How to Make Outlook Monthly Calendar Open on Today's Date
Question details
The user wants their Outlook or Office 365 calendar to automatically display the current day or week when opening the Monthly view.
- Product
- Microsoft Outlook / Office 365
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Opening the monthly calendar view in Microsoft Outlook and expecting it to automatically focus on the current date.
- Observed behavior
- The calendar opens to a past or different date instead of defaulting to today's date automatically.
Ensure your computer's system date and time are correctly set, as Microsoft Outlook relies on the local system clock to determine and highlight today's date.
Use the Today Button and Reset the Calendar View
The quickest way to fix calendar display issues is to use the built-in navigation tools and reset your view settings to their defaults.
Outlook is designed to remember your last viewed state or default to the current month if functioning normally. If it gets stuck on an older date, refreshing the view settings usually resolves the issue.
Launch Microsoft Outlook and click on the Calendar icon located at the bottom-left of the navigation pane.
On the Home tab in the ribbon, locate the Arrange group and click on 'Month' to switch your calendar to the monthly layout.
In the Go group on the Home tab, click the 'Today' button. This will immediately jump the calendar to the current date and highlight it.
If the calendar still defaults to the wrong date upon reopening, go to the View tab, select 'View Settings', and click 'Reset Current View' to clear any corrupted display preferences.
Verify Windows System Date and Time
If Outlook highlights the wrong day as 'Today', your operating system clock might be incorrect and needs syncing.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Outlook calendar keep opening to a random date in the past?
This usually happens if the current view settings are corrupted or if you previously navigated to a past date and Outlook remembered that state instead of updating. Resetting the view from the View tab > View Settings > Reset Current View often resolves this.
How do I make the month view my default calendar view in Outlook?
Outlook typically remembers your last used view. If you select the 'Month' view on the Home tab and then close the application, it should automatically open in the Month view the next time you launch Outlook.
Can I change the first day of the week in my Outlook monthly calendar?
Yes. Go to File > Options > Calendar. Under the 'Work time' section, you can use the 'First day of week' dropdown menu to set your preferred starting day, such as Sunday or Monday.
Does Outlook have a keyboard shortcut to go back to today's date?
Yes. Regardless of which day or month you are currently viewing, you can press 'Ctrl + T' on a Windows PC or 'Command + T' on a Mac to instantly jump back to today's date.
