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Sharing Microsoft Outlook Calendar and Contacts

For many offices, the most frustrating experience related to Microsoft Outlook is finding out that, unless you are using Microsoft Exchange Server, there is no simple, built-in, reliable method for sharing contacts and calendars. That's right, there's no "magic wand" you can wave to enable people to easily share Outlook data without Exchange.

One reason that this goal of sharing is so elusive is that standalone users store data in Personal Folders .pst files. However, two people cannot work from the same Personal Folders .pst file at the same time, because these files are not designed for shared access. The same problem occurs if two people try to look at the same Personal Address Book. Of course, if two people share the same computer at different times of the day, they can share data; see Sharing Microsoft Outlook Info on One PC. A relatively recent development is the advent of a few products that can bypass the shared access limitations of PST files.

New in Outlook 2007, is calendar publishing. This feature allows you to email all or part of your calendar, or publish it to the Internet or any a WEBDAV server. Right click on the name of the calendar you wish to share to see these options. Microsoft currently offers free publishing to their Office Online website. See Share Calendars with Local Users using Internet Publishing to learn how to publish the calendar to your own WEBDAV server.

Some of the tools for synchronizing Outlook data via the Web also allow other people to access the information. You can use the Yahoo and MSN/Hotmail calendars to share your appointments with others. Intellisync is available for Yahoo and MSN Premium users can use the Outlook connector to sync their appointments with the web based calendar.

Many of the solutions listed on this page will allow you to share all Outlook data.

See More Tools and Utilities for Sharing Outlook Data for additional utilities.

 

 

 

 

Contacts | Calendar | Messages | Exchange Server | Internet Free/Busy | More Information

Contacts

For methods and third-party tools to share contacts, see Shared Address Books.

If you don't have too many contacts to share, you can simply send vCard files. This is especially useful if not everyone is using Outlook, since many other products support the vCard standard.

Calendars

For a read-only calendar, see Publishing Microsoft Outlook Calendars on the Internet or an Intranet.

If you don't have too many calendar items to share, you can simply send vCalendar or iCal files. This is especially useful if not everyone is using Outlook, since many other products support the vCalendar standard.

Third-party providers also offer solutions for integrated group scheduling. Many of the applications in the Tools list on this page will allow you to share calendars. See More Tools and Utilities for Sharing Outlook Data for tools that share calendar data only.

Messages

To share messages, but not contacts or appointments, you can use Microsoft Mail Shared Folders in a workgroup postoffice. Note, however, that the Microsoft Mail server is no longer supported and Outlook 2002 (and newer) is not officially supported. See Add MS Mail support to Outlook 2002 for an unsupported method.

Another alternative is an Internet mail server that uses the IMAP protocol. IMAP is supported by Outlook 2002 and by Outlook 98 and Outlook 2000 in Internet Mail Only mode. Oracle Collaboration Suite and CommuniGate Pro Groupware provide Outlook users with additional capabilities besides shared mailboxes, but there are many IMAP servers. Others especially targeting Outlook users include Bynari InsightServer and mDaemon GroupWare . Versions of Outlook without built-in IMAP support can get it with a third-party provider. 

Microsoft Office Outlook Live (MOOL)

At this time, MOOL is available only for current subscribers. Hotmail /MSN Premium or Office Live offer similar functions, but do not include a copy of Outlook.

MOOL is a subscription service which provides a leased copy of Outlook to subscribers, along with the MSN Outlook connector. When you consider the cost of a Hotmail plus account, and the antispam and antivirus features offered, it's a good value for an Outlook license.

The subscription includes a Hotmail email address with 2GB of storage and the ability to send messages with attachment up to 20 MG in size. Included with the subscription is the MSN Outlook connector, a MAPI transport for Outlook 2002 and Outlook 2003 that syncs Outlook and your MSN accounts. It offers many of the advantages of an Exchange mailbox to MSN subscribers. The connector lets you set the MSN mailbox as your default message store, which allows you to easily sync appointments, contacts, and tasks between Outlook and MSN and view appointments shared with you by other MSN/Hotmail users, using Outlook's Shared calendar feature.

For more information see Microsoft Office Outlook Live (MOOL).

