Seeing Guests' Responses to Calendar Invitations and Responding to Google Invitations in Outlook

This KB Article References: Google Calendar
This Information is Intended for: Instructors, Guests, Researchers, Staff, Students
Created: 05/12/2014 Last Updated: 08/11/2020

When you use Google to invite guests to a calendar event, the status of those who respond using Google Mail on the web will display in your event.

images showing guests rsvps in google calendar.

If you invite guests who respond using something other than Google Mail on the web (Apple Mail, Outlook, mobile devices), you may not always see a response. If you don't see guests' responses, ask them to respond by clicking on Yes, Maybe, or No in the email (or the Event details or more details link)

 image showing RSVP options (Yes, Maybe, No, more options) in an email

Responding to Google Invitations in Outlook

For those responding in Outlook, try these suggestions to be sure the event creator will see your response:

  1. Rather than responding using the Outlook Outlook Accept, Tentative, Decline buttons, respond by clicking on one of the Yes, Maybe, No options in the email:
     Yes, Maybe, No RSVP options as shown in Outlook
  2. Once you click Yes, Maybe, or No, a web browser window will open confirming your response and giving you the option to add a note or change your response:
    web browser message showing stony brook logo, rsvp choice, option to add a note or change response as well as who is attending the event
  3. In some cases, responding by clicking on the Yes, Maybe, No will not display your response in your own Outlook Calendar, so you won't know if you responded nor how you responded. In this case, first respond using the Yes, Maybe, No options in the email; then, also respond using the Outlook buttons.

Making the Yes, Maybe, No Options Display in Outlook

Outlook has a feature that shows a preview of your calendar in emails that invite you to events. For some, this calendar preview might make it hard to see/find the Yes, Maybe, No options.

If you don't see the Yes, Maybe No options and only see a calendar preview, click on ^ to hide the calendar and then scroll down:

Click ^ (to the left of the date) to hide the calendar.  Once you've hidden the calendar, you'll see the words "⌵ Calendar Preview" instead of the calendar, below which the event information and RSVP options will show: Outlook email with event invitation showing collapsed calendar with the words Calendar Preview and event details as well as RSVP options Yes, Maybe, No . To view the calendar preview again, simply click ⌵ Calendar Preview

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