Troubleshooting Bookings

Start with the section that matches the problem. Common things to check are whether BusyCal is running, your calendar accounts are syncing, and the booking page's hours and limits allow the time you expect.

A Booking Doesn't Appear in BusyCal

A device using Bookings must add each confirmed booking to your calendar. Check these first:

• Is it a request? On a booking page where you approve each request, a booking goes into your calendar only after you approve it.
• Is BusyCal running? It receives push notifications and normally checks every 30 minutes, or about every 15 minutes without push. On a Mac, it also checks when you open or switch to BusyCal and when the Mac wakes. On iPhone and iPad, updates depend on the app being open or iOS allowing background refresh. To check now on a Mac, choose View > Refresh Calendars (⌘-R).
• Does the device have the right calendar? A booking keeps the destination selected in Add bookings to when it was made. Only a device with that calendar can save it. Choosing a different destination later affects new bookings only.

In Your Dashboard

Look in Waiting for BusyCal for bookings that haven't finished updating your calendar. Check the Calendar line for progress. The booking leaves the dashboard once BusyCal finishes saving the meeting and any video call link.

The booking moves to Problems when the calendar's account doesn't accept it, when Bookings can't email the invitee, or when BusyCal still hasn't finished a week after the meeting's start. Its Calendar line then says what went wrong:

What you see	What to do
BusyCal couldn't update your calendar for this booking. Open BusyCal on your Mac and check the calendar's account	The calendar's account didn't accept the booking, or the calendar is gone. Open BusyCal and check the account in BusyCal > Settings > Accounts.
We couldn't email the invitee, so BusyCal can't update your calendar for this booking. Contact them another way	Bookings couldn't send the invitee their email, even after several tries. BusyCal adds a booking only after its email is sent. Contact the invitee yourself.
BusyCal didn't finish updating your calendar for this booking. Check this meeting in your calendar	A week has passed since the meeting's start, and BusyCal stopped trying. Check the meeting in your calendar, and add or remove it yourself if needed.

Requests also appear in Problems if their email couldn't be sent. Check the Email line and contact the invitee another way.

BusyCal keeps trying until a week after the meeting's start. If it still hasn't finished, Bookings sends you "This booking couldn't be completed" and removes the booking. Check your calendar as the email asks; you may need to add or remove the meeting yourself.

In BusyCal's Inbox

The booking's Inbox item explains what's preventing the calendar update. The message clears once the problem is resolved. If you dismissed the item with OK, check the booking in the dashboard instead.

What you see	What to do
"Not added to your calendar. The booking page has no calendar"	This booking was made without a calendar, so BusyCal can't add it. For new bookings, edit the booking page in your dashboard and choose a calendar in Add bookings to.
"Not added to your calendar. The booking page's calendar isn't on this Mac"	Open BusyCal on a device that has this calendar. That device then adds the booking. Another calendar for the booking page changes only new bookings.
"Not added to your calendar. On My Mac calendars can't send invitations"	BusyCal can't add this booking. For new bookings, choose a calendar that belongs to an account, such as iCloud or Google, for the booking page.
"Not added to your calendar. You aren't subscribed to the booking page's calendar in BusyCal"	Subscribe to the calendar again (see Re-Subscribing to a Calendar). BusyCal then adds the booking. Another calendar for the booking page changes only new bookings.
"Not added to your calendar. The calendar's account is turned off"	Turn the account back on in BusyCal > Settings > Accounts. BusyCal then adds the booking. Another calendar for the booking page changes only new bookings. While the account is off, the booking page takes no new bookings.
"Waiting for the calendar's account to sync"	BusyCal adds or changes the booking's event only after the account of the booking's calendar has synced within the time set in Busy times in your dashboard's Settings > Access (1 day unless you change it). Keep BusyCal open on this device and let the account sync. If it can't sync, check the account in BusyCal > Settings > Accounts. Another calendar for the booking page changes only new bookings.
"Not added to your calendar. The booking page's calendar is read only"	BusyCal adds this booking when you can change the calendar again. For new bookings, choose a calendar that you can change for the booking page.
"Not added to your calendar. The booking page's calendar is for tasks only"	BusyCal can't add this booking. For new bookings, choose a calendar for events for the booking page.
"Not added to your calendar. BusyCal doesn't recognize the booking page's calendar"	BusyCal can't add this booking. For new bookings, choose the calendar again in the booking page's Add bookings to, then save the booking page.
"Your calendar's account didn't accept this booking"	The calendar's account, such as iCloud or Google, refused the booking's event. Check the account in BusyCal > Settings > Accounts. Your dashboard shows the booking in Problems.
"BusyCal couldn't update your calendar. It will try again"	Nothing. BusyCal tries again on its own.
"BusyCal is still creating the video call"	Nothing. When the call is ready, the invitee gets the call link in an updated invitation. See When the Call Link Arrives.
"BusyCal couldn't create the video call. The booking is still confirmed"	Check the meeting account that creates the call. See A Booking Has No Call Link. Or give the booking a call link yourself. See Adding a Call Link Yourself.
"Bookings couldn't finish this booking. Check the Bookings website for details."	Open the booking in your dashboard. Its Calendar or Email line says what went wrong.
"BusyCal will update your calendar soon"	Leave BusyCal running. This device will try the update again shortly.
"Waiting for “Studio iMac” to update your calendar"	BusyCal waits up to about two hours for the device that last updated this event. Open BusyCal on that device to finish sooner. Otherwise, another device with the calendar can make the change after the wait.

