Calendar Problems

How to Fix Microsoft Bookings ICS File Showing the Wrong Time

Huma Ashraf Ch Sep 30, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users are experiencing an issue where ICS files attached to Microsoft Bookings confirmation emails display the appointment one hour ahead of the actual scheduled time.

How to Fix Microsoft Bookings ICS File Showing the Wrong Time

Product: Microsoft Bookings
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Importing a scheduled appointment's ICS file from a Microsoft Bookings email into a personal calendar application.
Observed behavior: While the confirmation email text shows the correct appointment time, the imported ICS event appears one hour later in apps like Apple Mail or Microsoft Calendar due to omitted Daylight Saving Time rules.

Before you start

Verify that your local device's time zone and Daylight Saving Time (DST) settings are currently accurate, and keep the original booking confirmation email as a reference for the correct time.

Solution 1Recommended

Manually Correct the Appointment Time in Your Calendar

The quickest workaround is to manually adjust the event time directly within your calendar application after importing the ICS file.

Because Microsoft Bookings may generate ICS files without the proper RRULE (recurrence rule) elements for Daylight Saving Time, your calendar app defaults to standard time. You can easily fix the imported event without tampering with the original file code.

Import the ICS file

Double-click the attached .ics file from your Bookings email to add it to your calendar app (e.g., Apple Calendar, Outlook, or Google Calendar).

Edit the event

Double-click the newly created event in your calendar view and select 'Edit' or click the pencil icon to modify the event details.

Adjust the time backward

Change the start and end times by moving them one hour earlier to match the time stated in your confirmation email, then click 'Save' or 'Send Update'.

Quick Fix: This method avoids complex file editing and ensures your schedule remains accurate immediately.

Solution 2

Edit the ICS File to Add Missing DST Rules

For advanced users, you can manually insert the missing RRULE (Daylight Saving Time) entries into the ICS file's raw text before importing it.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my Bookings email show the correct time but the calendar event is wrong?

The confirmation email displays plain text generated directly by the Bookings server. However, the attached ICS file relies on embedded code to calculate time zones. If the ICS file is missing the specific daylight-saving rules (RRULE), your calendar application calculates the time incorrectly by one hour.

Will Microsoft fix the missing RRULE issue in Bookings ICS files?

Many users have reported this inconsistency to Microsoft Support. While Microsoft handles updates on their server side, users must rely on manual workarounds or calendar-level adjustments until an official patch for Bookings ICS generation is deployed.

Does this ICS time zone error affect all calendar applications?

No. The issue is predominantly observed in calendar applications that strictly rely on the file's internal timezone definitions to map the event, such as Apple Mail, iOS Calendar, and some third-party mobile calendars. Other apps that sync via Exchange might bypass the issue.

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