Meeting Request Error: Updated After Message Sent

Outlook
1

I sent an Outlook invitation that was forwarded to a large group.

While some recipients can accept or decline, others don't see those options and instead get this error message:

'This meeting request was updated after this message was sent. You should open a later update or open the item on the calendar'.

Despite trying various troubleshooting steps, they still can't respond to the invite. Does anyone have a solution?

2

It sounds like you’re experiencing issues with some attendees not being able to accept or decline meeting invitations because they’re seeing an error message that says the meeting request was updated after the message was sent. This can be a real pain, especially when you’ve sent the invitation to a large group.

Understanding the Issue

There are a few different reasons this might be happening, and I’ll walk you through some potential causes and solutions.

  1. Conflicting Meeting Updates:
    Sometimes, when you update a meeting invitation in Outlook, it doesn’t correctly update for everyone. This can be due to local conflicts in your Outlook cache or issues with how the meeting was initially created. For instance, if you create a recurring meeting and then add a new attendee to just one occurrence, it might cause problems for existing attendees.

To handle this, you can try the following:

  • Force Update: When making changes to a meeting, make sure to manually update the attendees.
  • Use Outlook Web: Consider using Outlook Web Access (OWA) for meeting updates. It tends to handle these situations better.
  1. Service Issues:
    Another possibility is that there’s a service issue with Microsoft 365 or Office, which can cause hiccups in meeting invitations and updates. Check the Microsoft Support pages for any known outages or issues.

Troubleshooting Steps

To help you address this issue, here are some specific steps you can take:

  1. Check Updates:
    Ensure that your Outlook is up to date, including the latest patches and updates from Microsoft.

  2. Repair Outlook:
    If updates don’t work, try repairing your Outlook installation by going to Start > Settings > Apps > Outlook > Modify > Repair.

  3. Clear Offline Items:
    To avoid conflicts, clear offline items for your calendar by right-clicking the Calendar folder, selecting Properties, then Clear Offline Items.

  4. Avoid Autosave Conflicts:
    Adjust Outlook settings to avoid automatic saves before sending invites. Go to File > Options > Save Messages, then clear the Automatically save checkbox or increase the delay before items are autosaved.

Final Tips

  • For larger groups, double-check the attendee list before sending updates to avoid unnecessary notifications.
  • If issues persist, and you’re managing multiple calendars, try running Outlook in safe mode to rule out any third-party add-in interference.

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the meeting invitation errors and get everyone on the same page. Good luck, and if you need further help, just let me know