Notifications off in Settings > Access means the device can't receive push notifications. It still checks about every 15 minutes while BusyCal can run.

Your Booking Pages Offer No Times, or Fewer Than You Expect

Open Booking pages and click Show Availability on the affected page's card. The timeline shows which times are offered and why others are unavailable. See Checking Which Times a Booking Page Offers.

These are the common causes:

• The booking page is turned off or paused. People see "This booking page is turned off" or "Bookings are paused". Turn the booking page on, or resume its bookings.
• Busy times are over 7 days old or missing. Overview identifies whether a device update or specific calendars are out of date, or whether there are no busy times to check. Follow the notice to refresh them. Your pages resume offering times a few minutes after an up-to-date report arrives. See Keeping Your Busy Times Up to Date.
• Your access to Bookings has ended. Overview says that booking pages can't take new bookings. See Access to Bookings.
• No destination calendar is selected, or your profile has no name. Overview says what's missing. Choose a calendar in the page's Add bookings to setting, or add your name in Settings > Profile.
• The account of the booking page's calendar is turned off in BusyCal. The booking page's card says "This booking page can't take bookings right now", and people see "Not taking bookings right now". Turn the account on in BusyCal > Settings > Accounts, or choose another calendar for the booking page. See When the Calendar's Account Is Turned Off.
• The booking page can't offer any of its locations, for example because its video service is no longer available. Its card says so. See When a Service Is No Longer Available.
• The page's settings restrict the available times. Check weekly hours, specific dates, date range, minimum notice, buffers and maximum bookings.
• Your busy calendars are full. In BusyCal's Bookings settings, click Choose Calendars… next to Calendars to check. Then uncheck the calendars that shouldn't block bookings. See Busy Calendars.
• You moved or deleted a booked meeting in your calendar. Its original time stays blocked until that time has passed. See Which Events Count.

People Can Book a Time When You're Busy

If a page offers a time that conflicts with an event, check whether that event is included in the busy times shared with Bookings:

• Is the calendar checked for free times? In BusyCal's Bookings settings, click Choose Calendars… next to Calendars to check, and check the calendar. Calendar subscriptions start unchecked. See Busy Calendars.
• Does the event count as busy? Events marked as free, such as all-day events made in iCloud on the web, declined invitations and all-day invitations that you haven't answered don't block times. See Which Events Count.
• Is the account turned on and syncing? Without updates, Bookings uses the previous busy times and may miss new events. Check BusyCal > Settings > Accounts. See When a Calendar Account Stops Syncing.
• Did you remove the calendar's busy times? After Remove Busy Times in your dashboard's Settings > Access, your booking pages don't check that calendar until BusyCal shares it again. See Busy Times for Each Calendar.
• Has the latest change been shared? BusyCal sends updates shortly after calendar changes. On iPhone and iPad, open BusyCal or allow background refresh. Subscriptions update on their own schedules and may take longer. On your Mac, click Sync Free Times Now in BusyCal > Settings > Bookings to send an update.

