How to share Outlook's calendar with other people?

Without Exchange Server, how to share Outlook's calendar?

Back in the old days, Outlook users could share their calendars with others via Microsoft Exchange Server. However, only users within the same domain could be accessing to the calendars since it is within a proprietary network environment.

Outlook Calendar Sharing

Now, Microsoft started to promote Office365 a few years back after realizing content sharing is getting more popular through Internet. Not only Office, but also its own Outlook.com was merged in with Exchange Online Service as its backend. As a result, individuals other than users within the same domain, such as free Outlook.com users, are able to access shared calendar resource.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY

It is almost summer vacation for schools. Teachers and club staffs may want to plan out agenda of the upcoming school year during summer instead of at last second. But, the fact is that everyone is on vacation and planning trips here and there. 

In the past, teachers and staffs used to hold meetings somewhere they need to physically show up. Then, they would have discussions and use Excel to jot everything down. It was not really effective and yet a good summer vacation was interrupted for some of them.

For now, I suggest that teachers and staffs can create a shared calendar to which every member has access. Whenever there is any idea popped up in mind, just simply create an entry in the shared calendar. By using this collaboration scheme, an outline of agenda for next school year is almost complete. What is left is to wrap it up with some touch and fix on back-to-school day before school really starts.

How to share calendars with users on different platforms?

As we mentioned before, not every teacher or staff has an Outlook.com or Exchange account and gets to add, modify or delete calendar entries. Some has Gmail while some has Yahoo, iCloud or etc. Yet, everyone is on a variety of devices to get online, such as Android, iPhone, desktop PC, or laptop.

As perhaps the most commonly used calendar cloud service provider, Google is strongly recommended. Once this shared Google account is created, every teacher or staff can easily log in this shared Google account from his/her device. Since only one account is being used, everyone logged surely has the privileges to add, modify or delete entries.

How to confgiure shared Google account on different platforms?

Let's talk about how to configure Google account on various platforms.

1. Android:

Android

Whether it is Android phone or tablet, we can log in the shared Google or Gmail account. Then, we can download and install Google Calendar app. Lastly, open this installed app and we will see entries synchronized.

2. iOS:

iPhone

Whether it is iPhone or iPad, we can create Google/Gmail account from within Settings/Passwords & Accounts/Add Account. Then, we can open the built-in Calendar app and put checkmarks in the boxes next to the shared Google calendars. Lastly, we will see the entries.

3. Windows 10/8.1:

Built-in Calendar app within Windows 10/8.1 is rarely used by Windows users because they mostly use Outlook or Thunderbird instead. But, it is working fine. Once a Google account is created within the Calendar app, calendar entries will also be synced.

4. Outlook:

A known fact is that Google Calendar Sync for Outlook was discontinued 4 years ago. Even we downoad and install it on Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010 or 2007, it would not work because this Outlook add-in cannot connect to Google server. Yet, calendar ics files off Google Calendar can only be imported to Outlook and thus fails serving the purpose of synchronizing. I would rather recommend you to use some third-party Outlook add-in, such as EVO Collaborator for Outlook. Setting up such Outlook add-ins is similar to Google Calendar Sync for Outlook. Once installed, enter username, authenticate through Google OAuth 2.0, configure sync folders and that is all.

5. Thunderbird:

If some teacher or staff is using Thunderbird, then they can refer to Using Lightning with Google Calendar to install & configure Lightning and Provider for Google Calendar. 

6. Mac OS X:

Mac OS X

Like iOS, simply add the shared Google account within Internet Accounts. Once added, open the built-in Calendar application to access shared calendar entries.

How to use Outlook Google Calendar Sync?

Outlook synchronizes with Google Calendar for free

Google used to provide an Outlook add-in, called Google Calendar Sync, that enables users to sync its Google Calendar with Outlook 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019appplication on Windows. As Google became a bigshot, this freebie was discountinued. In fact, it was not gone but was included in Google App for Work, which turned into GASMO and then G Suite.

I did not use the paid Gsuite after Google Calendar Sync and I turned away to iCloud instead. Some time later, I heard a free Outlook add-in called Outlook Google Calendar Sync aka OGCS was released. Based on my curiosity, I was trying it out and checked how good it was.

Installing and Configuring Steps

1. Download this Outlook add-in from the GitHub website. The most current version is 2.7.0 beta beside the 2.7.5 alpha. I will try it with Windows 10 and Outlook 2016 at the time of downloading and installing.

2. During software installation, there popped up a security warning and we can ignore it. After installation was complete, there would be window with several tabs for further configuration.

3. Click on Settings tab first. Select Google on the side. Click on Retrieve Calendars button.

4. When a Google OAuth window pops up, click on Allow button at bottom.

6. Then, an Authorisation Code will be passed back to OGCS. Next to Select calendar, there will appear the Google account previously selected.

7. Still under Settings tab, click on Sync Options on the side. Let's try configuring the following environment:

• Direction: Select Outlook <-> Google will make it bi-directional sync. Make sure to uncheck 
• Disable deletions and/or Confirm deletions to have both Google Calendar and Outlook to reflect entry deletion in the sync session.
• Attribute to include: Check everything except Use Google default.

8. Next, click on Application Behaviour below Sync Options. Make sure to check both boxes of Start on login and Start in tray.

9. Click on Sync tab and click on StartSync button to see if Outlook calendar entries are being synchronized to Google?

Summary after using Outlook Google Calendar Sync for a few hours: 

It took me 5 to 10 minutes to configure and test out what is what. The following points are for your reference:

Pros:

1. The summary in the console is concise telling you what you need to know. It is good.

2. The Proxy Setting feature is quite useful for users in companies with proxy security.

3. Outlook entries created while Outlook Google Calendar Sync is turned off are still being synced. This is another plus.

4. Though a checkbox of Push Outlook changes immediately is not easily noticeable but still available. The immediate sync after I created something in Outlook is a plus.

Cons:

1. Sync folder assignment on Outlook side is a bit obscure, not quite intuitive enough. It took me a while to realize that I need to define a mailbox to which invitations come in. Then, I get to define to which calendar folder synchronized entries would go.

3. The absence of an Outlook add-in in ribbon UI is a disappointment. I need to call out Outlook Google Calendar Sync console and literally click on StartSync button or call out OGCS's Sync Now from system tray to immediately sync what I just created on Google Calendar to Outlook. 

4. I don't know about you but the shortest automated sync cycle is 10 min for entries on Google Calendar to be reflected on Outlook, which is a bit too long for me.

8. Software update as beta version is a bit slow since 2.7.0 has been out there since 2016. Software maintenance is not quite well managed.

9. Outlook Google Calendar Sync only synchronizes calendar. Other Outlook sync tools of its kind, such as gSyncit, EVO Collaborator for Outlook, OggSync and Sync2, are able to additionally sync contacts, tasks and etc.

In conclusion, OGCS does its synchronizing job as an alternative of Google Calendar Sync. In term of having demands on also syncing additional data other than calendar, such as contact and task, it is not recommended. Tech support wise, all that can be done is to create a new issue on GitHub.