21 September, 2026
Your team probably has dates everyone needs to know about: meetings, maintenance windows, change activities, important deadlines, planned leave, or other shared events.
Those dates do not necessarily need to live on one person's calendar or be sent to everyone as separate calendar invitations.
If your team uses Microsoft Teams, you already have another option.
Every Microsoft Team has a Microsoft 365 Group behind it, and that Group includes a shared calendar in Outlook.
The important difference is ownership: the calendar belongs to the team, not to one person.
Team members can use it to keep shared events in one place, and the calendar remains available as people join, leave, or change roles.
Team meetings and events
Maintenance and change windows
Important deadlines
Shared operational activities
This is one of the useful differences between a Group Calendar and sending everyone a meeting invitation.
Group Calendar
Shared events stay on the team's calendar, where members can see them when they open it.
Personal Calendar
If specific people also need the event on their own calendars, add them as attendees.
That separation can be useful. Your colleagues may need to know that a maintenance window is happening Thursday evening without everyone having another event added to their own calendar.
Think of the Group Calendar as the team's calendar. Add people as attendees only when that particular event also belongs on their personal calendar.
If all your team needs is one shared place to see and maintain common events, a Group Calendar may be enough.
Managing events?
Use a Microsoft 365 Group Calendar for meetings, maintenance, deadlines, and other shared events.
Managing people and coverage?
Consider Microsoft Teams Shifts for on-call rotations, open coverage, availability, and shift changes.
You do not need to use both. Start with the simplest option that solves your team's problem.
Check how your KAUST email is set up
Group Calendars work for teams whose KAUST email and calendar are on Outlook.
If your KAUST email is on Gmail, you cannot currently use a Microsoft 365 Group Calendar. If your team includes colleagues on Gmail, check whether the calendar will still meet everyone's needs before setting it up.
Already own a Microsoft Team? You already have the Microsoft 365 Group behind it and can use its shared Group Calendar.
Ready to try it?
Our guide explains how to open your Group Calendar, add shared events, manage ownership, and decide whether a Group Calendar or Microsoft Teams Shifts is the better fit for your team.
Manage Shared Team Calendars and Schedules
