Delete a calendar you created yourself
If you created a calendar in Outlook and no longer need it, you can remove it permanently. The steps differ slightly depending on whether you use Outlook on the web, the desktop app for Windows, or Outlook for Mac.
On Outlook.com or Outlook on the web, right-click the calendar name in the left sidebar under "My calendars" and select "Delete calendar" from the menu. Outlook will ask you to confirm — click "Delete" again. The calendar and all events in it are removed when ready and cannot be recovered.
In the Outlook desktop app for Windows, right-click the calendar name in the left panel and choose "Delete Calendar". In Outlook for Mac, click the calendar name once to select it, then press Delete or go to Edit menu and select "Delete Calendar". Both versions ask for confirmation before removing the calendar.
Key Takeaways
- Calendars you created yourself can be deleted from the left sidebar by right-clicking the name and selecting delete, with confirmation required.
- Shared calendars you were invited to can be removed from your view without affecting the owner's calendar or other people's access.
- The default "Calendar" cannot be deleted, but you can hide it from view if you do not use it.
- Deleting a calendar is permanent and cannot be undone, so make sure you do not need the events before removing it.
- If someone shared a calendar with you and you want it gone, removing it only affects your own account, not theirs.
Remove a shared calendar from your view
When someone shares a calendar with you, it appears in your Outlook sidebar under "Other calendars" or "Shared calendars" depending on your version. You can remove it from your view without deleting the original calendar or affecting the owner.
Right-click the shared calendar name and select "Remove from list" or "Delete" — the wording varies by version, but the effect is the same: it disappears from your sidebar. The owner still has their calendar, and other people they shared it with can still see it. Only your own view changes.
If you change your mind later, the person who owns the calendar can share it with you again, and it will reappear in your sidebar.
Hide the default calendar instead of deleting it
Outlook creates a calendar called "Calendar" by default when you set up your account. You cannot delete this calendar — Outlook will not allow it. If you do not use it and want it out of your way, you can hide it instead.
Right-click "Calendar" in the left sidebar and select "Hide" or uncheck the box next to its name. The calendar disappears from your view, but it still exists in your account. Any events you added to it remain there. You can unhide it anytime by right-clicking and selecting "Show" or by checking the box again.
What happens to events when you delete a calendar
When you delete a calendar you created, all events in that calendar are permanently removed. This includes meetings, reminders, and any notes you added to those events. Outlook does not move them to a trash folder or keep a backup — they are gone.
If the calendar was shared with other people, deleting it only affects your own account. The owner of the calendar (if it was not you) still has it. If you were the owner and other people had access, they will lose access when you delete it, but they may still have copies of individual events if they accepted meeting invitations.
Before you delete, consider whether you might need those events for reference — dates of past meetings, completed projects, or historical information. If you want to keep the events but not the calendar, you can move them to another calendar first by dragging and dropping them in the sidebar.
Move events to a different calendar before deleting
If you want to delete a calendar but keep the events, move them to another calendar first. Open the calendar you want to delete and select the events you want to keep. You can click one event, then hold Ctrl (or Cmd on Mac) and click others to select multiple events at once.
Right-click the selected events and choose "Move" or "Move to Calendar". Select the calendar where you want them to go. The events transfer to the new calendar with all their details intact — time, location, attendees, and notes all move with them.
Once you have moved everything you need, you can delete the empty calendar without losing any information.
Delete a calendar on Outlook mobile apps
On the Outlook mobile app for iPhone or Android, swipe left on the calendar name in the list (iPhone) or long-press the calendar name (Android). A delete option appears — tap it and confirm. The calendar is removed from your phone and from your Outlook account across all devices.
If the calendar was shared with you, you can remove it from your phone without affecting the owner's version. The same swipe-or-press action works for both calendars you created and shared calendars you were invited to.
Recover a deleted calendar
Outlook does not provide a way to recover a calendar you have deleted. Once it is gone, the events in it are also gone, and there is no undo option or trash folder to retrieve them from.
If you deleted a calendar by mistake and you need the events back, your only option is to check whether you have a backup of your Outlook data or whether someone else who had access to the calendar kept a copy of the events. Some organizations back up employee Outlook accounts, so if this was a work calendar, contact your IT department to ask whether a backup exists.
For personal accounts, if you did not back up your data separately, the calendar cannot be recovered. This is why it is worth taking a moment to confirm before you delete, especially for calendars with important historical events or information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete the main Calendar that came with my account?
No. Outlook does not allow you to delete the default "Calendar" that is created when you set up your account. You can hide it from view by right-clicking and selecting "Hide", which removes it from your sidebar without deleting it. You can unhide it anytime.
If I delete a calendar, do other people lose access to it?
Yes. If you were the owner of a shared calendar and you delete it, everyone you shared it with loses access. However, if someone shared a calendar with you and you remove it from your view, their calendar is not affected — only your own view changes.
What if I accidentally deleted a calendar with important events?
Outlook does not have a recovery option for deleted calendars. If your account is through work, contact your IT department to ask whether they maintain backups. For personal accounts, the calendar cannot be recovered unless you backed up your Outlook data separately before deleting it.
Can I delete a calendar on my phone without deleting it on my computer?
No. Outlook syncs your calendars across all devices. When you delete a calendar on your phone, it is deleted from your account and disappears from your computer and all other devices where you use Outlook.
How do I move events from one calendar to another before deleting?
Select the events you want to move by clicking one, then holding Ctrl (or Cmd on Mac) and clicking others. Right-click and choose "Move" or "Move to Calendar", then select the destination calendar. All event details move with them, and you can then delete the original calendar.