How to Send Reminders to Others in Outlook Calendar (2026)

Outlook reminders don’t have to be just for you. You can make sure your team, clients, or family get a reminder before a meeting, a deadline, or an event. The right method depends on whether you want a pop-up alert on their device, a reminder email in their inbox, or a follow-up to people who still haven’t responded.

This guide covers every current way to send reminders to other people in Outlook, for both the new Outlook for Windows, Outlook on the web and classic Outlook.

How to Set and Send Reminders in Outlook Calendar for Others

Reminders play an important role in keeping individuals organized and on top of their schedules. It is a helpful tool to ensure everyone is aware of important events, meetings, or tasks.

Check Which Outlook You’re Using

Microsoft now ships two different Outlook apps on Windows, and their reminder features aren’t the same.

• New Outlook for Windows: There’s a New Outlook toggle in the top-right corner, and the interface looks like Outlook on the web (outlook.com or outlook.office.com). The steps for both are identical.
• Classic Outlook: There’s a File tab at the top left and a traditional ribbon.

Which Method Should You Use?

Method 1: Add a Reminder to a Meeting Invite

When you send a meeting invite, the reminder time you choose goes along with it. Attendees who accept will usually get a pop-up alert at that time.

In the new Outlook or Outlook on the web

1. Open Calendar and select New event.
2. Enter a title, date, and time.
3. Add people in the Invite attendees field.
4. Click the Reminder dropdown (the bell icon) in the toolbar and choose a time, such as 1 hour before.
5. Click Send.

In classic Outlook

1. Open Calendar and select New Meeting (or press Ctrl + Shift + Q).
2. Add attendees in the Required or To field, then enter a subject, location, and time.
3. On the Meeting tab, open the Reminder dropdown and choose a time.
4. Click Send.

Keep in mind: This reminder is a suggestion and attendees can change or remove it on their own calendar. Their Outlook settings, notification permissions, or a different calendar app (such as Google Calendar) may also replace it. 

Method 2: Send an Automatic Email Reminder to Attendees

The new Outlook and Outlook on the web can email a reminder to everyone invited at a time you choose, with your own cutom message.

1. Create a new event, or open an existing one and click Edit.
2. Make sure attendees are already added. The attendee option won’t appear otherwise.
3. Open the Reminder dropdown and select Add email reminder.
4. Click Add email reminder in the panel that opens and choose when the email should go out, for example 1 day before.
5. Type a short message, such as “Please bring the test document.”
6. Tick Send to attendees.
7. Click Save, then click Send (or Send update for an existing meeting).

You can add more than one email reminder to the same event, such as one a week before and one on the morning of the meeting.

Limitations: Email reminders go to all attendees. You can’t pick specific people. Classic Outlook doesn’t have this feature at all, so use Method 3 instead.

Method 3: Remind People Who Haven’t Responded

Outlook has no automatic “remind non-responders” button, but you can do it manually:

In classic Outlook

1. Open the meeting from your calendar.
2. Click Tracking on the Meeting tab to see who has accepted, declined, or not responded.
3. Click Contact Attendees and choose New Message to Attendees.
4. Remove everyone who has already responded from the To field, write a short follow-up, and send.

Tip: In the Tracking view, click Copy Status to Clipboard and paste the list into Excel if you’re handling a large invite list.

In the new Outlook or Outlook on the web

1. Open the meeting from your calendar. The attendee list shows each person’s response.
2. Use the option to email the attendees from the meeting window.
3. In the new email, remove the people who have already responded, add your message, and send.

Also Read: Teams Meeting Reminder Notifications: Windows 11 Start Menu, Email and Pop-up

Method 4: Add a Reminder to an Email (Classic Outlook Only)

Classic Outlook can attach a flag and pop-up reminder to an email you send. This is useful for deadlines that don’t need a meeting, such as “Submit your timesheet by Friday.”

1. In a new email, go to the Message tab and select Follow Up > Custom in the Tags group.
2. Tick Flag for Recipients.
3. Choose a flag type (such as Reply or Review) from the Flag to list.
4. Leave Reminder ticked and set the date and time.
5. Click OK, then send the email.

The reminder only appears if the recipient also uses classic Outlook. The new Outlook, Outlook on the web, Gmail, and most mobile apps show the email normally but ignore the reminder. The reminder time also uses your time zone, so adjust it if you’re emailing people elsewhere. 

How to Set Reminders for Recurring Meetings

For weekly team meetings or monthly reviews, set the reminder once on a recurring series.

1. Create the meeting and set the reminder as shown in Method 1.
2. In the new Outlook, click on the Recurrence icon under the date and time. In classic Outlook, click Recurrence on the Meeting tab.
3. Select how often you want the appointment to reoccur such as Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly, or Custom.
4. Click Save or OK, then Send.

Every meeting in the series will carry the same reminder. To change the reminder for just one occurrence, open that date and choose Edit this event (or Just this one).

Also Read: How To Schedule A Meeting In Outlook Without Inviting Yourself

How to Change or Turn Off Reminders

1. Navigate to the Calendar and select certain calendars you want to disable reminders.

2. Now, click on the Edit option.

3. Click on the drop-down icon given next to your reminders option.

4. From the list of options, select Don’t remind me then save.

Change your default reminder:

New Outlook / web: Go to Settings > Calendar > Events and invitations and change the default reminder.

Classic Outlook: Go to File > Options > Calendar and change or untick Default reminders.

Changing your default only affects events you create. It doesn’t change what attendees receive for meetings you’ve already sent.

Reminders Not Showing Up? Quick Fixes

• Check notifications: In Windows, go to Settings > System > Notifications and make sure Outlook is allowed. Focus mode or Do Not Disturb can also hide reminders.
• New Outlook reminders: These appear in Outlook’s own notification pane, and Outlook needs to be running to show them.
• Invites from Google Calendar: If the sender used Google’s default notification, the invite may arrive in Outlook with no reminder at all. Set one manually on your copy.
• Attendees didn’t get your reminder: They may have changed it, or they use a calendar app that ignores it. Use an email reminder (Method 2) for anything important

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I send a reminder to people who aren’t invited to the meeting?

Not through Outlook’s built-in reminders. Either add them as optional attendees or send them a separate email.

Does changing my reminder change it for everyone?

If you’re the organizer and send an update, the new reminder time goes out with it. Attendees can still override it. If you’re an attendee, changes only affect your own calendar.

Can I schedule a reminder email without a meeting?

Yes. Write the email and use Schedule send (the arrow next to Send) to deliver it at a set date and time. This works in both versions of Outlook.

Can I send reminders from the Outlook mobile app?

You can set a reminder when creating an event on your phone, and it goes out with the invite. Email reminders and Flag for Recipients aren’t available in the mobile app.

For most meetings, a reminder on the invite is enough. When attendance really matters, add an automatic email reminder in the new Outlook or Outlook on the web. For people who haven’t replied, a quick personal follow-up works better than any automated option. If you’re on classic Outlook, Flag for Recipients is still a handy way to attach a reminder to an ordinary email.