If you have a newer version of Outlook, the invitation is in your Outlook trash folder and you can retrieve it. If you have an older version, however, it’s just gone. You’ll need to ask the host to send you a new copy of the invitation, or ask someone to forward* it to you. The way to avoid this in the future is to open the calendar, open or right click on the meeting, and decline from there. The invitation will remain in your inbox where you can accept it again, thereby putting it back into the calendar.

If you want to the invitation to remain on the calendar but not show as busy, you’ll need to “reply to” the originator saying that you won’t be able to attend, then change the “show time as” option to “free.” If you choose “decline” it will be removed from the calendar.

Tip: I like to make a personal folder for declined invitations so that I can quickly review what I’ve turned down if the conflict changes.

Related posts:

1. Outlook Invitation Disappears When You Decline Someone asked, “How do I decline a meeting without having the meeting notice disappear? I changed my mind later and the invitation was GONE!’ If you have a newer version...
2. Not Seeing Your Outlook Question? Try This! Check the Outlook FAQ! You can find answers to: How do I send something from my computer “from” my manager? Why does the email say it’s from me even though I was...
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• How do I send something from my computer “from” my manager?
• Why does the email say it’s from me even though I was in his inbox when I started a new email?
•  How do I keep my manager’s mailbox from being deluged with responses to big meetings?
• Why does my executive’s inbox keeps getting overloaded even though s/he is using personal folders?
• Sometimes I open a distribution list or copy a long list of names into the “To” box. When I hit “Send,” Outlook checks the addresses against my company directory and gives me the opportunity to choose a name if it can’t identify it. If the name isn’t there, I have to close out of the window, take the name out of the “To” box and start all over! Is there a way to avoid this?
• Why is an appointment suddenly appearing as nonsense text (”Greek” or gibberish)?
• When I try to accept a meeting, it says ”The function cannot before performed because the message has been changed.”
• When I try to save changes to a meeting I created in my manager’s calendar, it says something along the lines of “The item cannot before saved because the item has been changed. Would you like to save to the default folder?”
• How do I decline a meeting without having the meeting notice disappear? I changed my mind later and the invitation was GONE!

Find those answers or submit your own questions here.

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Related posts:

1. Outlook Invitation Disappears When You Decline Someone asked, “How do I decline a meeting without having the meeting notice disappear? I changed my mind later and the invitation was GONE!’ If you have a newer version...
2. Drunken Time Zones in Outlook Some of you have asked about meetings in Outlook turning up an hour (or several hours) off. How to Manage Time Zones in Outlook has been updated to address these...
3. Accepting a Previously Declined Invitation A lot of people are asking how do I decline a meeting without having the meeting notice disappear? I changed my mind later and the invitation was GONE! The answer...

If you have a newer version of Outlook, the invitation is in your trash and you can retrieve it. If you have an older version, however, it’s just gone. The way to avoid this is to open the calendar, open or right click on the meeting, and decline from there. The invitation will remain in your inbox where you can accept it again, thereby putting it back into the calendar.

If you want to the invitation to remain on the calendar but not show as busy, you’ll need to “reply to” the originator saying that you won’t be able to attend, then change the “show time as” option to “free.” If you choose “decline” it will be removed from the calendar.

Tip: I like to make a personal folder for declined invitations so that I can quickly review what I’ve turned down if the conflict changes.

Want to find this information later? Bookmark out the FAQ section of the Outlook Wiki

Related posts:

1. Accepting a Previously Declined Invitation A lot of people are asking how do I decline a meeting without having the meeting notice disappear? I changed my mind later and the invitation was GONE! The answer...
2. Not Seeing Your Outlook Question? Try This! Check the Outlook FAQ! You can find answers to: How do I send something from my computer “from” my manager? Why does the email say it’s from me even though I was...
3. Outlook FAQ Has Updated The solutions to those annoying “function cannot be performed” messages have been posted in items 7 and 8 of the Outlook FAQ. ...

Related posts:

1. Not Seeing Your Outlook Question? Try This! Check the Outlook FAQ! You can find answers to: How do I send something from my computer “from” my manager? Why does the email say it’s from me even though I was...
2. Drunken Time Zones in Outlook Some of you have asked about meetings in Outlook turning up an hour (or several hours) off. How to Manage Time Zones in Outlook has been updated to address these...
3. The Outlook FAQ The Outlook FAQ has updated. A question about the handling of long distribution lists and the frustation of the name check feature has been added and answered. Looking for the...

Related posts:

1. Managing Time Zones in Outlook There’s a new addition to the Outlook Wiki about dealing with time zones. You can find it here. Looking for the Forum? Click here. ...
2. The Outlook FAQ The Outlook FAQ has updated. A question about the handling of long distribution lists and the frustation of the name check feature has been added and answered. Looking for the...
3. Outlook Invitation Disappears When You Decline Someone asked, “How do I decline a meeting without having the meeting notice disappear? I changed my mind later and the invitation was GONE!’ If you have a newer version...

Related posts:

1. Not Seeing Your Outlook Question? Try This! Check the Outlook FAQ! You can find answers to: How do I send something from my computer “from” my manager? Why does the email say it’s from me even though I was...
2. Accepting a Previously Declined Invitation A lot of people are asking how do I decline a meeting without having the meeting notice disappear? I changed my mind later and the invitation was GONE! The answer...
3. About that double-booked room… Ever booked a room in Outlook only to discover at meeting time that there’s a roomful of people glaring at your team for interrupting their meeting? You booked that room…you...

Related posts:

1. Outlook Invitation Disappears When You Decline Someone asked, “How do I decline a meeting without having the meeting notice disappear? I changed my mind later and the invitation was GONE!’ If you have a newer version...
2. Accepting a Previously Declined Invitation A lot of people are asking how do I decline a meeting without having the meeting notice disappear? I changed my mind later and the invitation was GONE! The answer...
3. Not Seeing Your Outlook Question? Try This! Check the Outlook FAQ! You can find answers to: How do I send something from my computer “from” my manager? Why does the email say it’s from me even though I was...

Looking for the Forum? Click here.

Related posts:

1. Drunken Time Zones in Outlook Some of you have asked about meetings in Outlook turning up an hour (or several hours) off. How to Manage Time Zones in Outlook has been updated to address these...
2. Managing Time Zones in Outlook There’s a new addition to the Outlook Wiki about dealing with time zones. You can find it here. Looking for the Forum? Click here. ...
3. Not Seeing Your Outlook Question? Try This! Check the Outlook FAQ! You can find answers to: How do I send something from my computer “from” my manager? Why does the email say it’s from me even though I was...

Looking for the Forum? Click here.

Related posts:

1. Drunken Time Zones in Outlook Some of you have asked about meetings in Outlook turning up an hour (or several hours) off. How to Manage Time Zones in Outlook has been updated to address these...
2. The Outlook FAQ The Outlook FAQ has updated. A question about the handling of long distribution lists and the frustation of the name check feature has been added and answered. Looking for the...
3. Outlook FAQ Has Updated The solutions to those annoying “function cannot be performed” messages have been posted in items 7 and 8 of the Outlook FAQ. ...