New Bookings Wait for Your Approval

A page set to confirm automatically may start sending requests if your busy times are out of date. The limit is set in Settings > Access > Busy times, with a default of 1 day. Approval lets you check for conflicts that recent calendar updates may have missed.

Follow the notice on Overview:

• If no device has shared busy times recently, open BusyCal on a device using Bookings. On a Mac, leave it running.
• If specific calendars are out of date, turn on or fix their accounts in BusyCal > Settings > Accounts. If you no longer want to check those calendars, deselect them in Check for Free Times or remove their busy times in Settings > Access.

Automatic confirmation resumes when all relevant busy times are within the limit. Requests already received still need your answer.

How a sync problem affects freshness depends on the account type:

Google, iCloud, Exchange, Microsoft 365 and CalDAV accounts, and calendar subscriptions

Selected busy calendars use the account's last successful sync to measure freshness. Selected subscriptions use their last successful refresh. See When a Calendar Account Stops Syncing.

Apple Calendar accounts and calendars subscribed over the LAN

An Apple Calendar account shows the calendars of the Calendar app on your Mac in BusyCal, read-only. It's different from an iCloud or other CalDAV account that you add to BusyCal directly.

For Apple Calendar accounts, BusyCal can detect a failure to read calendars, such as missing access permission. It can't detect an account that stops syncing inside the Calendar app. LAN subscriptions also don't become out of date for this check. See When a Calendar Account Stops Syncing.

A Booking Page Has No Link, or a Link Stopped Working

• "Gets a link once you choose a username in Profile settings". Your profile has no username. Choose one in Settings > Profile.
• A booking page's link shows without Open. The booking page can't take visitors, for example because it's turned off. Turn it on, or check its warnings.
• The editor warns that the old link stops working. You changed the Link of a booking page that people can book. When you save, the old link stops working. Share the new link.
• Old links stopped working after you changed your username. Changing your username changes the links to your profile and to all of your booking pages. Share the new links.
• People see "This booking page doesn't exist" or "We couldn't find this person". The link has a typo, or the booking page or username has changed. Send them the current link.
• A preview link stopped working. Preview links expire soon after you open them. Click Preview again, and share the booking page's own link instead.

A Calendar Is Missing or Not on Your Mac

Add bookings to lists calendars shared by your devices that can receive bookings: they must belong to an account, hold events, and be subscribed to and editable in BusyCal.

On My Mac calendars

The Add bookings to menu doesn't list On My Mac calendars, because they can't take bookings. Choose a calendar that belongs to an account, such as iCloud or Google. On My Mac calendars still count as busy while they're checked for free times.

• The menu is empty. Open BusyCal on a device that uses Bookings. Your calendars appear after BusyCal shares them.
• You have more than 256 calendars. BusyCal shares up to 256 calendars with Bookings. Your dashboard says how many aren't listed.
• The selected calendar shows "Not on your Mac". Check whether another device still has the calendar and can save bookings to it. This label can reflect a device where the calendar isn't available, even when another device can use it. If none of your Bookings devices can save there, pause the page, choose an available calendar in Add bookings to, save, then resume bookings. Existing bookings keep their original calendar. See When the Calendar Is Missing. An account explicitly turned off in BusyCal is different: its calendars show Calendar account turned off, and pages using them stop accepting bookings. See When the Calendar's Account Is Turned Off.

Exchange accounts that use EWS

Microsoft is switching off Exchange Web Services (EWS) for Microsoft 365 work and school accounts. An account that BusyCal syncs through EWS then stops syncing. Move the account to Office 365 (Microsoft Graph) in BusyCal, as described in Switch to Microsoft Graph. Then edit each booking page that used one of its calendars, and choose the new calendar in Add bookings to.

A Request Expired

Unanswered requests expire after 48 hours or at the meeting's start, whichever comes first. The time becomes available again, and the invitee receives an email with a link to book another time.

To answer requests in time, use the Approve Request and Decline Request links in the email about each request. Or check Requests on your dashboard's Overview. If you don't need to approve each booking, set the booking page's Approval to Automatic.

