How do I set a custom reminder time for an event on Outlook Calender?

Hi @Craig G,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

I can genuinely understand why this change feels so unsatisfying, especially when you’ve relied on flexible reminder timing as part of your daily workflow. When a feature you’ve depended on for years suddenly behaves differently, or feels taken away, it can be incredibly disruptive, and I’m sorry for the inconvenience this is causing you.

To help clarify the situation, in the new Outlook for Windows, calendar reminders are currently limited to the preset options shown in the reminder dropdown. Unfortunately, fully custom reminder intervals, such as "18 hours" or "2 days at 8:00 AM", aren’t supported in that list at the moment. Microsoft’s own help documentation for the new Outlook reflects this behavior, as it only references selecting a reminder from the dropdown (or choosing "Don’t remind me"), without any option to enter a custom value. For reference, you can see: Add or delete notifications or reminders in Outlook.

That said, while this is understandably disappointing, there are still a few practical ways you can work around it, depending on what matters most in your setup.

• First, you can select the closest available reminder time in the new Outlook by opening the event and choosing the most appropriate option from the reminder dropdown, or by setting a default reminder under Settings > Calendar > Events and invitations. While this doesn’t fully replace custom timing, it may reduce manual adjustment.
• Alternatively, if precise and fully custom reminder times are essential for you, classic Outlook remains the best option for now. Microsoft documents the ability to change the default reminder time under File > Options > Calendar and also allows setting a custom reminder time for individual calendar items there. You can find more details in: Change the default reminder time.
• Most importantly, to make sure this feedback reaches the people who can act on it, I strongly encourage submitting your suggestion directly through the Outlook (new) · Community portal Including a concrete example such as “18 hours” or “2 days at 8:00 AM” really helps the product team understand the real‑world impact and prioritize accordingly.

Once you've submitted your feedback, feel free to share the link here in the comments. I’d be more than happy to upvote it to help raise visibility. And if you run into any issues submitting feedback, just let me know and I’ll gladly submit one on your behalf.

As community moderators, we kindly ask for your understanding that our access to internal development details is limited. Our primary role is to guide users toward the appropriate resources and support channels. While we may not have influence product design decisions and have limited access to internal development details, we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.

Since other users have expressed similar concerns, I hope this explanation not only clarifies the current behavior but also highlights a constructive path forward. Surfacing this feedback publicly can help others add their voices as well.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your experience. I truly appreciate your patience, and please don’t hesitate to reach out if there’s anything else I can help with.

Wishing you all the best.

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