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Copy: is prefixed to the Subject of a Meeting

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› Outlook › Calendar › Copy: is prefixed to the Subject of a Meeting

Last reviewed on October 7, 2018     52 Comments

When a meeting is copied, Copy: is prefixed to the subject of meetings when they are copied within a calendar or to another calendar. This 'feature' was added to Outlook beginning with Outlook 2007 SP2.
copy is added to meeting subjects

Copy: was added so users would know how the meeting ended up on the calendar and why it wasn't updating. There is no way to avoid it in Outlook, except by not copying the meetings. Note that this applies to all copied meetings. Any time you make a copy of a meeting by copying it to a new date, copying it to a second calendar in your mailbox, or export it to a pst, Copy: is added to the subject.

You can edit the subject line or use VBA to remove it.

The Infobar on meeting will say if the meeting was copied. Copy: won't be added back to the subject if you copy it again.

The appointment's infobar tells you it was copied from another calendar

If you want to remove the 'Invitation' prefix from meetings originating from Gmail calendars, see Remove Invitation Prefix from Gmail Meetings for a ready-to-use macro solution.

Solutions

The following methods did not add the Copy: prefix to subject lines in my tests:

  1. If you are using a pst, copy the pst file then move the meetings from the pst copy to the second Outlook. Moving the meetings will preserve their ability to accept or send updates.
  2. If you are using Exchange server, use Outlook 2003 to export the calendar.
  3. Create a new pst. Right click on the calendar and choose Copy. Select the new pst as the destination. Outlook will copy the items then complain it can't copy the folder. Open the pst in the second Outlook and move the calendar items.

 

Use VBA to remove Copy:

Below is a VBA script you can use to cycle through every appointment item in the selected calendar and remove the Copy: prefix. Works in Outlook 2007 and 2010. (Also works in older versions, if you need to mass-edit the subject line.)

October 7 2018: Updated the macro to use the Replace function.

Sub RemoveCopy()  
Dim myolApp As Outlook.Application  
Dim calendar As MAPIFolder  
Dim aItem As Object  

Set myolApp = CreateObject("Outlook.Application")  
Set calendar = myolApp.ActiveExplorer.CurrentFolder  

Dim iItemsUpdated As Integer  
Dim strTemp As String  

iItemsUpdated = 0  
For Each Item In calendar.Items  
    If Mid(Item.Subject, 1, 6) = "Copy: " Then  
      strTemp = Replace(Item.Subject, "Copy: ", "")  
      Item.Subject = strTemp  
      iItemsUpdated = iItemsUpdated + 1  
    End If  
    Item.Save  
Next Item  

MsgBox iItemsUpdated & " of " & calendar.Items.Count & " Meetings Updated"  

End Sub

How to use VBA

Select the calendar that needs fixed.

  1. Paste the code into the VB editorPress Alt+F11 to open the VBA editor. (or Tools, Macro, Visual Basic Editor)
  2. Expand Project1 then double click on ThisOutlookSession to open the code window.
  3. Copy the code above (click in the text, Ctrl+A to select all, Ctrl+C to copy)
  4. Paste it into the code window then Save.
  5. Press the Run button.

To run the code later, press Alt+F8 (or Tools, Macro, Macros), select the RemoveCopy macro and press Run.

Use the Macro dialog to run macros at any time.

More Information

Remove Invitation Prefix from Gmail Meetings
Importing .pst Outlook Calendars (subject title adds Copy:) discussion in Microsoft's Answers forum.
Outlook 2007 improvements in the February 2009 cumulative update
Merging Two Calendar Folders
Move meetings without losing the ability to “Send Update”

Copy: is prefixed to the Subject of a Meeting was last modified: October 7th, 2018 by Diane Poremsky

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About Diane Poremsky

A Microsoft Outlook Most Valuable Professional (MVP) since 1999, Diane is the author of several books, including Outlook 2013 Absolute Beginners Book. She also created video training CDs and online training classes for Microsoft Outlook. You can find her helping people online in Outlook Forums as well as in the Microsoft Answers and TechNet forums.

