Add or Remove Holidays in Outlook Calendar

This guide shows you how to add or remove holidays in Outlook Calendar, whether you want to see national observances, religious holidays, or just declutter your view. You’ll learn the steps for both the desktop app and Outlook on the web, plus how to fix common issues when holidays don’t appear or won’t delete.

What You’ll Need

• Access to Outlook (desktop app for Windows or Mac, or Outlook on the web)
• An active email account (work, school, or personal) linked to Outlook
• For the desktop app: a stable internet connection to download holiday files

Step-by-Step

Outlook for Windows (Desktop App)

1. Open Outlook and go to the File tab in the top-left corner.
2. Click Options (near the bottom of the left-hand menu).
3. In the Outlook Options window, click Calendar in the left sidebar.
4. Scroll down to the Calendar options section and click the Add Holidays button.
5. In the dialog that appears, check the box next to each country or region whose holidays you want to add. To remove holidays, uncheck the box for that country.
6. Click OK. Outlook will download the holiday list from the internet (if needed) and add or remove the holidays from your default calendar.
7. Click OK again to close the Options window. The holidays should now appear (or disappear) in your calendar.

Outlook for Mac (Desktop App)

1. Open Outlook for Mac and go to the Outlook menu in the top-left corner.
2. Select Preferences.
3. Click Calendar in the Preferences window.
4. Look for the Holidays section. You’ll see a list of countries with checkboxes.
5. Check the boxes for the countries you want, or uncheck them to remove holidays.
6. Close the Preferences window. The changes take effect immediately.

Outlook on the Web (Outlook.com or Microsoft 365)

1. Go to Outlook on the web and sign in with your account.
2. Click the gear icon (Settings) in the top-right corner.
3. At the bottom of the Settings pane, click View all Outlook settings.
4. In the settings window, go to Calendar > Holidays.
5. You’ll see a list of countries. Use the Add button to select a country from the drop-down, or click the X next to a country to remove it.
6. Click Save at the bottom. The holidays will update in your calendar.

Common Mistakes

• Adding the same country twice – This can create duplicate holiday entries. Check your list before saving.
• Removing a country but still seeing its holidays – Sometimes holidays are on a separate calendar (like “Holidays� or “US Holidays�). You may need to delete that calendar entirely.
• Expecting holidays to appear on a shared or secondary calendar – The Add Holidays feature only works on your default calendar.
• Not refreshing the view – After adding or removing holidays, close and reopen the calendar or press F5 to refresh.

Tips

• If you only want to see holidays for a specific country, add only that country. Adding too many can clutter your calendar.
• In Outlook for Windows, you can also add holidays by going to File > Options > Calendar > Add Holidays – the same path as above.
• For recurring holidays that don’t show up (e.g., Easter), check if your region’s holiday file is up to date. Outlook updates holiday lists periodically, so make sure your Office is updated.
• If you use multiple calendars (e.g., work and personal), consider adding holidays to a separate calendar so you can toggle them on/off without affecting your other events.

Troubleshooting

Holidays are not appearing after adding them

• Check your calendar view – Make sure you’re looking at the correct month and that the calendar is set to show all-day events.
• Restart Outlook – Sometimes the calendar needs a restart to refresh.
• Check if the holiday list downloaded correctly – In Outlook for Windows, go to File > Options > Calendar > Add Holidays and see if the country is still checked. If not, re-check it and click OK.
• Verify your internet connection – The holiday file is downloaded from the internet. If you’re offline, it may fail.

Holidays are not removing

• Uncheck the country in the same dialog – In Outlook for Windows, go back to Add Holidays and uncheck the country, then click OK. This should remove all holidays for that country.
• Delete the holiday calendar – If the above doesn’t work, right-click the “Holidays� calendar (or the country-specific calendar) in the left sidebar and choose Delete. This removes all holiday entries.
• Check if you’re using a shared calendar – If the holidays are on a shared calendar (like a company calendar), you may not have permission to delete them. Contact your admin.

Holidays are duplicated

• Remove the duplicate country – Go to the Add Holidays dialog and uncheck any country that appears more than once, then re-add it once.
• Delete the extra holiday calendar – If you see two “Holidays� calendars, delete one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add holidays for multiple countries at once?

Yes, in the Add Holidays dialog (Windows) or the Holidays settings (web), you can check multiple countries. They will all be added to the same calendar.

Will adding holidays affect my existing events?

No, adding holidays simply adds new all-day events to your calendar. It won’t modify or delete any existing events.

Can I remove just one holiday (e.g., Thanksgiving) without removing the whole country?

Yes, you can manually delete that single holiday event from your calendar. Right-click the event and choose Delete. However, if you re-add the country later, it will come back.

Why don’t I see the “Add Holidays� button in Outlook on the web?

The web version uses the Settings > Calendar > Holidays section instead. If you don’t see it, make sure you’re using the full settings view (click “View all Outlook settings�).

Do holidays sync across my devices?

Yes, if you’re using the same Outlook account, holidays added in the desktop app will sync to your mobile and web versions, and vice versa.

Can I add holidays to a specific calendar (not the default one)?

Not directly. The built-in holiday feature only adds to your default calendar. To put holidays on a separate calendar, you’d need to create a new calendar and manually import a holiday file (like an .ics file) into it.

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