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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 (also see Sharing Microsoft Outlook Calendar and Contacts)
For sharing messages
Sharing Microsoft Outlook Calendar and Contacts (Main page)
Other approaches
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.
See Sharing your Outlook information, an Office Online article by Outlook MVP Eric Legault, for additional information on sharing.
Use web-based services to share data: Sharing Calendar and Contacts over the Internet
For older Outlook 2000 and 98, you can use NetFolders. See Sharing Calendar and Contacts: Obsolete Methods for more information.
Tools in the Spotlight
CodeTwo Outlook Sync allows you to synchronize Outlook between two PCs. Use it to share all Outlook items with your assistant, workmate, secretary or partner. You can also use it to backup Outlook files to another computer. It enables syncing calendars, contacts, tasks, email, documents and many more in a local network. The program is amazingly easy to install and configure. The free version is fully functional for 30 days. Once a trial period expires, it lets you sync Outlook default calendar and contacts forever! You can upgrade to full version whenever you want for just $59 for 2 machines. | |
CodeTwo Public Folders will let you share Outlook between many computers. It's an extremely easy and cost-effective Exchange Server alternative which allows you to sync Microsoft Outlook data automatically and across various Outlook platforms and users. The entire synchronization process is transparent to users and all changes are synchronized in real time. It brings completely new Outlook teamwork possibilities. It also does not require any configuration or administration which saves you a lot of money. The program is fully compatible with all latest Outlook and Windows versions including Outlook 2010 64bit. | |
Easy2Sync for Outlook keeps your personal store in sync on multiple computers. Try the free version which only synchronizes the inbox and outbox, the Home-Edition to sync all email folders, or the Business-Edition which synchronizes all folder types. Improved support for Business use: Simpler user interface, improved Exchange synchronization. Supports Outlook 2010 (32 and 64 bit) and portable USB installations for the sync of e-mails, contacts and calendars. Version 4. | |
Basic functionality is synchronizing user calendars to public calendars and back. New features include: Admin users (managers) can push items to users directly from the group calendar overview and users can not change or remove those from their personal calendar. Team members can push team items to the personal calendar of everyone in their team so these will also display on mobile calendar devices. and more. Users can create new items for other users from the mobile device calendar. | |
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, 2007 and 2010. OfficeCalendar creates Outlook calendar share folders under each users main calendar folder along with a Outlook group calendar. Free trial is available. |
Tools
Online appointment calendar system for professionals who want to allow people to schedule office hours via the Web, supporting the vCalendar standard for interchange with Outlook and other programs. | |
Displays in/out status of staff members using an external database (Access, SQLServer or any ODBC database). Does not require Exchange Server. | |
EZOutlookSync will keep 2 or more copies of MS Outlook always up-to-date. EZOutlookSync will transfer only changed data, making synchronizations real quick and unobtrusive. Works on Outlook 2000/2002/2003. | |
This workgroup collaboration software extends its Outlook integration to allow publication of Outlook appointments, mail messages, and contacts to Groove and copying of Groove calendars back to Outlook. Version 3. | |
GrooveIT! for Microsoft Office Outlook links Outlook to any Groove workspace you choose. Transfer e-mails, RSS feeds, contacts, tasks, appointments, and their attachments, from Outlook to Groove, either manually or by using GrooveIT! Calendar events, contacts and tasks are updated in Groove when modified in Outlook. Create new Groove workspaces and invite your contacts, easily from within Outlook. Version 2.0 | |
gSyncit is an Outlook add-in that allows for two-way synchronization between Google and Outlook calendars. | |
An incident ticket management groupware add-in that leverages Microsoft Outlook, Exchange and SharePoint. Provide an easy way for support staffs to collect ticket data from emails, assign technicians and problem areas, set due date and other custom metadata. And then use this information to generate trouble tickets in one of the administrator defined SharePoint lists, where customer issues can be tracked and collaborated with other technicians and stakeholders to seek early resolution. | |
An advanced in/out board with Outlook calendar integration giving the receptionists a complete overview of "who's out and who's back", both now and in the near future. | |
Set of intranet collaboration applications that offer synchronization with Outlook. Available for local server installation and as a hosted application. | |
Mail and calendar servers compatible with Outlook. Mail is IMAP or POP. Calendar sharing uses the calendar server developed by Steltor (acquired by Oracle) as CorporateTime. | |
PIMShare add-in for Outlook allows sharing of appointments, contacts, and tasks with any other Outlook user having an active Internet connection and e-mail account. Items are not stored but encrypted and sent directly from publisher to subscriber. | |
Share schedule information with one or more groups, with or without Exchange Server, and without the need to enter data in more than one folder. Timeline view can show free/busy time for group. Group calendar can be sorted or filtered by location, name, or group. Works by exchanging information in special email messages. | |
Sync Outlook calendar on multiple PCs without Exchange server. Microsoft Outlook add-in for sharing and synchronizing Outlook calendar items. Sync calendar folders, sync appointments, sync meetings in a few clicks. Synchronize and share Outlook calendar automatically. Share different calendar folders with various groups of people, subscribe to calendar updates. Share your Free Busy time. Create group calendar. Sync between all Outlook versions. Version 3.51 | |
Softalk Share Server lets Outlook users natively share their Outlook folders amongst one another in much the same way that Exchange Server provides Outlook folder sharing. An administrator can control which other users have access to any of their folders (including calendars, contacts, tasks, notes, journals and email folders). | |
Synchronizing Outlook between computers made easy with Sync2, powerful Microsoft Outlook synchronization add-in. Sync Outlook folders (email, calendar, contacts, tasks and notes) between multiple PCs without a server. Synchronize Outlook data using shared folder on LAN, USB drive or FTP. Share Outlook Calendar with Google Calendars. Sync Google Contacts with Outlook Contacts. Synchronize Outlook 2007, 2003, 2002 and Outlook 2010 automatically. The new version offers one-way synchronization with Google Calendar and Contacts. Version 2.20 | |
Sync2PST is a downloadable PC application that allows you to synchronize Microsoft Outlook PST files (stores all the Outlook settings and data). Synchronizing automatically or manually any of your Outlook folders between two or more computers (Desktop PC and Laptop) has never been easier. Outlook sync can be made via shared pst files located on the same PC, your network, USB flash or hard drives. | |
SynchPst for Outlook synchronizes data between personal folders. Choose either single or multiple folders, with or without subfolders, and synchronize them quickly and efficiently. Version 3.1.4 | |
Team Publisher provides an easy way for work-group users to bring Outlook contents to SharePoint. It is just a click way to share and publish mails, appointments, tasks or contacts from Outlook to one or more of the administrator chosen SharePoint lists. This is achieved without using any scripts or programming, providing a seamless experience to the users. To be even more productive, publishing to SharePoint can be automated. In other words, Team Publisher extends your Outlook to feed data to SharePoint lists for various purposes, such as for email archiving, issue tracking, timesheets, and projects or contact managements. | |
Web-based scheduling platform, supporting the vCalendar standard. | |
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. |
More Information
- 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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Last reviewed on Apr 12, 2012
Can I use Dropbox to share Outlook folders with my team?…
Hugo Bailey is spot on. PST files are strictly single user so this would not work. If you’re mail is hosted on an Exchange server, then you already have a solution: public folders. I assume you aren’t on an Exchange server though. In that case you’l…