Microsoft 365 - Free/Busy lookup between UW System/Schools/Colleges and UW Health

We continue to improve calendaring interoperability between different Office 365/Exchange systems across UW System campuses. You now have the ability to view free/busy (also known as calendar availability) information for scheduling purposes.

Important: the information in this document pertains to accounts in UW-Madison's Office 365 system and the external Office 365 systems mentioned below.

Which UW System/Schools/Colleges does this work with?

  • UW-Eau Claire
  • UW-Green Bay
  • UW-La Crosse
  • UW-Milwaukee
  • UW-Parkside
  • UW-Platteville
  • UW-River Falls
  • UW-Stevens Point
  • UW-Stout
  • UW-Superior
  • UW-Whitewater
  • UW-Colleges & Extension
  • UW-System Administration

Which other organizations does this work with?

  • UW-Health
  • Morgridge Institute for Research

How do I access free/busy information of a user?

When creating/modifying a calendar event, add the address of the user (anyone from the above systems) to the attendee field - the information under this user's name/address will either show "free" or "busy" for the time designated in your event. This will allow you to view their availability prior to sending them the meeting request.

Can I subscribe or add the calendar of one of these users to my calendar view?

No. Since these users are external to UW-Madison's Office 365 system, the only way to subscribe or add the calendar to your calendar view is to have this user either share their calendar with you or provide a public link to you.

Can I share my calendar with a user which is external to UW-Madison's Office 365 system?

Yes. You can either use the calendar permissions or publishing processes to share your calendar with external users. Note: External users will only be able to view your calendar - they will not be able to edit any events.

Important

  • Free/Busy lookup is only available between UW-Madison's Office 365 and the systems above. The availability of this feature may not be an option between the systems listed above (e.g,. UW-Stout and UW-Extension).
  • We continue to work with UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh in setting up this calendaring partnership.  Additionally, several of the UW-System institutions are in a state of transition to Office 365, so calendar free/busy lookups may not work with all recipients in those institutions.