Connect your Exchange/Outlook Calendar

Read on if you want to learn how to connect your OnceHub Account with your Exchange/Outlook Calendar.

If you want to configure your Exchange/Outlook Calendar, learn more here.

OnceHub communicates with your Exchange/Outlook Calendar using the Exchange Web Services (EWS) API, a well-established official Microsoft protocol. All credentials and data traffic are fully encrypted. Learn more about how your sign-in credentials are stored and protected by OnceHub

Note

Microsoft does not support Transport Layer Security (TLS) below TLS version 1.2. Learn more about how Exchange/Outlook Calendar uses TLS

Connect to your personal Exchange/Outlook Calendar

  1. Sign in to your OnceHub Account. 
  2. Select your profile picture or initials in the top right-hand corner → Profile settingsCalendar connection

    Note 
    If you are connected to any other calendar, you will need to disconnect first. Existing bookings that have not yet taken place will not be added to your Exchange/Outlook Calendar after you connect. 

  3. Click the Connect button next to Exchange/Outlook Calendar (Figure 1).
    Figure 1: Calendar connection
  4. The Connect to Exchange/Outlook Calendar pop-up will appear (Figure 2).

    Figure 2: Connect to Exchange/Outlook Calendar pop-up
  5. Enter your email address and password, as you normally would to sign into your mailbox via Outlook or any other method. Click Connect.
  6. If the connection is successful, the pop-up closes and you should see confirmation that you are connected to your Exchange/Outlook Calendar (Figure 3).
    Figure 3: Connected to Exchange/Outlook Calendar
  • If you're using Booking pages, you have the option to configure the OnceHub advanced integration settings. You can also click the Continue setup button in the What's next? section to access more options.

Exchange corporate connection

The Exchange corporate connection mode enables connection to Exchange Calendars via one mailbox only. This method is an alternative to the personal connection mode, where each User is required to connect individually and provide their own Exchange/Outlook account credentials. The Corporate connection method is available for a fee to large accounts.

Why connect with a corporate connection?

Corporate connection to Exchange provides several important advantages:

  • Security: Only one password per account is provided to OnceHub. The credentials belong to the dedicated mailbox, which is empty and contains no sensitive information. Learn more about how your sign-in credentials are stored and protected by OnceHub
  • Centralized management: The Exchange admin has full control over the entire account connection from the dedicated mailbox.
  • Changing password: The admin may change the dedicated mailbox password at any time and notify OnceHub about the change, immediately renewing the calendar connection for the entire account.

The Admin maintains full control over every aspect of the calendar connection and the Members of the account keep working without interruption.

How does the corporate connection work?

In corporate mode, only one dedicated mailbox on the Exchange server is connected to the OnceHub Account, and all events are synced via the dedicated mailbox.

  1. A dedicated mailbox is set up on the Exchange server by an Exchange admin.
  2. All Users that accept bookings must delegate their main calendar to the dedicated mailbox. Delegation can be configured either centrally by an Exchange admin, with no action required from the Users, or by each User individually. See delegation instructions for individual Users: Delegating in Office 365 and Outlook Web App (OWA) or Delegating in Outlook client.
  3. Only the dedicated mailbox is connected to the OnceHub Account, and not individual Users. OnceHub only stores one set of credentials in an encrypted format.
  4. Only Users' busy time is retrieved from Exchange via the dedicated mailbox. The specific details of calendar events will remain private.
  5. OnceHub bookings are added to the respective Users' calendars.

Sounds right for your account? Contact us to proceed.

If your Exchange/Outlook account is set up with 2-step verification, you must create an app password first. You can then use this special password to connect your OnceHub Account to your Exchange/Outlook Calendar.

Connection issues requiring additional information

Even if your credentials are correct, the connection might not be successful due to various Exchange configurations. If you see the following screen (Figure 4), additional information will need to be provided.


