How to Change Default Meeting Duration in Outlook?

Give Your Attendees a Break Between Back-to-Back Meetings

Meetings often run back to back with no time for your attendees to take a break. The good news? You can easily change your default meeting duration in Microsoft Outlook to give everyone a few extra minutes between meetings. By shortening the default meeting time, you help your meeting attendees recharge and reduce burnout throughout the day.

Follow these simple steps to change the default meeting duration:

For the Desktop Version of Outlook:

1. Open Outlook on your computer.
2. Click on the File tab in the top left corner.
3. Select Options from the menu.
4. In the Outlook Options window, choose Calendar from the left-hand menu.
5. Scroll down to the Calendar options section.
6. Check the box that says Shorten appointments and meetings.
7. Choose how you want to adjust your meetings:
   • Reduce by 5 minutes for meetings less than one hour.
   • Reduce by 10 minutes for meetings one hour or longer.
8. Click OK to save your changes.

For Outlook in a Browser (Outlook Web App):

1. Open Outlook in your web browser and log in to your account.
2. Click the Settings gear icon in the top right corner.
3. In the settings menu, click on Calendar > Events and invitations.
4. Scroll down to the section labeled Shorten duration for all events.
5. Choose to reduce the meeting duration:
   • By 5 minutes for meetings shorter than an hour.
   • By 10 minutes for meetings an hour or longer.
6. Click Save to apply your changes.