Outlook Calendar Desktop

Question

Outlook Calendar Desktop

Christian de BERAIL 0

Hi,
Since yesterday, all my events in Outlook Calendar have a white stripe under it. Visually, it looks like all my events are terminating 5 or 10 minutes before the next one.
How can I fix it and remove it?
Thanks

Tyler Mikkelson 5 Reputation points

2026-09-14T16:24:42.7533333+00:00

I have the same issue. I've tried the above directions without success. I've also checked the shorten appointments and meeting box - it is not selected.

4 answers

Your answer

Tyler Mikkelson 5 Reputation points

2026-09-14T16:24:42.7533333+00:00

I have the same issue. I've tried the above directions without success. I've also checked the shorten appointments and meeting box - it is not selected.

Answer 1

This is usually caused by Outlook’s shorten appointments and meetings setting being turned on, which makes events end early or start late and leaves a visible gap.

In classic Outlook for Windows, turn it off like this:

Select File > Options > Calendar.
Under Calendar options, find Shorten appointments and meetings.
Clear that checkbox.
Select OK.

If the setting is enabled and set to End early, meetings can appear to stop 5 or 10 minutes before the next one, which matches the white stripe being seen.

If using new Outlook instead, go to: Settings > Calendar > Events and invitations Then clear Shorten duration for all events and save.

This setting is configured per email account, so if multiple accounts are added, check the calendar settings for each relevant account.

Answer 2

Kai-H 26,760 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi, Christian de BERAIL

Since the event times themselves appear correct, the white stripe is likely a calendar-view or rendering problem in Outlook, especially if it appeared suddenly after an update.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

Open the calendar in Outlook on the web. If the stripe is not shown there, your events are fine and the issue is limited to the desktop display.

In classic Outlook, open Calendar, select the View tab, then choose Reset View. This restores the default calendar layout and has resolved similar unexpected calendar appearance changes.

Close Outlook, press Windows key + R, enter outlook.exe /safe, and press Enter. If the stripe disappears, disable recently added COM add-ins under File > Options > Add-ins. Safe mode temporarily disables add-ins and custom display settings.

Finally, install the latest Office updates from File > Office Account > Update Options > Update Now, then restart Windows. Recent calendar display problems have previously been corrected through Outlook build updates.

These steps do not change or delete any calendar events.

Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you.

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Christian de BERAIL 0 Reputation points

2026-09-14T16:28:06.09+00:00

Thanks Kai, I tried that path and it does not work. On my laptop, Outlook doesn't have this problem, neither on my Android phone. It is only on my desktop. I checked all configurations and they are exact the same on my laptop and desktop.
Christian de BERAIL 0 Reputation points

2026-09-14T16:28:26.77+00:00

Thanks Kai, I tried that path and it does not work. On my laptop, Outlook doesn't have this problem, neither on my Android phone. It is only on my desktop. I checked all configurations and they are exact the same on my laptop and desktop.
Kai-H 26,760 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-15T06:36:34.8733333+00:00

Hi, Christian de BERAIL

Thanks, that comparison is helpful. Since the same calendar displays correctly on the laptop and phone, the calendar data is not the issue. The problem is most likely in the local Outlook installation or profile on the desktop.

Create a temporary new Outlook profile. Close Outlook, press Windows key + R, enter outlook.exe /profiles, and press Enter. Select Options > New, give the profile a test name, add the same email account, and open Outlook with that profile. A profile stores local account, data-file, and display-related configuration.

If the stripe remains in the new profile, repair Office. Open Windows Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find Microsoft 365 or Office, select the three dots, then choose Modify > Online Repair. Online Repair replaces damaged Office program files more thoroughly than Quick Repair. Restart the computer afterward.

Creating a test profile will not delete the original profile or mailbox data. If the new profile fixes it, you can keep using that profile and remove the old one later.
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Answer 3

Hornblower409 14,970

This is all just hearsay. I'm on Version 2608 Build 16.0.20326.20072 and can't reproduce, so I can't test.

Working (what I think) is the same issue on Reddit.
[External Non-Microsoft Site] https://www.reddit.com/r/Outlook/comments/1wfv08p/classic_outlook_calendar_15_minute_appointments/

Does it looks something like this?

User's image

Reddit user conorwp says that an Office Repair fixed it for him.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/lifecycle/repair-an-office-application

Christian de BERAIL 0 Reputation points

2026-09-15T16:59:58.0966667+00:00

Hi,

Yes, it looks like that, for all events, independent of the length of the event.
I will try the solution you sent. Thanks
Hornblower409 14,970 Reputation points

2026-09-15T19:45:46.36+00:00

@Christian de BERAIL said

I will try the solution you sent I did all this, including the repair.

It sounds like you have already done the only suggested solution - Office Repair.

Other than that, all I can suggest is bring in Microsoft Support.
From Classic Outlook do Help -> Contact Support.

You can give them the URL of this page so they can understand the problem.
Please report back on whatever Support finds or does to fix it.

Answer 4

Christian de BERAIL 0

Hi Kai,

Thank you!
I did all this, including the repair. But the problem is still there. And again, only on my desktop Outlook.
I can't figure out why and how...

Kai-H 26,760 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-16T07:00:12.25+00:00

Hi, Christian de BERAIL

Thank you for confirming. Since a new profile and an Online Repair did not change it, while the same calendar is normal on other devices, this now looks like a desktop-specific display or build issue rather than a calendar configuration problem. The issue is not currently listed among the documented September 2026 problems for classic Outlook.

Compare File > Office Account > About Outlook on both computers. Check the full version, build number, and whether both are 32-bit or 64-bit. Identical Outlook settings do not necessarily mean both devices have the same build.

On the desktop, temporarily open Windows Settings > System > Display, set Scale to the recommended value, then sign out of Windows and sign back in. Also test Outlook maximized and, if multiple monitors are connected, briefly test it on the main monitor only. Outlook has had calendar-layout problems affected by window size and multi-monitor display behavior.

Update or reinstall the desktop’s graphics driver through Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates, or through the computer manufacturer’s support page.

If possible, please post a screenshot with names and appointment details hidden, plus the Outlook build numbers from both computers. That should help determine whether this is a build-specific visual regression.