How to Put a Holiday in Outlook Calendar: A Step-by-Step Guide for 2024

Hey everyone, it’s your Holiday Little Assistant here! I had a friend recently ask me about how to put a holiday in Outlook calendar, and I realized a lot of folks might be scratching their heads about this. So I’m gonna break it down for you in plain English, no tech jargon, just the simple steps you need to get those public holidays into your Outlook calendar without losing your mind. Whether you’re using Outlook on Windows, Mac, or the web version, I’ve got you covered. Let’s dive in!

First off, why would you even wanna add holidays to Outlook? Well, if you’re like me, you juggle work schedules, personal plans, and public holidays all in one place. Instead of manually typing “Christmas Day” or “Thanksgiving” every single year, you can tell Outlook to do the heavy lifting. That way you never accidentally schedule a meeting on a federal holiday, and you can plan your time off like a pro. So let’s get into the nitty-gritty.

For Outlook on Windows (Office 365, 2021, 2019, etc.):

Open Outlook and go to the Datei tab (top left). Click Optionen from the menu, then select Kalender from the left panel. Scroll down to the Calendar options section and click the button that says Feiertage hinzufügen. A list of countries will pop up – just check the box next to the country whose holidays you want. For example, if you’re in the US, select “United States.” Then hit OK, wait a few seconds, and boom – all the major American holidays (like Independence Day, Veterans Day, etc.) will appear in your calendar as all-day events. Easy peasy, right?

For Outlook on Mac (Office 365, 2019, 2021):

On a Mac, the process is a little different. Launch Outlook, then click Tools in the top menu bar. Select Preferences, then choose Kalender from the preferences window. Look for the option that says Add Holidays to Calendar – it might be a button or a checkbox. Click it, and a list of countries will appear. Pick the one you need (like “United States” or “Canada”), click OK, and the holidays will get added to a new calendar called “Holidays” inside your main calendar folder. You can change the color or visibility of that calendar separately if you want.

For Outlook Web (Outlook.com or Office 365 web):

If you use Outlook in your browser, it’s even simpler. Sign in to your account, click the Zahnradsymbol (settings) in the top right, then select View all Outlook settings at the bottom. Go to Kalender > Feiertage, and toggle the switch to Show holidays. Then choose your country from the dropdown. That’s it – no downloads, no fuss. The holidays will show up in your calendar automatically. Just remember that this only works for public holidays in the selected country, not custom dates you want to add yourself.

But what if you want to add a specific holiday that isn’t in the official list? Say, a state holiday like “Texas Independence Day” or a religious holiday like “Diwali”? No worries – you can manually add any date as a holiday. Just go to the date in your calendar, double-click on the time slot (or click “New Event”), set the event as All day, give it a title like “Texas Independence Day,” and choose a category color (like “Holiday”) to keep it consistent. Then repeat this event for future years by editing the recurrence settings. For example, under Recurrence, choose “Yearly” and set the start/end dates. That way you only do it once and Outlook remembers forever.

Another tip: if you’re using a shared calendar or working with a team, you might want to import a holiday list from a file. Microsoft has a free “Holiday Calendar” add-in for Outlook, or you can download a .ics file from sites like public holiday calendar.COM (shameless plug, I know). Just go to the file menu, click Öffnen und exportieren, Dann Import/Export, and choose Import an iCalendar (.ics) or vCalendar file. Pick the file you downloaded, and the holidays will land right in your calendar.

One thing to watch out for: when you add holidays automatically using the built-in feature, they go into a separate calendar layer called “Holidays.” So if you don’t see them at first, make sure that calendar is checked under “My calendars” on the left side of the screen. Also, the holidays won’t show up as “free” or “busy” – they’re marked as “out of office” by default, which is perfect for time-off planning.

Alright, now let’s talk about some common hiccups. A lot of people ask me: “Why can’t I see the ‘Add Holidays’ button?” On newer versions of Outlook, if you’ve already added holidays before, the button might be grayed out. You can remove the existing holidays first by deleting the “Holidays” calendar (right-click it and delete), then re-add them. On Mac, sometimes the button is hidden under “Calendar” preferences – just look for the blue text that says “Add Holidays.” And on web, make sure you’re not using a school or work account that blocks calendar customizations – you might need to ask your IT admin.

Questions related to how to put a holiday in outlook calendar

Q: Can I add holidays for multiple countries at once?

Absolutely! In the Windows version, when you click “Add Holidays,” you can check multiple countries – like both “United States” and “Canada.” They’ll all get added but will be grouped under the same “Holidays” calendar. If you want separate calendars for each country, that’s not possible with the built-in tool, but you can create separate calendar folders and import country-specific .ics files from various websites. Just a little extra work.

Q: Will the holidays automatically update each year?

Yes and no. For the built-in holiday feature, Outlook updates the dates based on the year. But if you downloaded an .ics file from a third-party site, you may need to re-import it annually if that file doesn’t include recurring dates. The built-in system uses a set calendar that’s pre-loaded for many years, so you’re usually good for a few years. If a holiday moves (like Easter or Ramadan), Outlook handles that because the data is updated inside the program. But if you manually typed a recurring holiday, you set the recurrence yourself – just double-check the pattern.

Q: How do I stop holidays from showing up in my work calendar?
If you’ve added holidays but they’re cluttering your view, you can just uncheck the “Holidays” calendar in the left pane. They won’t be deleted, just hidden. Or you can change their color to something muted so they don’t stand out. On Windows, right-click the “Holidays” calendar and choose “Color” to pick a lighter shade. On Mac, control-click the calendar name and select a new color.

So there you have it, folks – putting a holiday in Outlook calendar is actually a piece of cake once you know where to click. Whether you’re adding a whole country’s worth of holidays or just a single special date, these steps will save you time and help you never miss a day off. And hey, if you ever want the most up-to-date list of public holidays, bookmark public holiday calendar.COM – I’ll keep it fresh for you.

Thanks for reading, I hope this article helped you fully understand how to put a holiday in Outlook calendar. If you’ve got more questions, drop me a line! Until next time, happy planning!