With hybrid work it helps to know who's coming to the office for a meeting and who joins online. That way you book the right meeting room, you know whether the room camera and screen are needed, and the organizer knows how much coffee to put out. In the new Outlook you can say whether you'll attend in person or online when you reply to an invitation, and the organizer sees it straight away.
How does it work?
The feature has two parts. The organizer marks a meeting as an event they'd like you to attend in person. The invitees then reply not just yes or no, but also how they'll take part. For a regular invitation without that marker, the reply buttons stay the way you know them.
It's available in the new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web. Classic Outlook and the mobile apps don't always show it. The calendar in the new Teams increasingly shares components with the new Outlook, but the exact menu can differ by version.
As organizer: plan an in-person meeting
- Create a new meeting in the new Outlook or Outlook on the web, or open an existing one.
- Next to the Location field, turn on the In-person event toggle.
- Add a meeting room and keep the Teams meeting switched on, so anyone who can't make it can still join online.
- Send the invitation.
With the toggle on, suggested times favour slots when invitees are planned to be in the office. The basics of planning are in schedule a Teams meeting in your calendar.
As invitee: reply in person or online
You recognise an in-person invitation by its label and the [in-person] suffix in the title of the invite and the calendar item.
- Open the invitation in Outlook or in your Teams calendar.
- Select the arrow next to the reply button (Yes or Accept).
- Choose Yes, in person, Yes, virtually or plain Yes. The exact labels can differ by version and language.
- Add a message if you like and send your reply.
If you choose plain Yes, you confirm you're coming but the organizer can't see whether that's in the office or online. If you really want to help with planning, pick one of the other two.
What does the organizer see?
Open the meeting in your calendar and look at the tracking pane. It lists every invitee's response and how they'll attend: in person or virtually. That way you can book a bigger room, order catering or keep the meeting fully online after all.
Inviting a whole department at once? Read how to invite a distribution list or Microsoft 365 group.
Combine it with your work location
This works best when everyone also fills in their working hours and work location. Colleagues then see in the calendar which days you're in the office, and organizers can put in-person meetings on days when most people are there anyway. See set your work hours and work location in Outlook and Teams.
Don't see the options?
- Classic Outlook: often shows only the usual buttons. Reply from the new Outlook or Outlook on the web.
- Regular invitation: the organizer didn't mark the meeting as in-person, so you get the standard buttons.
- Mobile app: the options aren't always there. Reply later on your computer or in the browser.
- External invitees: people outside your organization or using another calendar app usually don't get the choice.
Admins don't need to switch anything on: Microsoft rolled the feature out itself.
FAQ
Can I change my answer later?
Yes. Open the invitation again and choose another option. The organizer sees the change in the tracking pane.
Does it work for a recurring meeting?
As with any series, you can usually reply for the whole series or a single occurrence, for example to say you're joining online just this week. Don't see that choice? Open the single occurrence in your calendar and reply there.
Any tips for running these meetings smoothly?
Yes, start with 3 tips for efficient Teams meetings, which works just as well for hybrid sessions.
Nederlandstalige versie: In Teams laten weten of je persoonlijk of online deelneemt