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How to Use Custom Colors for Microsoft Bookings Services

Maira Mehtab Sep 22, 2026 868 views

Question details

A team wants to assign specific custom colors to different service types (e.g., Lending, New Account, Phone Call) in Microsoft Bookings, rather than relying on the default staff-based calendar colors.

Product: Microsoft Bookings
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Organizing and visually distinguishing different appointment types within a shared team scheduling calendar.
Observed behavior: Appointments currently default to displaying colors based on the assigned staff member's calendar, preventing the team from color-coding strictly by service type.

Before you start

Log into your Microsoft 365 account with admin privileges and open your Bookings calendar settings to verify your current staff and service configurations.

Solution 1Recommended

Consult the Microsoft Bookings Community

Since Bookings natively ties calendar colors to staff members, checking with official specialists can clarify if new service-based color updates have been released or if specific administrative scripts are available.

Currently, Microsoft Bookings is designed to color-code appointments by staff member availability rather than the service itself. To find the most up-to-date workarounds for this limitation, reaching out to the official community is the best approach.

Access the Microsoft Tech Community

Navigate to the official Microsoft Tech Community website in your web browser.

Navigate to Bookings

Search for and enter the 'Microsoft Bookings' community forum.

Ask for Workarounds

Post your specific use case (e.g., wanting red for Lending, purple for New Account) and ask Bookings specialists if custom service-based color assignment is supported in the current version.

Solution 2

Use Outlook Categories as a Backend Workaround

While the public Bookings page uses staff colors, you can use color categories in the linked Outlook calendar to visually distinguish service types for internal staff.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I natively assign colors to services instead of staff in Microsoft Bookings?

By default, Microsoft Bookings assigns colors based on the assigned staff member's calendar to help differentiate who is handling the appointment, rather than the specific service type being provided.

Will changing a color category in Outlook affect the Bookings calendar?

No. Applying a color category to an appointment in Outlook will only change its appearance within the Outlook interface. It will not override the default staff color displayed on the Bookings calendar view.

Where can I request new features like service-based colors for Bookings?

You can submit feature requests and feedback directly to Microsoft through the Microsoft Feedback Portal or by participating in discussions on the Microsoft Tech Community forums.

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