How to add or remove the Birthday calendar in Outlook

28 Sep 2024, 08:17 by Parth Shah · Android Police

Birthdays are special milestones we all cherish, but remembering when friends, family members, and co-workers celebrate those days can feel daunting. Here's where Outlook Calendar comes in to save the day. Microsoft's calendar solution gathers birthdays and anniversaries from your Outlook contacts, ensuring you never miss a chance to wish them a happy day.

This guide walks you through detailed instructions for adding and managing the birthday calendar in Outlook. Our primary focus is Outlook for the web, which is accessible on Windows PCs, Macs, and Chromebooks. As a part of the company's One Outlook program, it will replace the traditional Outlook app on Windows.

This article doesn't cover the classic Microsoft Outlook app on Windows. The company plans to retire it in favor of the Outlook web app (OWA).

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Add a birthday calendar in Outlook

Whether you use a personal Microsoft account or a Microsoft 365 account (formerly known as Office 365), you'll find the option to display the birthday calendar in the Settings menu. Follow the steps below to make tweaks.

Go to Outlook on the web and sign in with your Microsoft account details.
Your Outlook email inbox opens by default. Slide to the Calendar.
Click Add calendar.
Scroll to Birthdays. You can also display sports and holiday calendars from the same menu.
Confirm your Outlook account at the top.
Click the Turn on birthday calendar checkbox.
Click the X mark at the top to close the menu.

That's it. Your Outlook birthday calendar appears under your account. However, it may take some time before the calendar app shows your birthday events.

View the Outlook birthday calendar

After activating your Outlook birthday calendar, go through the steps below to access it.

Go to the Calendar option in your Outlook.com account (check the steps above).
Expand Add calendar.
Click the checkmark beside Birthdays.

The birthdays you saved for your Outlook contacts appear on the calendar view. You can change the view to day, week, or month in Microsoft Outlook web and Windows apps.

Customize birthday calendar in Outlook

Microsoft offers the flexibility to change the shade and look of any calendar. Let's make the required changes to make these birthday events stand out in your busy calendar.

Open Outlook in your web browser.
Move to the calendar tab to check your birthday events and other schedules.
Right-click Birthdays and expand Color.
Choose a color. If you don't prefer the built-in options, click Custom.
Use a dedicated color picker menu, check the event preview, and click Done.
Click Charm from the same menu and change the icon.

The idea is to make the added birthday events stand out from your usual entries in your Outlook calendar.

Manage birthdays for your contacts

There are several ways to add and manage birthdays to your Outlook contacts.

Add a birthday from the People menu

This is the most straightforward way to add birthday details for your existing Outlook contacts. We recommend using the steps below to add birthday details for your co-workers, family members, and friends.

Navigate to Outlook web and move to the People tab.
Select a contact.
Click Edit contact.
Expand to Add others.
Select Birthday.
Enter the day, month, and year, and click Save.
That's it. Birthday details for your contact appear.
Move to the Calendar tab and check the added birthday events.

You can also click New contact option from the People menu and add a new contact with relevant details.

There's an option to add a birthdate to an Outlook contact on mobile apps. Let's take Outlook for Android as an example.

Open Outlook on your Android phone or iPhone (both have the same interface and steps).
Tap Apps and select Contacts.
Select a contact and tap Edit Contact.
Scroll down and select Add Field.
Scroll to Birthday.
Select the date, month, and year of the birthday.

The added birthdate appears on all Outlook calendar apps.

You can add a wedding anniversary to the same menu.

Create a new birthday from calendar

You can also create a new birthday entry from your existing Birthday calendar in Outlook.

Open Outlook calendar on the web.
Click the overflow menu beside the Birthdays calendar and select New Birthday.
Enter the first name, last name, phone, and email, and expand Add Others.
Select Birthday and add the required details. Click Save.

All your added birthday events are added as an all-day schedule. You'll receive relevant reminders at a set time.

Remove a birthday event in Outlook

At any point, you can remove the birthdate for a specific person from your Outlook calendar.

Open your Outlook calendar and select an all-day event from the sidebar.
Click Edit to open the contact card or Delete to remove the event. Confirm your decision from the following menu.

You can repeat the same for other birthday events that you want to remove from your calendar.

Hide birthdays in Outlook

When you deal with several personal, work, birthday, and shared calendars in Outlook, your calendar view may feel crowded. Click the radio button beside your Birthday calendar and hide it from your calendar.

Remove the birthday calendar in Outlook

If you no longer want to receive alerts or see birthday events in your Outlook account, you can turn off the calendar.

Go to the Add calendar menu in Outlook (refer to the steps above).
Scroll to Birthday and clear the Turn on the birthday calendar checkbox.

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From forgetful to fabulous

Managing your contacts' birthdays in Outlook doesn't require rocket science. What are you waiting for? Follow the tricks above and never miss a simple reminder, a grand celebration, and a chance to make someone's day special.

Microsoft Outlook goes beyond managing birthdays, though. Check our dedicated guide for exploring top Outlook tips and tricks to manage your inbox and busy calendar like a pro.