Using the New Outlook for Mac features in business environments
Based on my research and testing, this behavior has also been reported by other users using version 16.109.3 of Outlook for Mac. As mentioned in the related discussion on Calendar Status Indicator - Colour Coding - Microsoft Q&A, you may consider reverting to version 16.108.3, where the color distinction between Busy and Tentative appears more clearly.
To do this, you can remove the current Outlook for Mac version and install version 16.108.3 using the updater.pkg available from Update history for Office for Mac - Office release notes | Microsoft Learn
In the meantime, I highly recommend sharing your feedback through Ideas · Community
This is the official channel for submitting feedback and reporting unexpected behavior. It ensures your input reaches Microsoft’s development team, helping them stay informed and work on resolving the issue in upcoming updates.
Please note that we are not Microsoft support, and this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, do not have backend access and cannot directly intervene in Microsoft products or features. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance and best practice recommendations based on reported issues, requests, or ideas.
As a temporary workaround, you may continue using Outlook on the web or the Legacy Outlook for Mac. You may also choose to wait for upcoming updates, as this behavior does not appear in the beta versions at this time.
I hope this information provides some helpful direction.
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