Exchange Server

Microsoft designed Exchange Server specifically for sharing calendar, contact and other information, as well as e-mail. See Sharing with Exchange Server Public and Mailbox Folders.

One way for small organizations to share information without installing Exchange Server in-house is to buy space on a server shared with other companies. We've seen prices as low as $10/month per user. You need Internet access, of course, to get to the server. You should also be able to get browser-based access to your mail, as well as access from the Outlook client. Many firms are now offering individual or workgroup accounts on shared Exchange Servers. See Exchange ASP Info.
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Tools
4Team for MS Outlook   Team contacts, calendar, documents, and discussion -- much like Team Folders or SharePoint Team Services, but with no requirement to install Exchange Server. Data is shared via special email messages (as in Net Folders in Outlook 98 or 2000 or synchronized via the 4Team Online web service. Outlook 2000 or later.
BILL Workgroup Server   Workgroup server running under Linux to store Outlook data and make it available for shared access via Outlook MAPI provider. Included in EasyGate Workgroup server, which also includes a POP/IMAP mail server.
CodeTwo Public Folders   CodeTwo Public Folders synchronizes data between many Microsoft Outlooks on different computers within a network without the Exchange server. Data is synchronized automatically in the real-time and the process is transparent for the user. The software allows creating public folders in Outlook, in which many network users can share data and work on it simultaneously. It provides a group of users with an opportunity to transform Outlook into a group work tool without the expensive and complicated Exchange Server.
GroupOutlook   GroupOutlook from Amarillo Software allows you to share Outlook e-mail, calendars, contacts, tasks, notes and journals without Exchange Server. You can also synchronize links to contacts if you want. Using Group Calendar, you can view calendars side by side and have as many Group Calendars as you need. Public Folders allow you to share contacts as a centralized address book, calendars and e-mail. A 15-day free trial is available.
Groupware Server for Microsoft Outlook   Share any Outlook folders with your team without Exchange Server. MAPILab Groupware Server provides real-time access to special shared folders in the Microsoft Outlook. From a user point of view, folders on MAPILab Groupware Server look and behave exactly the same as folders on Microsoft Exchange Server: the moment someone creates a new note in the folder, you will see it at your place. Version 1.1.0
Insight Connector   Insight Connector is a Microsoft Outlook plug-in that allows native Outlook groupware capabilities without the need for an Exchange server. With Insight Connector installed, together with either the Bynari Insight Server, Cyrus IMAP or Courier IMAP, Outlook users can perform tasks typically available only when using the Exchange server. Some of the features include resource management, public folders sharing, appointments/tasks scheduling, voting, grouping, calendar sharing, multiple accounts under one profile and other collaborative tasks. Free trial available. Version 3.1.
Netpab   Allows Outlook users to share a Personal Address Book or Personal Folders File folder for read-only ccess.Works with Outlook 97, 98, and 2000 on Windows 9x, NT, or 2000.
OfficeCalendar   Share Microsoft Outlook calendar, contact, and task information with this affordable Exchange alternative. Makes Outlook calendar sharing and Outlook group calendar scheduling easy. Works with Microsoft Outlook 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2007. OfficeCalendar creates Outlook calendar share folders under each users main calendar folder along with a Outlook group calendar. Free trial is available.
OGo   Open source server providing contact, calendar, tasks, and document sharing and other collaboration features (not including mail) to Outlook and other clients. Outlook support is via the ZideLook MAPI store provider, which uses MAPI over WebDAV (and is not open source).
OLFolders   Store provider for Outlook that permits sharing of a Personal Folders .pst file on a local network among 2 to 50 users. Supports Outlook 97 or later. For Outlook 2003, supports the expanded Unicode .pst store. (Was OLWorkgroupFolders) Version 2.0.5
OpusFlowCRM   Contact management tool for Outlook 2000 or later, storing information in an Access database. Tracks correspondence and other items, and shares that data with everyone in the organization. Can associate any contact with any company. Performs merges to Word and keeps a record of the documents created. Maintains a group calendar collating colleagues' appointments.
OSA-Sync PRO   Utility for synchronizing and sharing Outlook email, contacts, calendar, and tasks at regular intervals among multiple computers on a local network or over the Internet using FTP. For Outlook 2000, 2002, 2003. Does not trigger Outlook security prompts. (Version 4.1.5)
Public Sharefolder   Share Outlook data over a local network using a data store based on an Outlook .pst file. For Outlook 2003, supports the expanded Unicode .pst store. Not compatible with Outlook 98 or 2000 in Internet Mail Only mode. (Formerly Public Outlook)
SCOoffice Server   Linux-based mail and collaboration server supports shared Outlook folders, direct booking of resources, free/busy data interoperable with Ximian Evolution, and address books. Includes connector for Outlook.
Share'n'Sync   Used for organizing shared access to Outlook folders in small organizations and synchronizing folders on several computers.
Share360   Web-based intranet collaboration application that includes synchronization of calendar and contact data with Outlook.
ShareOutlook   Share Outlook calendar, contacts, journal, mail, tasks and notes folders with other Outlook users without a server. Share documents and files. Scheduling. Sharing Free/Busy information. (Version 2.90.0371)
Softalk Share Server   Softalk Share Server is an alternative to the collaboration features of Exchange. It provides sharing of private and public folders in Outlook, with full access control. Softalk Share Server works in a similar fashion to Exchange Server. There is no synchronization involved. All versions of Outlook supported from Outlook 2000 through 2007.
SQLView.NET   SQLView.NET is the missing link between Microsoft Outlook and SQL Server, SQLView enables you to store Outlook Contacts, Tasks, Appointments and Email in a SQL database. It's the only product that lets you use SQL tables as if they were Outlook folders. You can now create forms for Outlook Contact and other items using any of the Microsoft.NET technologies. (Formerly TabTag.)
TeamContacts   TeamContacts is an easy to install Outlook add-on that uses an Access database on a server or peer to peer network. It can be used as the equivalent of an Exchange public folder or as a aggregation of contacts that all connected users have in their contacts folder. Categories can be used to selectively share contacts or keep them private. Supports Outlook 2000 SR1 and above. From OpusFlow.
WorkgroupShare   Server-based Outlook collaboration solution for sharing Outlook folders on either a local network or over the Internet. Management tool allows administrator to create and grant permissions for public folders and monitor which users have what access to which folders. Server system requirements are minimal. Outlook 98 or later.
XC Connect   Server-based Outlook collaboration solution for sharing calendar, contacts, and tasks folders, plus free/busy information. Outlook 98 or later.
Zimbra   Zimbra is an open source server and client technology for enterprise messaging and collaboration. Zimbra is compatible with existing infrastructure and applications (both open source and proprietary). Zimbra is open source in order to leverage the collective talent of the greater community, and to ensure investment protection for Zimbra partners and end-users. Supports over-the-air sync for wireless devices.
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Internet Free/Busy

