Block availability for vacation or holidays (V2)
This article looks at blocking availability on the new version of YCBM (V2), released in September 2026. You can check which version you are on by looking at the footer of your account. For instructions on how to do this on our Classic (V1) version, please see this page.
Everyone deserves a break. In YouCanBookMe, you have two ways to stop bookings during time off: blocking time in your calendar, or using the 'Set yourself offline' feature for longer absences.
Method 1: Block time in your calendar
The simplest way to block out specific days or times is to add a busy event to the calendar linked in your User Profile. YouCanBookMe reads your calendar for conflicts, so any event marked as Busy will prevent bookings during that time.
Blocking time in Google Calendar
Open your Google Calendar in a browser.
Click Create and choose More options.
Make sure the event is on the same calendar linked in your YCBM User Profile.
Check the All day box for full-day blocks, or set specific start and end times.
Set the event status to Busy.
In Google and Microsoft calendars, all day events default to FREE. If you create an all day blocking event, be sure to double check the event is set to BUSY.
Those days or times will no longer appear as available on your YouCanBookMe booking pages.
Blocking time in Microsoft Outlook
Create a new event in your Outlook calendar.
Make sure the event is on the same calendar linked in your YCBM User Profile.
Check the All day box for full-day blocks, or set specific start and end times.
Set the event status to Busy.
Those days or times will no longer appear as available on your YouCanBookMe booking pages.
Blocking time when using the Groups feature
If you use the Groups feature, you can add YCBM-OVERRIDE-UNITS to the event title to close off all available slots during that period. See the Reduce or completely block the number of available slots on a specific day(s) section on this page.
Method 2: Set yourself offline (recommended for longer absences)
For extended time off — such as parental leave, an extended vacation, or when a team member is no longer active — the 'Set yourself offline' feature is the quickest way to stop all bookings across every page you are a participant on, without needing to block time day by day in your calendar.
Setting yourself offline
Go to your Account settings (click your name or avatar in the top navigation).
Click Working Hours, toggle the Set yourself offline
You will be immediately removed from availability on all booking pages you participate in. Existing bookings are not affected.
Admins: setting a team member offline
Account owners and admins can set any team member offline from the Members menu in the top navigation. Find the team member in the list, open their profile, and toggle their status to Offline.
This is particularly useful when someone goes on extended leave or has left the organization. Their booking history remains visible in your account's booking activity log.
When to use each method: Calendar blocking is best for specific, short periods. Setting yourself offline is better for extended absences.
For further questions, contact our team at support@youcanbook.me.
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