Guidelines To Set Or Withdraw Reminders In Outlook 2013 Components

Reminders in Outlook 2013 work differently depending on what you’re trying to track. Calendar appointments, recurring meetings, emails, contacts, and tasks each have their own reminder mechanism. If you’ve ever set a reminder on an email and had it not fire, or wondered why your appointment reminder turned off automatically, you’re not alone. The settings are spread across multiple places in the Outlook interface.

This guide covers every reminder scenario in Outlook 2013, with the exact steps for each one.

Set Reminders for Calendar Appointments and Meetings

Set the Default Reminder for All New Appointments

You can configure Outlook 2013 to automatically add a reminder to every new appointment or meeting you create. Here’s how:

1. Click File in the menu bar and select Options.
2. Choose Calendar from the left panel.
3. Scroll to the Calendar Options section.
4. Check the “Default Reminders” checkbox to enable automatic reminders for all new meetings and appointments.
5. Use the dropdown next to the checkbox to set how far in advance the reminder should appear, such as 15 minutes or 1 day before the event.

Once enabled, every new appointment you create will have a reminder set at the duration you specified. You can always override the reminder timing for individual appointments when you create them.

Remove the Default Reminder for All New Appointments

If you want to stop Outlook from automatically adding reminders to every new appointment:

1. Go to File, then Options.
2. Select Calendar from the left panel.
3. In Calendar Options, uncheck the “Default Reminders” checkbox.
4. Click OK.

Manage Reminders for Existing Appointments

Set a Reminder on an Existing Appointment

1. Open the appointment or meeting in your calendar by double-clicking it.
2. If it’s a recurring event, Outlook asks whether to open just this occurrence or the entire series. Choose “Open this Occurrence” to set the reminder for one instance only, or “Open the Series” to apply it to all occurrences.
3. Click the Appointment tab (or the Appointment Series tab for recurring events).
4. Find the Reminder dropdown in the ribbon and select your preferred notification time, such as 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 1 hour, or 1 day.
5. Save and close the appointment.

Remove a Reminder from an Existing Appointment

1. Open the appointment or meeting.
2. In the Appointment tab, click the Reminder dropdown.
3. Select None to remove the reminder entirely.
4. Save and close the appointment.

For a recurring appointment, removing the reminder on “Open the Series” removes it from all future occurrences. Choosing “Open this Occurrence” removes it only from that specific meeting instance.

Set Reminders for Emails, Tasks, and Contacts

Email, contact, and task reminders in Outlook 2013 work through the Follow Up flag system. The steps are identical for all three item types.

1. Open the email, contact, or task you want to set a reminder on.
2. Click the Home tab in the ribbon.
3. Find the Tags group and click Follow Up.
4. From the dropdown menu, select Add Reminder.
5. In the Custom dialog box, set the Start Date, Due Date, and time for the reminder to fire.
6. Click OK to save the reminder.

There’s also a shortcut: in your email list view, you’ll see a flag icon on the right side of each message. Right-click the flag to quickly access the Add Reminder option without opening the email.

Remove Reminders from Emails and Contacts

To remove a reminder from an email, contact, or task:

1. Find the item in your inbox, contacts, or task list.
2. Right-click the red follow-up flag on the right side of the item.
3. Choose “Clear Flag” from the context menu.

Clearing the flag removes both the flag marker and any reminder associated with the item. If you want to remove just the reminder but keep the flag as a visual marker, open the Follow Up menu, choose Add Reminder, and uncheck the “Reminder” checkbox in the Custom dialog box before clicking OK.

Limitations to Know

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set reminders for emails in Outlook 2013?

Yes. Use the Follow Up flag in the Home tab Tags group. Select Add Reminder from the dropdown, set the date and time in the Custom dialog box, and click OK. The reminder fires as a pop-up notification at the scheduled time when Outlook is open.

How do I turn off the default reminder for all Outlook appointments?

Go to File, Options, Calendar. Uncheck the “Default Reminders” checkbox in the Calendar Options section and click OK. New appointments you create after this change will have no reminder attached automatically. Existing appointments are not affected.

Can I set different reminder times for different recurring meeting occurrences?

Yes. Open the specific occurrence and choose “Open this Occurrence” when Outlook asks. Then change the Reminder dropdown to the timing you want. This applies the new reminder only to that one instance. All other occurrences in the series keep their original reminder settings.

Why didn’t my Outlook reminder pop up at the scheduled time?

Outlook must be running for reminders to fire. If Outlook was closed at the reminder time, the popup will appear the next time you open the application. Also check that Windows notifications for Outlook are not muted, and that the “Reminder” checkbox was actually enabled when you set the follow-up.

How do I remove a reminder from a recurring meeting entirely?

Open any occurrence of the meeting and choose “Open the Series.” In the Appointment Series tab, click the Reminder dropdown and select None. Save and close. This removes the reminder from all future occurrences of the recurring meeting.

Do Outlook 2013 reminders sync to my phone?

Only if your Outlook account connects through Exchange Server or Microsoft 365. Those accounts sync calendar and task reminders to your mobile devices automatically. POP3 or IMAP-only accounts don’t sync reminders to mobile; those reminders appear only in the Outlook desktop application.