Microsoft Personal Bookings

Questions

  • What is Microsoft Personal Bookings?
  • How is Bookings with Me different from Microsoft Bookings?
  • How do I set up a personal scheduling page in Outlook?
  • Can I use Bookings with Me to schedule one-on-one meetings?
  • How do I let people book time with me without using Calendly?
  • Does Bowdoin have Bookings with Me?
  • How do I share a link for others to schedule time with me?

Environment

This article applies to all Bowdoin College faculty, staff, and students. All Bowdoin Microsoft 365 accounts include both Bookings with Me and Microsoft Bookings at no additional cost. Bookings with Me is managed entirely through Outlook Online and is supported in all major web browsers.

Personal Bookings vs. Microsoft Bookings: Personal Bookings is for personal 1:1 scheduling using your individual Outlook calendar. Microsoft Bookings is designed for team or departmental use, where multiple staff members or service types share a single booking calendar. Bookings with Me does not create a shared mailbox; Microsoft Bookings does.

Resolution

Access Bookings with Me

  1. Go to https://outlook.office.com/mail and sign in with your Bowdoin account.
  2. Click the Calendar icon in the left navigation bar.
  3. Click the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) just above the New Event button.
  4. Below the monthly calendar view, click Create booking page. If you have set one up before, click Go to my booking page.
Shortcut: If you have already created your booking page, you can access it directly at https://outlook.office.com/bookings/homepage.

The two Personal Bookings views

Personal Bookings has two different portals:

  • Organizer view — Where you configure your available appointment types, set times, choose whether meetings are private or public, and select whether they are Teams meetings or in-person. After setup, you can share your booking page link with others or add it to your Outlook email signature.
  • Attendee view — What others see when they click your booking link. They choose from your public meeting types, select a date, and pick a time. Private meeting types are only visible to people who receive a direct link from you.

Common use cases

Personal Bookings works well for scheduling 1:1 meetings with people inside or outside of Bowdoin, including:

  • Office hours with students
  • One-on-one manager and staff check-ins
  • Interviews with external candidates
  • Lunch or informal meetings
  • Customer or vendor meetings

Additional Help

If you need further assistance, you have several options:

  • Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
  • Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
  • In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
  • Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.

Additional Resources

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Related Articles (2)

Alternative to Calendly
Bowdoin does not have Calendly licensing. Microsoft Bookings with Me is the recommended free alternative for self-scheduling appointments.
Schedule Office Hours at Bowdoin
An overview of the tools available at Bowdoin for scheduling faculty and staff office hours — including Microsoft Personal Bookings, Microsoft Bookings, Campus Groups Meeting Scheduler, and the Canvas Scheduler.