configured as a true Delegate or when the calendar owner’s routing settings deliver an informational copy of the invite. When the message arrives as a non-actionable copy, the RSVP options will not appear, even though they still show correctly on meeting requests sent directly to the delegate. 

Below are the steps you can follow to ensure meeting requests become actionable for the delegate: 

Option 1: Confirm that the assistant has full Delegate permission 

Only Delegates receive actionable meeting requests that include Accept, Tentative, and Decline. 

Open New Outlook or OWA. 

Go to Calendar > Select Share calendar > Open Sharing and permissions. 

Find the assistant’s name and open the permission dropdown. 

Ensure the permission level is set to Delegate, not Can edit or other roles. 

If the setting is incorrect, update it and save. 

If this permission is missing or incorrect, the delegate will receive a non-actionable copy of the meeting request. 

Option 2: Adjust the meeting invite routing so the delegate receives an actionable copy 

For delegation to work correctly, the calendar owner must choose to send invitations and responses to both themselves and the delegate. 

Stay in the Sharing and permissions panel. 

Under Delegates, locate the option Send invitations and responses to: 

Select Both my delegate and me. 

Save the changes. 

This setting ensures the delegate receives an actionable meeting request rather than an FYI copy that removes RSVP options. 

Share and access a calendar with edit or delegate permissions in Outlook - Microsoft Support 

Option 3: Respond from the calendar surface if the message still lacks buttons 

Sometimes the email version may remain non actionable even when permissions are correct. In New Outlook and OWA, the calendar still allows a response. 

Open the calendar. 

Right click the meeting. 

Choose Yes, Maybe, or No to send the response. 

This method works when the inbox message doesn't show the Accept or Decline buttons. 

Option 4: Try responding using Classic Outlook for Windows if available 

If the delegate still cannot see the RSVP buttons in New Outlook, they can switch to Classic Outlook and check the behavior there. 

In New Outlook, go to Help > Go to Classic Outlook from the top menu bar.  

Confirm the switch when prompted.  

After Classic Outlook opens, locate the meeting request sent on behalf of the calendar owner. 

Open the invitation and verify whether the Accept, Tentative, or Decline buttons appear. 

Option 5: Contact Microsoft Support  

If the issue still persists, I sincerely recommend reaching out to your IT administrator to create a support ticket via Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Support > Help & Support for further investigation. 

A technical support engineer can perform a remote session to investigate the situation, verify the backend configurations, and run any necessary synchronization tools to resolve the problem. If the issue requires further attention, they can escalate it to a specialized team for deeper analysis.    

As community moderators, we kindly ask for your understanding that our access to internal development details is limited. Our primary role is to guide users toward the appropriate resources and support channels. While we may not have visibility into performing deeper backend analysis, we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.  

I hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions or need further support, please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

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