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Setting Custom Reminder Times

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› Outlook › Setting Custom Reminder Times

Last reviewed on June 22, 2018     6 Comments

An Outlook user asked this question:

Is it possible to select my own reminder time for an event/meeting? Or for a snooze for a reminder? I want to be reminded 20 minutes before the time not 30 or 15!

Sure, you can type in custom reminder times but you need to type it as "20 minutes" (or change the number in the default reminder). You can’t use shortcuts (2d, 2w etc) like you can in other time fields; the reminder needs to be entered with the time period (minutes, hours, days) spelled out: 13 minutes, 11 days, 6 weeks.
Enter a custom reminder time

You can do this in both Reminders and Snooze, but you can’t use a custom “minutes before start” in Snooze. You’ll need to figure out how many minutes it is to 20 minutes before start and type that in the Snooze field as minutes.

Setting Custom Reminder Times was last modified: June 22nd, 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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Anon
March 24, 2023 4:25 pm

Nice article.
Quote 'can’t use a custom “minutes before start” in Snooze'
Exactly.
What a terrible anti-user company (MICRO$$OFT).
Why do people put-up with this sort of omission.
Where is the outrage.
MANY common sense features have been requested FOR YEARS.

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dan cantley
April 30, 2020 10:25 am

We have a meeting that two groups need to join into. So the meeting tells me when it starts, (and the first group joins)but I don't need to join for another 20 minutes when both groups are in the meeting. Then when both groups are done - they get out of the meeting and only the second group is in the meeting. I do not see a way to set it to remind be 20 AFTER the meeting starts, instead of 20 BEFORE the meeting starts.

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Donald R. Wall
March 18, 2019 8:53 am

Office 365 does not seem to permit a customized reminder (even spelled out) of: "X minutes before"

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Alon
July 7, 2018 1:29 am

On reminder times, and apologies for the slight deviation, is it possible to set reminders relative to the end time? Or, enter negative time relative to the start time?

I enter a flight appointment with start (=take off) / end (=landing) times, and wish to set an arriving guest pick up reminder relative to the landing (and not the take off) time at the destination airport.

I could not find a way to do either with Outlook (2016).

Thanks,
Alon

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asdf
February 28, 2017 2:19 pm

It would be great if this functionality could be added to outlook for Mac

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Brad
Reply to  asdf
February 24, 2023 6:59 am

And the Outlook calendar app for Android

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