Posted On 12 Aug 2021

Question: How can I accept an Outlook event I have already declined?

Answer: It might sometimes happen that you have received an invitation on Microsoft Outlook and declined it, only to find later that you actually need to accept it. However, all is not lost as you can recover your invitation. When invitations are received by Outlook, they appear on your calendar where you can accept them, in which case the event becomes permanent on your calendar, or decline, in which case it disappears.

Whatever version of Outlook you are using, all declined invitations will be sent to the Deleted Items folder. When you open Outlook, go to Mail > Deleted Items and the declined invitation should be there (if it isn’t, it’s probably best to ask for a new invitation from the organizer). Simply open the invitation you previously declined and change your response; you can also add a message if you wish. Alternatively, the event itself may be in the Deleted Items folder, and you can click on Change Response to accept as well (you can also, if you wish, mark the item as “tentative” if you are still thinking about whether or not to attend; this will then appear on your calendar for later action).

If you’re using a mobile device (Android, iPhone, or iPad), when you find an invitation in your account deleted folder, just tap RSVP > Accept and your intention to attend will be sent to the event organizer.