A Booking Can't Be Changed

After BusyCal finishes adding the meeting and any call link, the booking leaves the dashboard. Make further changes in your calendar. Invitees can respond to their calendar invitation or contact you; Bookings doesn't offer them reschedule or cancel controls for confirmed meetings.

• The booking is no longer in your dashboard, or View Booking in an email says that the booking is no longer in Bookings. BusyCal has added the booking to your calendar, or the request has ended. To move or cancel the meeting, change or delete it in your calendar. Your calendar account sends the invitee the update, as for any meeting that you organize. See Changing a Meeting in Your Calendar.
• The invitee asks to move or cancel a confirmed meeting. They can decline the invitation or contact you. Reschedule in the dashboard while the booking is listed there. After it leaves, edit the meeting in your calendar. See Rescheduling a Booking.
• The invitee's link opens a page that says "This booking is no longer managed here". The booking is in your calendar. The page asks the invitee to use their calendar invitation or to contact you.
• The invitee's link opens a page that says the booking link no longer works. The request ended, or the meeting has passed. The page gives the same advice.
• "This booking changed in the meantime, so your change wasn't made." Someone else changed the booking, for example the invitee withdrew a request, or you changed it in another browser. Check the booking's current details, then decide again.
• "This meeting has already started, so nothing was changed". You can't approve, reschedule or cancel a booking after the meeting has started.
• "That time is no longer available". Someone booked that time, or it's no longer free. Choose another time. A new time also can't overlap the meeting's current time when its event is already in your calendar.
• You can't reschedule a booking whose calendar's account is turned off. Nobody can move such a booking until you turn the account on in BusyCal > Settings > Accounts. See When the Calendar's Account Is Turned Off.
• "This booking page was changed elsewhere". The booking page changed somewhere else, for example in another browser, after you opened it. Click Load Latest Version, or save your changes to replace it.

BusyCal Shows a Notice in Bookings Settings

• "BusyCal can't check your license for Bookings right now". BusyCal is still checking whether your copy includes Bookings, usually just after launch. Wait for the check to finish; no action is needed.
• "BusyCal couldn't start Bookings on this Mac". BusyCal couldn't read its saved Bookings data. Quit and reopen the app as the message advises. Nothing is deleted, and other devices can keep using Bookings. Contact support if the message returns.
• "You've been signed out of Bookings on this Mac". Until you sign in again, this Mac doesn't add bookings to your calendar or share your busy times. Click Sign In… and sign in with the same email address.
• A notice says that your booking pages can take new bookings until a date, or that they can't take new bookings. BusyCal couldn't confirm your access to Bookings, and the notice says why. Click Buy…, Renew… or Subscribe…. With Setapp, check your membership in Setapp. Your booking pages and bookings are kept.
• "“Intro call” can't take bookings". The account of that booking page's calendar is turned off in BusyCal, and the line under the notice says how to fix it. See When the Calendar's Account Is Turned Off.
• "BusyCal isn't checking the calendars in “iCloud” right now", under Calendars to check. The account is turned off, or you don't use it on this Mac, so BusyCal on this Mac doesn't share new busy times for its calendars; the line under the notice says which. Bookings keeps their last busy times, which get older. See When a Calendar Account Stops Syncing.

Sign-In Problems

• No email arrives. Check your junk mail folder. In BusyCal, click Send New Code when the countdown ends. The dashboard emails only addresses that you signed in with in BusyCal, so turn on Bookings in BusyCal first.
• "That code isn't correct". In BusyCal or in your dashboard, check the code in the latest email and enter it again. The message shows how many attempts are left.
• In BusyCal: "That code has expired. Get a new one" or "You entered too many wrong codes. Get a new one". Click Continue to get a new code.
• In the dashboard: "We couldn't sign you in". The link or code has expired or was already used, or someone entered a wrong code five times. Each link or code works once, for 10 minutes. Click Sign In Again to start over.

Video Call Problems

If a booking page doesn't offer a video service, or a booking has no call link, see Meeting Accounts. You can also add a call link to a booking yourself. See Adding a Call Link Yourself.