Calendar Problems

How to Schedule Custom Meeting Durations in Outlook Scheduling Poll

Camila Milosovich Oct 16, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to set a custom meeting duration, such as three hours, when organizing a meeting via the Outlook Scheduling Poll, but cannot find the option to do so.

How to Schedule Custom Meeting Durations in Outlook Scheduling Poll

Product: Microsoft Outlook
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Creating a meeting poll to find a suitable time for attendees using Outlook's Scheduling Poll feature.
Observed behavior: The Scheduling Poll restricts users to predefined time durations and does not offer a fully custom duration setting, unlike the deprecated FindTime add-in.

Before you start

Verify that you are using the native Outlook Scheduling Poll, as the legacy FindTime add-in has been officially deprecated and its custom duration options are no longer supported.

Solution 1Recommended

Use a Predefined Duration and Adjust Manually

Since fully custom durations are not supported in the Scheduling Poll, you can use the closest available predefined duration and manually adjust the meeting length once a time is agreed upon.

Microsoft's current Scheduling Poll experience does not support fully custom durations like the older FindTime app did. You must select from the predefined durations when creating the poll and adjust the final calendar event later.

Open Scheduling Poll

In Outlook, create a new email, add your attendees to the 'To' field, and click on 'Scheduling Poll' from the message ribbon.

Select the Closest Duration

In the Scheduling Poll pane, click the Duration dropdown and choose the longest available predefined duration that closely matches your needs.

Send the Poll

Select the proposed time slots based on your attendees' availability and insert the poll into your email to send.

Adjust the Final Meeting

Once attendees vote and the final meeting invite is automatically generated, open the calendar event in Outlook and manually change the end time to reach your desired custom duration (e.g., three hours) before sending the final update.

Use a Predefined Duration and Adjust Manually

FindTime Deprecation: The custom duration option was available in the deprecated FindTime add-in but was intentionally excluded from the native Scheduling Poll replacement by Microsoft.

Solution 2

Create a Direct Meeting Using the Scheduling Assistant

Bypass the Scheduling Poll entirely and use the Outlook Scheduling Assistant to manually find a time and set a custom duration right from the start.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Microsoft remove custom durations in Scheduling Poll?

Microsoft replaced the legacy FindTime add-in with the native Scheduling Poll feature to integrate it directly into Exchange. During this transition, fully custom durations were not included in the new feature set, limiting users to predefined time blocks.

Can I still install and use the FindTime app instead?

No, Microsoft has officially deprecated the FindTime add-in. It has been entirely replaced by Scheduling Poll in both Outlook on the web and the Outlook desktop application, and can no longer be installed.

How do I schedule a meeting longer than the options provided in Scheduling Poll?

You must select the longest available predefined duration in the Scheduling Poll, let attendees vote on a start time, and then manually extend the meeting's end time in the final calendar event after the consensus is reached.

Will Microsoft add custom durations back to the Scheduling Poll?

Many users have provided feedback requesting the return of custom durations, but Microsoft has not yet officially announced when or if this specific functionality will be restored.

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