Figure 4: Connect to Exchange/Outlook Calendar with additional information

In the EWS URL field enter the address of your EWS in the format: https://mail.example.com/ews/exchange.asmx  Learn how to determine the EWS URL

The value to enter in the User name field depends on your Exchange configuration, and can be any of these three options:

  1. Leave blank—not required for many Exchange servers.
  2. Try entering your email again, which some Exchange servers accept as a user name.
  3. Enter your full Domain\UserName you would use to sign into other Windows systems:
    • Your organization's domain. Learn how to obtain the domain if you're not sure what it is.
    • Then backslash (the symbol \ and not the normal slash).
    • Then your UserName - the ID you use to access your internal systems. Learn how to obtain the UserName if you're not sure what it is.

Click the Connect button. If you're still not connected, make sure you have entered all the values as above, making sure all the formats and slashes are in the right places.

If the connection still fails, search your organization's internal knowledge base or contact your IT support, as there are many possible Exchange configurations and settings. Learn more about Exchange/Outlook connection troubleshooting

Using shared calendars

You can use shared Exchange/Outlook Calendars in OnceHub via your OnceHub account. Shared calendars can be used when you connect to an Exchange/Outlook Calendar via either a personal connection or a corporate Exchange connection.

Sharing calendars allows OnceHub to create bookings in and retrieve busy time from calendars that are not owned by you.

Shared calendar options

Each connected calendar in OnceHub can be used either as a main booking calendar, a calendar to retrieve busy time from, or an additional booking calendar. This can be configured for each Booking page under the Associated calendars section.

With shared calendars, the same three options apply. The only added requirement is that the calendar owner grants you the necessary permission level within Exchange/Outlook (Figure 1).


Figure 1: Sharing and permissions

  • To use the calendar as a Main booking calendar, you must be granted Editor or Delegate permission level in Exchange/Outlook.
  • To use the calendar for Busy time retrieval, you can be granted any permission level in Exchange/Outlook. 
  • To use the calendar as an Additional booking calendar, you must be granted Editor or Delegate permission level in Exchange/Outlook.

Which calendars can be shared?

Most Outlook calendars can be shared. Your ability to share calendars depends on the sharing policy specified by your Exchange administrator. 

You can share calendars on the same domain, or share calendars across different domains. To use shared calendars on the same domain, follow the sharing instructions below.

To use calendars shared across different domains, the person given access to the shared calendar must accept the sharing by clicking the link or button in the email notification. These calendars will be automatically added to the calendar list in the Calendar section of each Booking page. You do not need to do anything else to use these calendars in OnceHub. Sharing calendars across domains requires specific settings in your Exchange/Outlook configuration.

Using shared calendars when connected with a personal connection

Follow these steps to use a same-domain shared calendar when connected with a personal Exchange/Outlook Calendar connection.

  1. Ensure that the calendar owner shared their main calendar with you as Editor or Delegate. Additionally, sub calendars may also be shared. Each calendar must be shared individually.
  2. Add the calendar owner's email address in the Associated calendars section of each Booking page. All calendars and sub-calendars shared with you, will appear in the calendar list.
  3. Select how each calendar will be used: Main booking calendar, Busy time retrieval, or Additional booking calendar. If your permissions are insufficient, ask the calendar owner to change your permission level.

Using shared calendars when connected with a corporate connection

Follow these steps to use a same-domain shared calendar when connected with an Exchange corporate connection.

  1. Ensure that the calendar owner shared their main calendar with your dedicated mailbox as Editor or Delegate. Additionally, sub-calendars may also be shared. Each calendar must be shared individually. Note that all corporate account members will gain access to all shared calendars.
  2. Add the calendar owner's email address in the Associated calendars section of each Booking page (Figure 1). All calendars and sub calendars shared will appear in the calendar list.
  3. Select how each calendar will be used: Main booking calendar, Busy time retrieval, or Additional booking calendar. If your permissions are insufficient, ask the calendar owner to change the permission level.
    Figure 2: Associated calendars section of the Booking page


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