When you have a recurring meeting set up in Outlook, like a weekly team status call or a monthly one-on-one with your manager, sometimes you need to change the details for just a single instance of that series. Perhaps you need to reschedule one meeting due to a conflict in your calendar, or update the location or attendees for a specific occurrence. Changing a single meeting in a recurring series in Outlook is easy to do without impacting the rest of the series. Here’s how.
Open the Meeting Series
The first step is to open the meeting series in your Outlook Calendar. To do this:
- Open the Calendar in Outlook.
- Locate the meeting series in the calendar view and double click to open the meeting window.
This will open the meeting window for the series, where you can view all instances of the recurring meeting.
Select the Instance
Once the meeting series window is open, you need to select the specific instance of the meeting that you want to modify. To do this:
- In the meeting window, go to the recurrence section.
- Open the drop down menu next to “Edit recurrence.”
- Select “Modify this occurrence only.”
This will single out just that individual meeting instance for editing.
Make Your Changes
Now that you have the single meeting instance selected, you can make whatever changes need to be made to that one occurrence:
- Change the date/time
- Update location
- Add or remove attendees
- Modify the meeting details/notes
Make whatever modifications are needed so that just that single meeting is updated. The rest of the series will remain unchanged.
Save Your Changes
Once you have made all your updates to the meeting instance, make sure to save your changes:
- Click “Save & Close” in the meeting window.
- When prompted to update the series or just the occurrence, select “Only this occurrence.”
This will commit the changes to only that single meeting instance. The rest of the recurring series will remain unchanged.
Conclusion
Updating a single meeting in a recurring series in Outlook only takes a few steps:
- Open the meeting series
- Select the instance to modify
- Make your changes
- Save the occurrence only
Following these steps allows you to quickly update location, attendees, notes or timing for a single meeting occurrence as needed. The rest of your recurring series will remain intact.
Changing a single instance of a recurring meeting in Outlook is a useful skill for any busy calendar owner. Whether needing to reschedule due to a conflict or pull in an additional attendee for a key discussion, this technique enables updating just one occurrence without impacting the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I delete a single instance of a recurring meeting?
To delete a single instance of a recurring meeting series, follow the same steps to modify an occurrence, but instead of updating the meeting, select “Delete this occurrence” instead of saving any changes. This will delete that instance only without impacting the rest of the series.
What if I want to update the entire series, not just one meeting?
If you need to make a change that applies to every instance in the recurring meeting series, open the series and select “Edit series” instead of “Modify this occurrence only” when picking the instance. Any changes made will apply to every occurrence going forward.
Can I change all future meetings without impacting previous ones?
Yes, when modifying a meeting series, you have the option to update all future occurrences or all occurrences going forward. This allows you to make a change impacting upcoming meetings only, without altering previous ones.
What if I want to only update meetings that haven’t happened yet?
When you open a recurring meeting series in Outlook, you can check the “Only show upcoming meetings” box. This will filter the view to only display upcoming occurrences. Any changes made with this box checked will only apply to future meetings, not past ones.
Can I add additional recurrences to a meeting series?
Yes, you can add more occurrences to a meeting series by opening the series, selecting “Edit Recurrence” and adding additional repeat instances or extending the end date range. This is useful if you want a recurring meeting to continue beyond the original end date set.
Changing Recurring Meetings in Other Calendar Apps
The ability to modify a single instance of a recurring meeting series isn’t limited only to Outlook. Other popular calendar apps also include this useful feature:
Google Calendar
In Google Calendar, open the meeting series and click the occurrence you want to edit. Choose “Edit this event” from the menu. Make your changes and the click “Save” to commit them just to that instance.
Apple Calendar
On Apple Calendar for Mac, iPhone and iPad, tap to open the meeting series and swipe left on the meeting you want to change. Tap “Edit” and make your updates, then save. This will change only that single occurrence.
Microsoft Teams
For meetings scheduled through Teams, go to your Calendar, locate the meeting series and double click to open it. Right click the instance you want to modify, choose “Edit this occurrence” and make your changes. Click “Save” when done.
Tips for Changing Recurring Meetings
Here are some additional tips for smoothly modifying instances in a recurring meeting series:
- Make changes as soon as possible to give attendees notice.
- Send invitees an updated calendar invitation if details like timing or location change.
- Be clear in the subject line or notes that it’s a modified instance.
- Consider updating all future occurrences instead if it’s a permanent change.
- For major changes, cancel the series and create a new one.
Summary
Recurring meetings are a convenient way to eliminate the need to manually schedule repeating events. However, occasionally a change to a single instance in a series is necessary. Whether you want to reschedule due to a conflict, change the location, update attendees or modify other details, it’s easy to do in Outlook and other calendar apps.
By following the steps to select a specific occurrence, make changes and save just that instance, you can modify a single meeting while leaving the rest of your recurring schedule intact. This preserves the convenience of a meeting series without introducing unwanted changes.
With this capability, calendar users can effortlessly handle last minute meeting changes, attendee updates and more. Whether your recurring meetings happen daily, weekly, monthly or annually, knowing how to modify a single instance makes it possible to keep that series running smoothly.
| Task | Outlook | Google Calendar | Apple Calendar | Microsoft Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open meeting series | Double click meeting | Open meeting | Tap meeting | Double click meeting |
| Select instance | Modify this occurrence | Edit this event | Edit instance | Edit this occurrence |
| Make changes | Update details | Change details | Change details | Update details |
| Save instance | Save just occurrence | Save event | Save instance | Save occurrence |
As this table demonstrates, the overall process for changing a single meeting in a series is quite similar across the most popular calendar platforms. The specific steps may vary slightly, but the ability exists in all major options.
Empowering calendar users to modify instances without rebuilding entire series makes it much easier to handle last minute changes. Whether you need to tweak the details for an upcoming meeting or reschedule due to an unexpected conflict, adjusting a single occurrence preserves the overall schedule.
For recurrent meetings that happen regularly, occasional tweaks are inevitable. Knowing how to change just one meeting makes managing these adjustments seamless. With this knowledge, calendar users can smoothly modify instances as needed while maintaining their helpful recurring schedules.
