Calendar Basics in Outlook 2016 or Later

Key Commands:

Following are some of the most commonly used key commands in Outlook 2016 and Later

Move to Mail View

Control + 1

Move to Calendar View

Control + 2

Move to Inbox from anywhere in Outlook

Control + Shift + I

Create Appointment from anywhere in Outlook

Control + Shift + A

Create Meeting Request from anywhere in Outlook

Control + Shift + Q

Following are commands are used within the Calendar View (as you are viewing your own or someone else’s calendar) in Outlook 216 and Later

Alt + Down Arrow

Moves focus ahead to the next week.

Alt + End

Moves focus to the end of the week (only works in Week View).

Alt + Home

Moves focus to the start of the week (only works in Week View).

Alt + Page Down

Moves focus ahead to the next month.

Alt + Page Up

Moves focus back to the previous month.

Alt + Up Arrow

Moves focus back to the previous week.

Control + Alt + 3

Hotkey that displays the Calendar in Week View.

Control + Comma

Moves focus to the previous event.

Control + G

Opens the Go To Date Dialog Box when in the calendar.

Control + Left Arrow or Left Arrow

Moves focus to the previous day.

Control + Period

Moves focus to the next event.

Control + Right Arrow or Right Arrow

Moves focus to the next day.

Up and Down Arrow:

Moves focus through the time slots within a calendar day.

More commands can be found at the link below. FYI, this link jumps to bookmarked heading for calendar specific commands. You may explore the page by heading to find other commands you may find useful for other sections of Outlook:

Common Keyboard Commands for Outlook Calendar

Directions for Screen Reader Users: View Someone Else’s Calendar:

In Outlook, go to their calendar by hitting Control + 2.
Type Alt + H, followed by O, then C, then A. This activates Add Other Calendar from Address book.
You may now search the address book to find a specific person’s calendar. Press Enter twice on the search box, once to close it and again for the default OK option.
1. - If for some reason you are not pulling up WCBVI contacts, ensure that the Address Book Combo Box shows the Global Address Book for your account.
You are now focused on the Calendar View area. This is a Tree View where calendars can be checked and unchecked. At this time, the calendar you just added is checked. Your own calendar is also checked. Though you can navigate both calendars at once, it is probably easiest to view only one calendar at a time.
1. - To navigate the Calendar View, use your up and down arrows. As you pass each calendar you have added to your Shared Calendar View, JAWS will tell you whether it is checked or unchecked. Ensure that all calendars are unchecked except for the one you want to view.
    - - You may have more than one calendar open at once with multiple boxes checked, but it is advised you begin with one and advance to having more than one open once you have practiced with one active calendar.
  - As with any Tree View, use Left Arrow to collapse a calendar category (such as Shared Calendars, Rooms, or Other) and the Right Arrow to expand that category. Each category contains calendars associated with it. Most calendars you view will belong to individuals and be listed in the “Shared Calendar” heading. As you pass headings that can be expanded or collapsed, JAWS will indicate whether it is “open” or “closed”.
Once the one calendar you want to look at is checked, press F6 once. You will hear the name of the calendar that is open. Your cursor will be focused on the next upcoming appointment or on the next time slot depending on your settings. Use Tab and Shift + Tab to move between appointments. You may also use Control + Period to move to the next appointment and Control + Comma to move to the previous appointment. Once the appointment obtains focus, JAWS will tell you the pertinent information if you have the rights to see or access that particular calendar or event.
1. - If you’d like to open an appointment in focus, press Enter. If the appointment is a series, you can open just that instance or the entire series. Use Up and Down arrows choose and then press Enter.
    - - If you are in your own calendar, the appointment will open and you may edit it. Upon opening, JAWS should announce the name, time, and reoccurrence (if any) of the appointment.
      - If you are in another person’s calendar, what you see will depend on the permissions you have for their calendar. You may see some appointments simply say “busy” and if you attempt to open them, you may get a dialogue asking if you want to request that the person share his/her calendar with you. If the calendar is open and shared, you may see appointment names and locations in addition to times and days. Much depends on what the person is sharing.
      - If you are viewing the WCBVI Outreach Calendar or other calendar that is open such as a room calendar or a vehicle, you can open and edit the appointment. You can also copy the appointment to your own calendar by pressing Alt + H followed by F then T. You may be prompted to accept the meeting request and if so, your options are to accept meeting request, tentatively accept, or simply copy the event to your calendar. If you choose the last option, you will not receive any updates such as time changes, Zoom link updates, etc so it is best to accept the request when prompted.
  - To close the appointment without making changes, press Escape. To save (and send updates to others who may be in the meeting) press Alt + S as you would to send an email.
  - You may edit parts of the meeting including time, reminder time, and other information in the meeting if you have the correct permissions. Be aware of this as you may inadvertently make changes. When in doubt, press Escape and if prompted, choose not to save changes in the event you made any you don’t want saved.
If you want to view calendars you have already opened using steps one through three above, simply use F6 and Shift + F6 to move to the Calendar Tree View, check or uncheck calendars listed in that view or area as desired, and continue following these directions from step four onward.
As stated previously, you may navigate around the various areas of the Outlook Calendar using F6 and Shift + F6. The areas, as of now, are as follows:
1. - Calendar Tree View
  - Calendar View (the calendar or calendars checked in the Calendar Tree View appear here. F6 will switch focus between open calendars and add another area that can be navigated by pressing F6)
  - Search (you may search calendars for a particular event)
  - Status Bar (this area is where you may find zoom controls,
  - Ribbon Area
  - Navigation Bar (another way to move between Email, Calendar, Contacts, etc)

Change your Calendar View

There are multiple options regarding how the calendar is displayed in Outlook. The following is a description of each of the Calendar Views, as they appear by default:

Day View: A single day, with the thirty-minute time slots along the left vertical axis. Switch to this view using the hotkey Control + Alt + 1. Move forward and backward by day using the Left and Right Arrow Keys.
Work Week View: Monday to Friday, with the thirty-minute time slots along the left vertical axis. To open the Work Week View, press Alt + Control + 2. Again, you will move through the days Monday through Friday using the Left and Right Arrows
Week View: Sunday to Saturday, with the thirty-minute time slots along the left vertical axis. The Week View is opened using Alt + Control + 3. Just as with the Work Week View, you will move through the days Monday through Friday using the Left and Right Arrows
Month View: A single month at a time, with the days of the week along the top horizontal axis and the weeks along the left vertical axis. Each week will start at Sunday. Too open the Month View, press Alt + Control + 4.
Schedule View: Schedule View was added so that multiple calendars can be stacked one above another and viewed together horizontally. It is the only view where the time slots are along the top horizontal edge. This view is incompatible with screen reading technology and should be avoided.