Microsoft Bookings buffer time without longer meetings

Set a buffer#

1. Open Bookings, go to Shared booking pages and pick the page.
2. Select Services, then the service to edit.
3. On Basic details (older docs call it Service details), switch on the Buffer time toggle.
4. Choose how long in the Before and After drop-downs.
5. Select Save changes.

How Microsoft says buffers work:

• The buffer is blocked on the staff member's calendar and counts as busy.
• Customers don't see the buffer, but a slot only shows if the whole block fits. Microsoft's example: a 60-minute service with a 15-minute buffer before needs 75 free minutes.
• The service buffer is a default. Staff can change it on a single booking.

Why the Outlook event looks wrong#

Because the buffer is part of the blocked time, Bookings writes one event covering buffer plus appointment. A 2025 Q&A example: a client booked 10:45–11:15 with a 15-minute pre-buffer, and the Outlook event read 10:30–11:15. Some people report that customers' invites showed the longer time too (a 2023 thread with 13 replies). A 2026 moderator answer calls this "the expected behavior of Microsoft Bookings". There's no setting to split the buffer into its own event, mark it Free or Tentative, or hide it from the invite.

Workaround: space slots with the time increment#

If what you actually want is a gap between customers, the time increment can do it without touching the event length. This came from a user on the 2026 thread.

1. Turn the Buffer time toggle off on the service.
2. Switch off the service's Default scheduling policy toggle. The scheduling policy on the service's Availability options page then becomes editable for that service only.
3. Under that policy, set a custom Time increments value of appointment length plus gap. For a 30-minute appointment with a 10-minute gap, use 40 minutes.
4. Save changes.

Slots then start 40 minutes apart (9:00, 9:40, 10:20...) and the Outlook event shows the true 30 minutes.

The catch: this only spaces slots from the start of the day's availability. It doesn't protect against other meetings. If a staff member has an internal meeting ending at 10:00, Bookings can still offer 10:00 exactly, with no gap. A real buffer handles that. Odd-looking start times are also more likely, which is explained in why Bookings offers odd start times.

Other options#

• Keep the buffer and tell people. Use the service Notes field (shown on the staff member's event) to state the real meeting length. In the Notifications page, the extra-information text for customer emails can do the same.
• Use only an After buffer. The event still gets longer, but the start time stays correct, which is usually the part that confuses clients.
• Protect prep time in Outlook. Staff can block regular prep slots as Busy in their own calendar. Bookings will respect them if calendar sync is on (see Outlook events and availability).

If the real goal is fewer appointments per day, see limiting bookings per day.