A visitor to slipstick.com made this suggestion recently:
Windows Taskbar is ugly if you don't have it set to combine windows, but when you combine windows, it's really easy to miss the reminder dialog. There is an envelope in the System Tray when new email comes in. Why can't there be an indicator for a meeting that's about to occur?
While I'm not sure a meeting reminder in the tray will help that much (too many tray icons as it is and it won't show if the taskbar is on autohide), Outlook definitely needs a better reminder system.
An option for Exchange server or Outlook.com users is to set the account up in Windows Mail app, turning off sync for mail and contacts. Calendar reminders will use the Windows reminder system and display prominently in the corner of your screen, on top of any open programs. Unlike the orange flash on the Task Bar, it's hard to miss the Windows Calendar reminders.
You can even dock the calendar on the side of the screen and use it if you don't want to keep Outlook open.
This won't work for POP3 and IMAP accounts as Outlook's calendar won't sync to the Windows Calendar App.
To add the account to the Windows apps:
- Open the Calendar, click the Gear icon then choose Accounts.
- Click Add account.
- After you add the account, change the mailbox sync settings, turning off mail and contact sync.
Daniel says
Good tip, plus the full screen monthly calendar view is waaaay better than Outlooks... which was another annoyance I was trying to find a solution to. Thanks.
Arturo B says
Great hint! Thank you.
weffwg says
works perfectly... exactly what I needed. Thank you
Wayne says
I have set up an outlook meeting and have invited external guests. Is there a way to have a reminder pop up on the external guest's calendar?
Diane Poremsky says
You can set a reminder on the meeting, but the settings on their computer will determine if the reminder fires.
You can use the Send mail to attendees button to send email reminders prior to the meeting.
len raphael says
Biggest problem i have with Outlook reminders is with calendar event notifications. One can only get notified once: either in advance or at time of the event. Apple Icloud Calendar (which can be installed local Outlook) provides two separate alerts: one before and one at time of event. Suppose one could use the built in advance alert and hit snooze, but if you miss the built in advance alert, you're scrooged.
Diane Poremsky says
Yeah, you either need to use snooze or create a second event for the early reminder. If you use Exchange, outlook on the web has an email notification option (per appt).