Cannot select 'Events on office calandar affect availability'

In Microsoft Bookings, the option “Events on Microsoft 365 calendar affect availability” is only available and functional for staff who are part of the same Microsoft 365 organization (tenant) and whose calendars can be shared with Bookings.

If the staff member is added from outside the organization (for example, using an external email address), that checkbox cannot be used because Bookings cannot read or use their free/busy information. As documented:

“To add staff from outside of your organization, manually fill in their email and other information. Staff from outside your tenant will not be able to share free/busy information with Bookings.”

In that case, Bookings cannot let their Office/Microsoft 365 calendar affect availability, so the setting is unavailable or ineffective.

To use that option, ensure the staff member is:

1. A user in the same Microsoft 365 tenant, and
2. Added via directory search (type the name and select from the dropdown), not as a manual external email.

Also verify that on the staff member’s own calendar, free/busy sharing is enabled with the organization (for example, “Can view when I’m busy”), as Bookings relies on that free/busy data.

References:

• Add team members to Bookings
• Shared Bookings Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)