How to Edit Work Hours in Outlook | Set Your Schedule

Editing work hours in Outlook happens in Settings under Calendar, where you set your working days, start and end times, and location for each day.

Getting your calendar right starts with knowing how to edit work hours in Outlook, and the setting lives in one place for most current versions. The new Outlook, the web app, and classic desktop each use a slightly different menu, but the options are the same once you find them. Below you’ll find the exact steps for every version, how to adjust a single day, and what to do when the hours don’t look right on screen.

What Work Hours Control in Outlook

Work hours define the shaded area on your calendar that tells colleagues when you’re typically available. Microsoft designed the feature to set recurring work time and location, including a specific building if your organization supports it. The setting applies at the account level, so you’ll need to configure each account separately.

These hours also control how meeting invitations display your availability. When someone schedules a meeting, Outlook checks your work hours to show whether you’re free or busy during that time block.

How Do You Edit Work Hours in the New Outlook and Outlook on the Web?

In the new Outlook for Windows and Mac, and in Outlook on the web, the work hours setting lives inside the Settings menu under Calendar. Open the gear icon, navigate to Calendar, and select Work hours and location to make your changes.

1. Open Outlook and click the gear icon (Settings).
2. Select Calendar > Work hours and location. In the web version, you may need to click View all Outlook settings first.
3. Check the days of the week you work.
4. Use the dropdowns to set a start time and end time for each day.
5. Choose a work location — Office, Remote, or a specific building if your organization lists them.
6. If you want colleagues to see your location, check Share office location details.
7. Click Save.

This method requires a Microsoft 365 work or school account. Personal Outlook accounts (like @outlook.com) may not show these options in the same menu. Microsoft’s official work hours and location support page documents this flow in detail.

Editing Work Hours in Classic Outlook for Windows

The classic desktop version uses a different menu path. Instead of the gear icon, you’ll find work hours under File > Options > Calendar.

1. Open Outlook and go to File > Options.
2. Select Calendar from the left sidebar.
3. Under Work time, set your start and end times and select which days are in your work week.
4. Click OK to save.

This is the documented path Microsoft Support and Microsoft Answers point to for the classic desktop client.

Changing a Single Day’s Hours with Work Plan

When you only need to adjust one day — a different location for Tuesday or an early end on Friday — use the Work plan view instead of the general settings. Open your Calendar, click Work plan, select the day you want to change, and choose a location or mark it as Out of office. Click Set or Save to apply the change. The day then shows your adjusted hours while the rest of the week keeps your standard schedule.

Editing Work Hours in Outlook for Mac

Outlook for Mac uses its own Preferences menu. Open Outlook > Preferences > Calendar > Work Schedule to set your hours. Changes made here sync to your Microsoft 365 account and appear in the web version.

Work Hours Settings by Outlook Version

The table below shows where to find work hour settings across every version of Outlook.

Why Aren’t My Work Hours Showing Correctly?

If your work hours don’t display the way you expect, the cause is almost always one of two things: you adjusted the calendar view instead of the settings menu, or the time zone is mismatched.

• Wrong menu: Changing the calendar display view doesn’t change work hours. The actual setting is in Settings > Calendar > Work hours and location, and it requires clicking Save.
• Time zone mismatch: If work hours shifted after a time zone change, update the calendar time zone under Settings > Calendar > View. Outlook may prompt you to update meeting hours to match.

Outlook Mobile and Work Hours Limitations

The Outlook mobile apps for iOS and Android cannot set or edit work hours. They only display hours already configured elsewhere. If you need to adjust work hours away from your desk, use the Outlook web app on your phone’s browser instead.

Quick Reference: Work Hours Settings

The table below summarizes each setting you can adjust and where to find it.

Making Your Work Hours Stick

Once you’ve set your work hours, confirm they display correctly by opening your calendar and checking the shaded area matches your configured times. If something looks off after a time zone change, revisit Settings > Calendar > View and update the time zone. For single-day changes, use the Work plan view rather than altering your main settings — that keeps your standard schedule intact while handling the exception. A quick check of your calendar availability after each change confirms the setting took effect.