Skip to main content

Availability Settings

CalendarHero gives you precise control over when meetings can be scheduled. These settings work together to define the window of time invitees can see and book — layered on top of your real-time calendar availability.

Most availability settings live at the meeting type level, so you can configure different rules for different types of meetings.

Availability window​

The availability window controls which days and times invitees can book a meeting for a given meeting type. Go to any meeting type → Availability to configure it.

  • Days — select which days of the week are available for that meeting type.
  • Times — set the hours during which meetings can be booked. You can add multiple time ranges per day (Pro and Team plans) — for example, 9 am–12 pm and 1–5 pm to block out lunch.
  • Per-day customization — set different hours for different days. For example: Mon–Wed 9–5, Thu 9–12, Fri unavailable.

To add a time range: click any day in the availability grid → click + Add a time range. To make a day unavailable: toggle Available off for that day.

Your Working Days setting in General Settings sets the default for new meeting types. The availability window on a meeting type always overrides working days.

Date range​

The date range limits how far into the future invitees can book. The default is 3 weeks. Open any meeting type → Availability → Date Range to customize.

Options include:

  • Next X days/weeks/months — a rolling window from the current date
  • Custom days — a specific number of rolling days (e.g. next 7 days)
  • Custom dates — a fixed start and end date

For time-sensitive meetings (like candidate interviews), use a short range like "This Week." For meetings with busy stakeholders, use a longer range to maximize the chance of finding a mutual time.

You can also override the date range for a specific meeting when creating it in the web scheduler, or by specifying a date range in chat — for example, "Meet with Rachel between October 7th and 15th."

Start time display​

Control how frequently time slots appear on the scheduling page for each meeting type. Open a meeting type → Availability → Start Time and choose an increment: 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, or 60 minutes. The default for new meeting types is 15 minutes.

For example, with a 15-minute increment and a 30-minute meeting starting at 9 am, invitees see: 9:00, 9:15, 9:30, 9:45, etc.

The global Hourly Offsets setting in General Settings applies to meeting types where you've left the start time at the legacy "Display Hourly Offsets" setting.

Daily downtime​

Daily downtime blocks a percentage of your available time to prevent your schedule from being fully booked. For example, if you're available 8 am–6 pm (10 hours) and set downtime to 10%, CalendarHero blocks 1 hour of that day automatically.

Once the day reaches the downtime threshold, no more times are offered for it. Update this setting in General Settings.

Buffer time​

Add automatic free time before and/or after meetings to give yourself time to prepare, follow up, or travel between locations. Buffer times are invisible to invitees — they only reduce the available slots offered around a meeting.

Enable buffer time per meeting type under Availability → Buffer Time. Choose an amount before the meeting, after the meeting, or both.

Buffer time moves automatically if you reschedule a meeting using CalendarHero. Note: buffer time is not added to room booking duration.

Travel buffer​

When booking in-person meetings at a physical address via chat, CalendarHero can automatically detect travel time and prompt you to add travel blocks around the meeting.

  • Tell your assistant the full address when scheduling — for example, "Book a meeting with Sam at 150 Eglinton Ave E, Toronto."
  • If the location requires travel time, your assistant asks if you want to add travel blocks.
  • When confirmed, two calendar events are automatically added (one before, one after) for travel. Invitees do not see these blocks.
  • Travel blocks update automatically if the meeting is rescheduled or canceled.

Travel buffer is on by default. To disable it, go to General Meeting Settings.

Frequently asked questions​

How do the availability window and date range work together?

They operate independently but layer together. The availability window controls which days and times can be offered. The date range controls how far into the future invitees can look. For example: availability window set to Mon–Fri 9–5, date range set to next 3 weeks — invitees see the next 3 weeks of your Mon–Fri 9–5 availability.

What's the difference between buffer time and lead time?

Buffer time adds free space before and/or after a meeting once it's booked — so adjacent time slots aren't available. Lead time is the minimum notice required before a meeting can be booked at all. Set lead time under Availability → Lead Time in your meeting type.

Can I set different availability for different meeting types?

Yes. Availability window, date range, start time, and buffer time are all configured per meeting type. This lets you have different rules for, say, a 15-minute discovery call versus a 1-hour client demo.