How to Copy a Meeting in Outlook – Simple Steps for Duplicating Events

Why Copying Meetings Can Be Useful in Outlook

Copying meetings in Outlook can be a valuable tool for a variety of reasons:

• Creating Recurring Meetings: By copying a single meeting, you can easily create a recurring series of meetings with the same details, such as time, location, and attendees. This is particularly useful for regularly scheduled meetings, like weekly team meetings or monthly project updates.
• Rescheduling Meetings: If you need to reschedule a meeting, you can copy the original meeting and modify its start and end times to accommodate the new schedule. This ensures that all meeting details, such as the location and attendees, remain the same.
• Creating Similar Meetings: If you have a template meeting with specific settings, such as a particular meeting room or a set of standard attendees, you can copy it and modify the details to create similar meetings with different topics or purposes.
• Sharing Meeting Details: You can copy a meeting invite and share it with others who weren't originally invited. This is useful if you want to invite additional attendees or share the meeting details with someone who needs to be aware of the meeting but doesn't need to attend.

Methods of Duplicating Meetings in Outlook

Outlook offers several methods for duplicating meetings, each with its own advantages and use cases.

Method 1. Use "Duplicate Events"

Right-click on the meeting you want to copy in your calendar. Select the "Duplicate event" option from the context menu.

In the new window, choose the target calendar. Then click on the target date or time range if you want to change.

Finally, click on "Send".

Right-click on the desired date and time slot in your calendar and select "Paste."

Method 2. Drag and Drop

• Select the meeting you want to copy.
• Drag and drop the meeting to a different date or time slot in your calendar.
• This will create a copy of the meeting with the new start and end times.

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Copy a Recurring Meeting in Outlook

To copy a recurring meeting in Outlook, you can also refer to the above steps.

Step 1. Identify the Instance: Right-click on the specific instance of the recurring meeting that you want to copy.

Step 2. Select "Copy": Choose the "Copy" option from the context menu.

Step 3. Paste the Meeting: Right-click on the desired date and time slot in your calendar and select "Paste."

This will create a copy of the specific instance of the recurring meeting, and it will not affect the original recurrence pattern.

Solutions for Errors While Duplicating Meetings in Outlook

Here are some solutions for common errors that might arise while duplicating meetings in Microsoft Outlook:

1. Permission Issue: You might encounter an error stating you don’t have permission to copy or modify a meeting.

Solution: Ensure you are the meeting organizer or have been granted editing permissions by the organizer. If you’re copying a meeting from a shared calendar, request permission from the calendar owner.

2. Calendar Sync Issues: Sync errors can prevent duplicated meetings from appearing correctly.   

Check your internet connection and ensure your Outlook is synced with your Exchange or Microsoft 365 account.

3. Outlook Cache Issues: Corrupted cache can cause errors when duplicating meetings. 

If you use Windows 10 or Windows 11, do as following to clear it.

• Press the "Windows" key and "R."

• In the "Run dialog box," type “%localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook," and press "Enter."
• Click the folder entitled "RoamCache."

• Select all cached files in the folder and press the "Delete" key.

If you are using Mac, take the steps below instead:

• Close Outlook.
• Press the "Cmd" key along with the "Shift"key and "G."
• Type "~/Library/Caches" and press "Enter."
• Within the "Caches" folder, find the folder titled "com.microsoft.Outlook."
• Select and delete the "com.microsoft.Outlook" folder.

4. Recurring Meeting Limitations: Some recurring meeting settings (such as time or date patterns) may not be fully compatible with Outlook’s duplication feature.

Solution: Adjust the recurring settings (e.g., date range or frequency) before copying, as Outlook sometimes has trouble with complex recurrence rules.

5. Corrupted Profile: A corrupted Outlook profile can cause errors in many operations, including duplicating meetings.

Solution:  Create a new Outlook profile by going to "Control Panel" > "Mail" > "Show Profiles" > "Add". Set the new profile as the default and test the duplication again.

6. Add-in Conflicts: Conflicts with third-party add-ins can prevent meetings from duplicating properly.

Solution: Disable any non-essential add-ins by navigating to "File"> "Options" > "Add-ins" > "Go..." and unchecking unnecessary add-ins.

7. Outdated Software: An outdated version of Outlook can cause unexpected errors.   

Solution: Update Outlook by going to "File" > "Office Account" >"Update Options" > "Update Now".

If none of these solutions work, consider contacting Microsoft Support for further assistance as it may be an issue with the Outlook software itself.

Bonus Tip: How to Manage or Back Up Outlook Emails

This article addresses the question “how to copy a meeting in Outlook?”. If you’re considering backing up your Outlook, MultCloud can be extremely useful. Trusted by over 3 million users, MultCloud is a multi-cloud management tool that facilitates the transfer or synchronization of files between various cloud services.

For instance, you can save your Outlook emails as PDFs to your computer or cloud drives, such as Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox, in bulk. MultCloud also enables you to access and manage all your cloud or Email accounts via a single application. Currently, it supports more than 30 different cloud services, including Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, Google Photos, iCloud Photos, FTP, WebDav, and more.