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Ally (@guest_212032)
October 4, 2018 1:45 pm
#212032

It is possible to use this in Outlook 2016 to remove the word 'Invitation' from every appointment that originated as an invite from a Google calendar?

0
0
Reply
Diane Poremsky(@diane-poremsky)
Author
Reply to  Ally
October 6, 2018 10:31 pm
#212043

Tentatively, yes. I'll need to test it to be sure.

0
0
Reply
Diane Poremsky(@diane-poremsky)
Author
Reply to  Diane Poremsky
October 7, 2018 12:08 am
#212044

ok, that macro should work with select appointments. This macro should work with meetings as they arrive.

Try this in the ThisoutlookSession - it should run when items are added to the calendar, but doesn't work on updates - i'm still trying to figure that out. once I figure it out, I'll post an article with the macros.

Option Explicit
Private objNS As Outlook.NameSpace
Private WithEvents objItems As Outlook.Items

Private Sub Application_Startup()
 
Dim objWatchFolder As Outlook.Folder
Set objNS = Application.GetNamespace("MAPI")

'Set the folder and items to watch:
Set objWatchFolder = objNS.GetDefaultFolder(olFolderCalendar)
Set objItems = objWatchFolder.Items

Set objWatchFolder = Nothing
End Sub

Private Sub objItems_ItemAdd(ByVal Item As Object)
Dim strTemp As String
Debug.Print Item.Subject
If InStr(Item.Subject, "Invitation: ") > 0 Then
      strTemp = Replace(Item.Subject, "Invitation: ", "")
      Debug.Print strTemp
      Item.Subject = strTemp
      Item.Save
End If

1
0
Reply
Diane Poremsky(@diane-poremsky)
Author
Reply to  Ally
October 7, 2018 10:34 am
#212045

I created macros specific to the Gmail prefixes. There is a macro to fix existing meetings and an automatic macro that will fix future meetings and meeting updates as they are added to the calendar.

https://www.slipstick.com/developer/code-samples/remove-prefix-gmail-meeting-invitations/

0
0
Reply
X_W (@guest_211415)
June 29, 2018 2:25 am
#211415

Thanks - this was a great help fixing a very annoying problem.

0
0
Reply
w_w (@guest_208449)
August 30, 2017 10:04 am
#208449

Absolutely beautiful
Huge time saver :)
Thank you for this

0
0
Reply
Anne (@guest_207019)
June 7, 2017 5:44 pm
#207019

for some reason even if I enable all macros in the trust center it won't run the VBA macro :(

0
0
Reply
Diane Poremsky(@diane-poremsky)
Author
Reply to  Anne
June 7, 2017 10:02 pm
#207020

Any error messages? What happens when you try to run the macro? Did you previously sign the macros? (Remove the signature if so).

1
0
Reply
AussieAnn (@guest_205620)
April 1, 2017 2:41 am
#205620

Diane - as always, an explanation that makes sense and a solution that works perfectly. Thanks for all your efforts, not only regarding this entry, but in all the areas you touch on. I often do a google search when I have a computer problem and when I see slipstick in the hit list, I feel an immediate sense of relief!!

0
0
Reply
Jfan (@guest_193251)
September 10, 2015 5:59 pm
#193251

I can't get Outlook 2013 to allow me to run the VBA. I enabled all macros in Outlook Trust Center as you recommended but when I click Alt F11 it does nothing. I do not get any project screen or VBA editor. Is there some other setting I need to change?

0
0
Reply
Jfan (@guest_193253)
Reply to  Jfan
September 10, 2015 6:13 pm
#193253

Hi Diane. Never mind - I figured it out. User error. Thanks for the information! Worked great.

0
0
Reply
Nick (@guest_191458)
June 24, 2015 12:31 am
#191458

Your a F"in Genius!!!!!!!!!

0
0
Reply
steve (@guest_190923)
May 13, 2015 4:57 pm
#190923

Diane , you stride like a colossus through the world of IT

0
0
Reply

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