How to Connect the Calendar Web Part to an External Exchange Calendar?
The news webpart in SharePoint online is a handy tool for displaying a calendar view of events, appointments, and schedules.
But did you know you can also connect it to an external Exchange calendar? This allows you to view appointments from another calendar right within your SharePoint site.
In this article, we’ll walk through the steps to connect the Calendar web part to an external Exchange calendar in SharePoint Online.
Whether you want to sync your Outlook calendar or connect to a shared mailbox, connecting an external calendar can save you time.
Overview of Connecting the Calendar Web Part
The Calendar web part is configurable, meaning you can customize it to display relevant calendars. Here’s an overview of the process:
● Locate an existing Calendar web part or add a new instance
● Edit the web part
● Configure the calendar settings
● Enter your Exchange server details
● Select the external calendar to connect
● Save your changes
Once connected, the external calendar appointments will appear right in the Calendar view.
Let’s look at how to do this step-by-step.
Locate an Existing Calendar Web Part
First, navigate to the SharePoint page where you want to display the connected calendar.
If a Calendar web part already exists on the page, select the drop-down menu in the top right and choose “Edit Web Part”.
If you need to add a new Calendar web part:
- Select the “+” icon to add a web part
- Search for “Calendar”
- Choose the Calendar web part
Enter Exchange Server Details
Under the Server Configuration, provide the following Exchange server details:
● Exchange server version — Select the version of Exchange that hosts the calendar you want to connect to
● URL of Exchange Server — Enter the URL of your Exchange server (e.g. https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/)
● User name — Your email account to authenticate with the Exchange server
● Password — The password for said email account
Entering these details will allow the Calendar web part to interface with your Exchange server.
Select the External Calendar
Under Calendar Configuration, choose the specific calendar you want to display:
● Calendar — Select the external calendar from the dropdown menu
● Folder Path — You can specify a folder path on the Exchange server if applicable
● Start time — Choose the starting time that should be shown
● End time — Choose the end time that should be visible
Configure these settings to control precisely which calendar and time range appears.
Save Changes
With your Exchange server details entered and desired calendar selected, click “Ok” to save your changes.
The Calendar web part will now display the connected Exchange calendar alongside any default SharePoint calendars. Appointments from the integrated calendar will appear right in the view!
Recap
To connect the Calendar web part to an external Exchange calendar:
- Add or locate the Calendar web part
- Edit the web part
- Enter Exchange server details
- Select the external calendar
- Save changes
The external appointments will then appear directly in the Calendar view.
Displaying Team Member Availability
In addition to external calendars, you can display team member availability using the Group Calendar web part.
This allows you to view:
● Out of Office: Displays out of office status for group members
● Working Hours: Shows the working hours of group members
● Schedule: Displays scheduled events from group members’ calendars
To use this capability:
- Add the Group Calendar web part to your page
- Configure the team members to include in the calendar
- Select visibility options for out of office, working hours, schedules
- The group calendar will then populate availability automatically
The Group Calendar provides an easy way to see an overview of your team’s availability in SharePoint Online.
Summary
Connecting external calendars to the Calendar web part unlocks opportunities in SharePoint Online.
From Exchange calendars to group availability, integrating calendar views can improve coordination and scheduling.
We walked through how to:
● Locate or add a Calendar web part
● Configure settings to connect an external Exchange calendar
● Display availability information with the Group Calendar
With these steps, you can start synchronizing Exchange and group calendars into your SharePoint sites. displays availability information with the Group Calendar
