How to Use Scheduling Assistant in Teams (Find a Time That Works for Everyone)
"Does Tuesday at 2 work?" "No, how about Wednesday?" "I'm out Wednesday." Scheduling Assistant ends that thread. It lays everyone's calendar side by side so you can see the gap and drop the meeting straight into it.
Open Scheduling Assistant
1. Click Calendar on the left of Teams.
2. Click New meeting.
3. Add the people under Add required attendees.
4. Click the Scheduling Assistant tab at the top of the form.
2. Click New meeting.
3. Add the people under Add required attendees.
4. Click the Scheduling Assistant tab at the top of the form.
Read the grid
Each person has a row. Coloured blocks show when they're busy; white means free. The column with the shaded bar is the time you've currently picked.
• Blue or purple block — busy
• Hatched block — tentative
• Grey — out of office or outside their working hours
• Hatched block — tentative
• Grey — out of office or outside their working hours
Hover over a block to see the title of what they've got, if they've shared it.
Pick a time
Drag the shaded bar left or right along the row until it's clear for everyone, or click a white gap. Use the arrows at the top to move to another day. The time in the meeting form updates as you go.
Scroll up to see the Suggested times list, where Teams does the searching for you.
Required vs optional
Put the people who must be there under Required and everyone else under Optional. The suggested times only worry about required people, so you don't have to avoid every optional person's dentist appointment.
Add a meeting room
Type the room's name under Add location (or Add room). The room gets its own row so you can see when it's booked.
Back to the details
Click the Details tab, check the title and agenda, and click Send.
Why someone's row is blank
Scheduling Assistant only sees calendars in your own organisation. People outside it show as no information. For external guests, offer two or three times by email, or use Microsoft Bookings if your organisation has it.
Troubleshooting
Everyone's row is grey. Their working hours are set differently from yours, perhaps in another time zone. Scroll to a time inside both sets of working hours.
Someone shows as free but says they're busy. Their calendar entry is marked Free, or they haven't put it in their calendar at all. Ask them to mark time as Busy.
I can't see the Scheduling Assistant tab. Make the meeting window bigger, or scroll the tabs. On a phone, use the Outlook app instead.
Wrapping up
New meeting > Scheduling Assistant, add the names, and drag the bar into the white space. Mark people as Optional when they are, add the room, and send. One form, no email tennis.
