Blocking time and recurring events
Block unavailable time on your calendar, make blocks repeat, and update or delete blocked time when your schedule changes.
Use blocked time for exceptions to your normal schedule: lunch, admin time, a conference, or any other time that should not be bookable. Use availability for your regular working hours. For regular schedule setup, see Setting up your calendar and availability.
How do I see blocked time on the calendar?
In the left sidebar, click Calendar. Use My Calendar to view your own schedule. In Week view, blocked time appears on the time grid alongside visits, off hours and busy time from connected calendars.
Blocked time is shown as a neutral hatched block with its title. Busy time from Google Calendar is shown as Busy and marked as Google Calendar when you open its details. Both types mark that time as unavailable on the calendar.
If you hover over an open slot in Week view, the calendar can show quick actions for New visit and Block time. These quick actions do not appear over visits, blocked time or busy time.
How do I block time?
In the left sidebar, click Calendar. If your sidebar shows Calendars instead, click Calendars. Use Block Time on My Calendar in Week view when you need to mark time as unavailable without creating a visit.
- Select Block Time.
- Enter a Title for the block.
- Choose the Date.
- Turn on All day if the whole day should be unavailable. Otherwise, set Starts and Ends.
- Choose a color if you want the block's left rail to stand out.
- Select Block time.
The block appears on the calendar and marks that time as unavailable. A title is required, and the end time must be after the start time.
You can also hover over an empty time slot in Week view and select the block-time icon. When you start from a slot, the dialog opens with that time already selected.
How do I make blocked time repeat?
In the left sidebar, click Calendar. If your sidebar shows Calendars instead, click Calendars. Create repeating blocked time from My Calendar in Week view when the same unavailable period happens on a schedule, such as a weekly lunch or a monthly meeting.
- Select Block Time.
- Enter the block's Title, Date, Starts and Ends.
- Choose how the block repeats.
- Select Block time.
The repeating block is added to the calendar. Recurring blocked time shows a repeat marker on the event when there is enough space to display it.
How do I edit blocked time?
In the left sidebar, click Calendar. If your sidebar shows Calendars instead, click Calendars. Open blocked time from My Calendar in Week view when the title, color, date, time or repeat settings need to change.
- Select the blocked time on the calendar.
- Update the Title, Date, All day, Starts, Ends, color or repeat settings.
- Select Save changes.
- If the block repeats, choose whether the change applies to the event you opened or to the series.
The calendar updates after the change is saved. Repeat changes apply only when you choose All events.
How do I move or resize blocked time?
In the left sidebar, click Calendar. If your sidebar shows Calendars instead, click Calendars. When blocked time can be edited on the Week view grid, you can move it without opening the dialog first.
- Drag the blocked time to another slot to move it.
- Drag the top or bottom edge to change its start or end time.
- Review the Edit blocked time dialog that opens with the new time.
- Select Save changes.
A block that crosses midnight is split visually across days. The editor opens the whole occurrence, not the individual midnight-split piece.
How do I delete blocked time?
In the left sidebar, click Calendar. If your sidebar shows Calendars instead, click Calendars. Use My Calendar in Week view when blocked time should no longer make the slot unavailable.
- Select the blocked time on the calendar.
- Select Delete.
- If the block repeats, choose whether to delete this event or the series.
The blocked time is removed from the calendar after the delete action finishes.
What is the difference between availability and blocked time?
In the left sidebar, click Calendar. If your sidebar shows Calendars instead, click Calendars. Use Edit Availability on My Calendar for your standard bookable hours, date overrides and booking rules. Availability controls the hours that booking pages follow, and off-hours appear on the calendar outside those hours.
Use Block Time for exceptions inside or across those hours. A block is a calendar event that says you are unavailable, the same way busy time from a connected calendar makes you unavailable.
Availability also includes booking rules such as Timezone, Appointment length, Buffer, Minimum notice and Booking window. Blocked time only controls a specific unavailable period.
What can't I do here?
Calendar actions are limited in these ways:
- You cannot save blocked time without a Title.
- You cannot save blocked time with an end time that is before or the same as the start time.
- You cannot edit or delete Google Calendar busy time from the calendar grid.
- Quick actions for New visit and Block time are available in Week view and do not appear over visits, blocked time or Google Calendar busy time.
- If your account cannot make schedule changes, New Visit and Block Time are not shown.
Common questions
Do Google Calendar events make me unavailable in Ona?
Yes. Busy time from a connected Google Calendar appears as Busy on the Ona calendar and is treated as unavailable. In the left sidebar, click Settings (at the bottom), then click Calendar Sync in settings to manage the connection. See Syncing with Google Calendar.
Can I create an all-day block?
Yes. Turn on All day in the Block time dialog. Ona sets the block to cover the whole day and hides the start and end time pickers.
Why can't I create a visit in a slot?
The quick-create action appears only in Week view, and is hidden when the slot overlaps a visit, blocked time or busy time from a connected calendar. Choose another open slot, or edit the block if the time should be available.
Can blocked time have a color?
Yes. The color appears on the block's left rail. The block body stays neutral so visits remain easier to scan on a busy calendar.
When should I change availability instead of blocking time?
Change availability when the pattern is part of your normal schedule. Block time when you need an exception, such as one afternoon out, a recurring meeting or an all-day closure.
Related guides