Microsoft Bookings "Time Off" feature leaves some appointments open

Jackie Lau (Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD) 0 Reputation points
2026-08-31T07:27:00.0366667+00:00

If I close off a day in my Bookings calendar using the "Time Off" feature, it won't close the whole day off. Some appointments always remain open and bookable between 0800 and 1000.

It's frustrating because we have to keep checking and cancelling appointments when they shouldn't be open to book! We can close the day another way using the 'availability' option, but it's much more time consuming.

Has anyone experienced the same?

Outlook | Web | Outlook on the web for business | Calendar
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  1. Julie Huynh 3,080 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-31T10:18:28.9633333+00:00

    Dear @Jackie Lau (Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD),

    Good day! Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum!

    Based on your description, I understand that when you use the "Time Off" feature in Microsoft Bookings to block out an entire day, some appointment slots between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM remain available and bookable.

    To help me understand the situation better, could you please provide the following details:

    • Does this occur for all staff members or only specific staff accounts?
    • Is the Time Off being added from the Bookings web app or integrated Outlook calendar?
    • Are the bookable slots always between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM, or does the time range vary?
    • Do you have any recurring availability schedules, custom availability, or service-level availability settings configured?
    • If multiple staff members are assigned to a service, do the appointments remain available only when one staff member is marked as Time Off?

    Your confirmation would be very helpful in receiving the most suitable support!

    In the meantime, kindly try the following suggestions to check what might have caused the issue:

    • Check the affected service settings in Bookings > Services to ensure no custom availability is overriding staff Time Off
    • Verify whether the service is assigned to multiple staff members, as availability may remain open if another assigned staff member is available
    • Confirm that the Bookings business time zone and the staff member's time zone are configured correctly
    • Check whether the Time Off entry appears correctly in both Microsoft Bookings and the staff member's Outlook calendar
    • Test the behavior with a different staff member to determine whether the issue is account-specific
    • Open the booking page in an InPrivate/Incognito browser session to rule out cached availability information
    • Delete and recreate the Time Off entry, then test with a future date to see if the issue persists

    If possible, kindly capture screenshots of the Time Off entry, Staff availability settings and the booking page showing available time slots so that I could have more information on this matter.

    Kindly let me know when there are updates or if you need further assistance. Any updates you’re able to share would be really helpful. I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing how things are going! 

    Thank you for your time and patience.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-08-31T07:27:14.11+00:00

    Use service availability for full-day closure when Time Off does not block all slots.

    Supported behavior from the product guidance is:

    • Time Off is intended to make selected staff unavailable during the specified period.
    • For a full-day closure, the usual setup is Add time off → enter details → select All day event → select all staff members → Save.
    • If some slots still remain bookable, a more reliable workaround is to set the affected service to Not bookable for that date range.

    Recommended path:

    1. In Bookings, open the affected service.
    2. Go to Availability Options.
    3. Select Set availability for a different date range.
    4. Enter the closed date or date range.
    5. Select Not Bookable.
    6. Save the service.

    Why this helps:

    • Time Off blocks staff availability.
    • Service availability = Not bookable blocks the service itself for the selected dates, which is the better fit when the goal is to prevent any bookings at all on that day.

    Also verify the Time Off entry is configured as a true full-day closure:

    1. Open Bookings.
    2. Choose the calendar.
    3. Select Add time off.
    4. Enter the closure details.
    5. Turn on All day event.
    6. Select all staff members.
    7. Save.

    If the issue is only affecting one service, using the service-level Not bookable setting is the most targeted option. If the whole business is closed, create the all-staff Time Off entry and, if needed, also block the service date range.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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