How to accept a previously declined meeting invitation in Outlook

Although it may seem rude, sometimes declining or ignoring meeting invitations is necessary. Fortunately, with email services like Microsoft Outlook, you can change your response. So, if you’ve previously declined a meeting and later decide to join it, you can do so. Let’s see how to accept a declined meeting invitation in Outlook!

Accept a previously declined meeting invitation in Outlook

The original meeting request is sent to the “Deleted Items” folder when you decline to attend. It’s not saved to your calendar, so if you want to accept a previously declined meeting, you’ll have to go to the “Deleted Items” folder first.

Open your Outlook account.
Switch to the Deleted Items folder.
Locate the meeting request.
Double-click the meeting request under Deleted Items folder.
Choose Accept or Tentative option.

It is not possible to accept or decline a meeting invitation if the Deleted Items folder has been emptied. The meeting organizer will need to forward you the original meeting request.

How do I accept a meeting invitation in Outlook, declined previously?

Open your Microsoft Outlook Mail app.
Switch to the Deleted Items folder in the Folder Pane. If your Folder Pane isn’t visible, hit the View
Then move to the Layout section. Click the Folder Pane drop-down menu and choose “Normal” from the list of options displayed therein.
Now, look for the original meeting request under the Deleted
When you find a meeting request, right-click it and select either the “Accept” or “Tentative” option.

How do I see who declined a meeting in Outlook?

To see who declined a meeting in Outlook, switch to the Show group, choose the Meeting tab, and then hit the Tracking button. This will show you a list of attendees and their responses. Note that you can only see who declined a meeting in Outlook if you are the organizer of the meeting, as the Tracking button is only visible to the organizer.

When accepting a meeting invitation What happens if you click Do not send a response?

If you respond to a meeting invitation in Microsoft Outlook, your response will be recorded in your calendar but no email will be sent to the organizer.