 For calendar sharing, Outlook 2002, 2003, 2007 and Outlook 98 and Outlook 2000 in Internet Mail Only mode allow you to publish the free/busy times from your calendar to an Internet site so other people can know when you're available. You'll need to have permission to wrote to the site, others will need read permission. See:
  • OL2002 How to Use the Internet Free-Busy Feature
  • Welcome to the Microsoft Office Internet Free-Busy Service
  • OL2000 Problem Publishing Calendar Free-and-Busy Information from Outlook -- Hotfix available
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    More Information

    If you need to share information with someone using the same PC (such as two users of a home computer), see Sharing Microsoft Outlook Info on One PC.

    You can also use the Briefcase or Import/Export for a certain amount of sharing on a LAN. See Using the Briefcase to share Microsoft Outlook folders.

    Other sharing tools can be found at Maintaining a Group Calendar in Outlook without Exchange and Live Group Calendar Tools.

  • Sharing Calendar and Contacts over the Internet
  • Sharing Calendar and Contacts: Obsolete Methods (NetFolders)
  • Sharing an Outlook mailbox with your team members
  • Synchronizing Microsoft Outlook on two machines
  • Personal Data Interchange -- Details on the vCard, vCalendar and iCalendar specifications for sharing. Outlook supports these, but they only let you share one contact or calendar item at a time. And Outlook does not support the VTODO and VJOURNAL types of iCalendar items, only VEVENT.
  • Microsoft Outlook Interoperability with RFC2445 (iCal)
  • Sharing your Outlook information by Outlook MVP Eric Legault
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    Updated Apr 10 2008
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