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Using Share Availability

Learn how to use the Share Availability enhancement to allow your recipients to confirm meetings with you.

Updated over 8 months ago

Calendar enhancements in Gmail are available on all Mixmax plans, including the Free plan, but some options, like Shared calendar scheduling, are available only on the Small Business plan and above. Check out our pricing page for more information.

The Share Availability enhancement makes it effortless for your recipients to confirm meetings with you — directly within their email.

How to use Share Availability in Gmail

To instantly propose times for a meeting, hover over the Meetings menu at the top of the compose window and click Share availability:

Adding availability in a message

You can also use the slash command: type /cal to launch the Share availability calendar.

How to use Share Availability in Outlook

Click Share availability on the Mixmax side panel in the compose window to insert available time slots directly into your email.

Share availability

Setting up availability

The next steps are the same for Gmail and Outlook.

Once the Share Availability popup window opens, fill out the event details (title, location, description, and time zone). Mixmax remembers common locations and meeting titles via autocomplete. You can also select them from a dropdown by clicking the down arrow.

In the Time zone section, select the time zone of your recipient.

You can add additional guests that will automatically be invited to the event once your recipient chooses a time. We also prevent double booking by default.

Share Availability settings

You can schedule on your own calendar or schedule on a calendar that has been shared with you. To learn more, see how to schedule on shared calendars.

Next, click a time on the calendar to choose a time when you're available. Click and drag down or across to select multiple times. When you insert the invitation in your email, these times appear in your time zone and will automatically convert to your recipient's time zone.

The available times and time zone set using the Share Availability enhancement can override your availability preferences set in Google Calendar.

Selecting available times

You can change the length of the default time slot at the top right of the calendar.

Time slot length

You can make an individual time slot longer or shorter by clicking and dragging the bottom of the box.

Once you have selected the times you want to offer your recipient, click Insert Times at the bottom left.

This is how the invitation will look in the email. What you see in the compose window is exactly what your recipient will see.

Meeting times

Your recipient only needs to click their preferred time to confirm the meeting.

If double-booking protection was turned on when you selected your times, and your recipient chooses a time when you're already booked, they'll see a pop-up asking them to select another time:

Time no longer available

Once your recipient chooses a time, they'll see a landing page. (You can customize this landing page with your own logo and colors on the Growth or Enterprise plan.)

Meeting scheduled

The event will automatically be added to both of your Google calendars, and both of you will receive a notification email confirming the meeting.

Meeting details

Check out this quick video for an overview of how to use the Share Availability feature:

Share Availability with custom fields

You can ask guests to provide certain information when sending your availability by creating custom fields. It’s a great way to ask for phone numbers, preferred locations, website links, etc. Custom fields can be either optional or required.

How to add a custom field

When setting up your availability, click the Add Field button on the panel on the left. You can select from one of our suggested fields or create your own.

Adding custom fields

Required fields

Required fields are fields that must be filled before your recipient will be able to confirm a time with you. Required fields will be denoted by a red asterisk.

To switch a field from optional to required, click the field, then select the Make Required option.

Making a field required

If your availability share has any required fields, when a recipient selects a time, they will be taken to a page asking them to enter the requested information. This information must be filled out before the meeting is booked if you've chosen to make your custom fields required.

Confirming the meeting

Optional fields

Optional fields are fields that are not required to be filled before your recipient books a meeting.

To switch a field from required to optional, click the field and select Make Optional.

Making a field optional

If your availability share only includes optional fields, the recipient will be given the option to fill in the field but can book the meeting without doing so. They will then be taken to a confirmation page where they have another opportunity to fill in optional fields:

Optional meeting details

In Gmail, once you send the message with Share Availability included, you won't be able to edit it. You can send a new one or share your public Mixmax calendar instead.

In Outlook, you won't be able to edit the availability once it is inserted in your email draft. To edit it before you send the email, delete the whole component and re-insert your availability again. Please also note that automated meeting reminders are not supported for Outlook yet.

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