Summary

Some Google Calendar users may see “Maybe” responses or multiple response updates from Outlook users, even though the Outlook user did not click Accept, Tentative, or Decline. This behavior is expected and does not indicate a problem with Outlook or user error.

Symptoms

Google Calendar organizers may report one or more of the following:

• An Outlook attendee appears as “Maybe” shortly after the invite is sent
• Multiple response notifications from the same Outlook attendee
• Responses appearing even though the Outlook user says they did not reply
• No corresponding response email from the Outlook user

Cause

This behavior is caused by differences in how Outlook and Google Calendar process meeting invitations.

When Outlook receives a meeting invitation:

• Outlook automatically places the meeting on the calendar as Tentative to reserve the time and prevent double‑booking.
• This happens without sending an email response and without the user taking any action.
• Outlook treats this as a temporary calendar hold, not a reply.

Google Calendar, however:

• Interprets a Tentative calendar status as a response.
• Displays this as “Maybe” to the meeting organizer.
• May show additional “responses” when calendar data is refreshed or updated.

As a result, Google may show response activity even though no response email was sent.

Important Notes

• Outlook users are not sending multiple replies
• No meeting response emails are generated
• No Outlook settings are misconfigured
• The meeting is not accepted unless the user explicitly chooses Accept
• This behavior is by design and standards‑compliant

Why This May Seem New

Google Calendar has become more sensitive to calendar state changes, not just email responses. Background calendar updates from Outlook may now be more visible to Google organizers, making this behavior more noticeable.

Can This Be Turned Off?

There is no supported way to stop Google Calendar from showing “Maybe” while still allowing meetings to appear on Outlook calendars.

Disabling this behavior would also prevent calendar visibility and increase the risk of double‑booking, which is not recommended.

What Should Users Do?

No action is required.

Users should respond normally when ready by selecting:

• Accept
• Tentative
• Decline

Only these actions send a real response to the organizer.

What to Tell Google Organizers

If asked, users can explain:

“Outlook temporarily marks invitations as tentative to hold the time.
I’ll send a confirmation once I decide.”

When to Contact IT

Contact the Helpdesk only if:

• Response emails appear in Sent Items without user action
• Responses are being sent repeatedly after Accept/Decline
• Meetings disappear or update incorrectly

Otherwise, this behavior is normal.