How to Add a Second Time Zone to Your Outlook Calendar

If your team spans two time zones, or you're about to spend three weeks somewhere eight hours off your usual clock, the plain calendar grid stops being useful. You have to add a second time zone to your Outlook calendar so the grid shows both times at once, instead of you doing the conversion in your head before every call.

The exact steps depend on which Outlook you're running. Classic Outlook for Windows has had this since Outlook 2007. New Outlook and Outlook on the web use a different settings screen that arrived more recently. Outlook for Mac supports it too, through a third menu that looks like neither. The Outlook mobile app doesn't do this at all. Below: the steps for each, a table of what's actually supported where, and what to check when the second zone refuses to show up.

The short answer#

Two menu paths cover every current version. In classic Outlook for Windows or Mac, open File > Options > Calendar (Outlook > Settings > Calendar on Mac), and under Time zones check Show a second time zone — add a Label so the column reads clearly at a glance. In new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web, open Settings > Calendar > View, select Add time zone, pick the city from the Other time zones list, label it, and select Save.

Either way, the extra column only appears in Day and Work Week (or Week) view. Switch to Month view and it disappears — that alone accounts for most of the "it isn't working" reports.

Before you start#

• Know which Outlook you're running. New Outlook has a lighter, single-line ribbon and a toggle switch near the top right labeled New Outlook; classic Outlook doesn't have that toggle at all.
• Decide if you need two zones or three. Classic Outlook, Outlook for Mac (Microsoft 365 and Outlook 2019), and new Outlook/web all support a third zone. Outlook 2016 and Outlook 2019 LTSC cap out at two.
• Pick a short label for each zone before you start — "NYC" or "Team EU" reads faster on a packed week view than the full zone name Outlook shows by default.
• This only changes what the calendar displays. It doesn't move, reschedule, or reinterpret any existing meeting — the start time stored on each event doesn't change.
• If you travel on a schedule, note your home zone's exact name (for example, Eastern Time (US & Canada)) before you swap anything — the swap and reorder tools below only work once both zones are already configured.

Add a second time zone in classic Outlook (Windows and Mac)#

This is the original implementation and the one with the longest track record. The menu wording is nearly identical on Windows and Mac; only the first click differs.

1. 1

   Open Outlook's options

   On Windows, select File, then Options. On Mac, select Outlook in the menu bar, then Settings (or Preferences on older builds).

2. 2

   Go to the Calendar section

   In the dialog that opens, select Calendar from the list.

3. 3

   Turn on the second, and optionally third, zone

   Under Time zones, check Show a second time zone. If you need one more, check Show a third time zone too.

4. 4

   Label each zone

   Type a short name into each Label field. The label is what prints at the top of the column — it doesn't have to match the formal zone name.

5. 5

   Choose the actual zone, then save

   Use each Time zone dropdown to pick the real city or region, then select OK. The extra column shows up immediately in Day and Work Week view.

6. 6

   Swap primary and secondary when you relocate

   Back in File > Options > Calendar, select Swap Time Zones. Your old primary zone moves to the side column and the new one takes the main grid, without re-entering either one.

Add a second time zone in new Outlook and Outlook on the web#

New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web (Outlook.com and Microsoft 365 webmail) share the same settings screen, so the steps are identical on both.

1. 1

   Open Calendar view settings

   Select the gear icon for Settings, then choose Calendar, then View.

2. 2

   Add a time zone

   Select Add time zone.

3. 3

   Choose the zone and label it

   Search the Other time zones list for the city, optionally type a Label, and make sure the Show in calendar checkbox is on.

4. 4

   Save

   Select Save. The added zone appears as a second column next to your primary time zone in Day and Week view.

5. 5

   Reorder to change which zone leads

   Back in Settings > Calendar > View, use Move up or Move down next to a listed zone. There's no dedicated Swap button here — reordering does the same job.

Platform differences#

The same idea — an extra labeled column next to your main time — works differently enough across Outlook's versions that it's worth checking before you go looking for a setting that isn't there.

The pattern holds everywhere it exists: your primary time stays put, and a second labeled block gets stacked next to it. The mobile apps are the one place that block never appears — they just follow whatever zone the phone is set to.

What to do when it doesn't work#

Most reports of a missing second time zone trace back to one of five causes. Work down the list before assuming the setting is broken.

A faster way#

Every fix above still puts you in the loop: reading the second column, relabeling it when you land somewhere new, rereading a thread to work out what "3pm" meant to whoever sent it. Fine for one trip. Tedious every week.

AI Emaily connects to your Outlook account and drafts replies with the full thread in front of it, including whatever time or scheduling context is already in the conversation — so when you ask it to reply to a meeting request, the AI email assistant can work the time-zone math into the draft instead of you doing it by hand first. We build AI Emaily, and it starts with a 7-day free trial on the plan that includes drafting — card required, $0 if you cancel before day seven.