← Al Davies, 250 High Street

SharePoint calendar overlay will not show another list

Short answer: if the overlay says "Unable to find lists with calendar view in the specified web.", the list either has no Calendar view or is not the right kind of list. The overlay can only show lists made from the Events or Calendar list templates, in the same site collection. A calendar view on a custom list will not appear. If the list qualifies, create a view of type Calendar on it and add the overlay again. On a modern site, Microsoft points to Microsoft 365 group calendars and the Group calendar web part instead.

The Events or Calendar template rule comes from one Microsoft Q&A answer written in November 2023. It is not a Microsoft help article, so test it on a copy of your list.

What this page covers

This page is for people who use the Calendar Overlay setting on a SharePoint calendar and cannot pick the list they want. It covers what the error means, the two checks that matter, the steps in order, and what to do when the overlay cannot work. It does not cover Exchange or Microsoft 365 group calendars in depth.

Microsoft's overlay help page lists SharePoint Server 2016, 2013 and 2010 under Applies To. For a modern view, the same page says "SharePoint offers a modern experience with Microsoft 365 group calendars." Exact names may differ on your screen.

What the error is telling you

The message says SharePoint could not find lists with a calendar view at the web address you resolved. The person who asked in the Community Hub thread had a list that already looked like a calendar. They said the message was misleading. The thread does not state a confirmed cause. The fix that worked points to this: the overlay looks for a list that has a view of type Calendar, not just a list that looks like a calendar.

Check 1. Does the list have a Calendar view?

This is the first check, because it is the fix from the thread. A reply in that thread gave these steps, and the list then showed up in the overlay settings:

  1. Open List Settings for the list you want to overlay.
  2. Scroll to the bottom and select Create View.
  3. Choose Calendar View and set it up.
  4. Go back to the Calendar Overlay settings and try again.

If your list is a newer Microsoft Lists list, Microsoft describes making a calendar view this way: select Add view, name it, set Show as to Calendar, pick the start and end date columns, then select Create. See Microsoft's page "Create a calendar view from a list". A calendar view needs at least one Date and time column. If an item has one date only, you can use the same column for start and end. By default the label shown on each event is the Title column. You can change it under More options.

Check 2. Was the list made from the Events or Calendar template?

A Microsoft Q&A answer says only lists created from the Events or Calendar list templates can be overlaid. It says a calendar view on a custom list is only a calendar display and cannot be overlaid. This is one answer, not a Microsoft help page, so treat it as a strong lead and test it on your site.

Check this way: if you made the list from a blank list and added dates yourself, it is a custom list. If Check 1 did not help and your list is a custom list, this check is the likely reason.

Check 3. Are both calendars in the same site collection?

Microsoft's overlay help page says the SharePoint calendar you overlay must be in the same site collection as the group calendar. The Q&A answer also says the overlay in SharePoint Online does not support calendars from different site collections. If your two lists sit in different sites that do not share a site collection, the list will not appear. Ask your admin if you are not sure how your sites are arranged.

Check 4. Did you resolve the web address first?

On the settings page, you enter the web address of the site that holds the calendar and then resolve it. Only then does the List drop-down fill in. If you skip the resolve step, the drop-down stays empty. The web address is prefilled when the calendar is in the same site.

The overlay steps in order

Microsoft's help page lists these steps for the classic overlay:

  1. On the Calendar tab of the SharePoint calendar, open Calendar Overlay.
  2. On the settings page, add a new calendar.
  3. Enter a name and choose SharePoint as the type.
  4. Choose a color. Different colors help people tell the calendars apart.
  5. Enter the web address and resolve it.
  6. Open the List drop-down and pick the calendar.
  7. Choose a list view.
  8. Check Always Show if you want it on all the time. If you leave it off, people can switch the overlay on and off.
  9. Select OK twice.

Limits to know

If the overlay cannot work

Your list type decides whether the overlay can work at all:

Options when the overlay cannot work. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: for a modern site, use the Group calendar web part with a Microsoft 365 group calendar, as Microsoft's help page points to. Or copy the dates into an Events list with a Power Automate flow, and overlay that list. If you build a copy flow, add a loop guard so the flow does not trigger itself.

Another way to start: keep all events in one list and add a Choice column called Calendar, with values like Team A, Team B and Shared. Make one calendar view of that single list, then one extra view per team that filters on the Choice column. Anyone with access to the list can open another view and see every row.

What to avoid

A quick test plan

  1. Make a copy of the list you want to overlay.
  2. On the copy, create a Calendar view.
  3. Try the overlay with the copy.
  4. If it shows up, make the same view on the real list.
  5. If it does not, check the template and the site collection.

For other date-based lists, see "A volunteer schedule for a church or club in SharePoint" and "A shift swap request tracker in SharePoint".

When to get help

You can build all of this yourself in Microsoft 365. If you would rather have it built and tested for your team, I do that. A tracker like this is a fixed price: $5,000 for one, built in 2 weeks. See "What a SharePoint tracker costs to build". Bring one example of the problem to a free call.

Tell me what's still manual

I am Al Davies. I run 250 High Street LLC and build SharePoint trackers and Power Automate flows for operations teams. I work remotely. The first call is free, and I will not try to sell you anything.

See trackers I built: Tools I built

FAQ

Why does the overlay say it cannot find lists with a calendar view?

In one Microsoft Community Hub thread, the list had no view of type Calendar. Creating one fixed it. A Microsoft Q&A answer also says the list must come from the Events or Calendar template.

Can I overlay a custom list with a calendar view?

A Microsoft Q&A answer says no, a calendar view on a custom list is only a display. Test it on a copy of your list.

How many calendars can I overlay?

Microsoft's overlay help page says up to four Exchange or SharePoint calendars in total.

Can I overlay a calendar from another site?

Only if it is in the same site collection. Microsoft's help page says so, and a Q&A answer says SharePoint Online does not support different site collections.

What do I use on a modern SharePoint site instead of the overlay?

Microsoft's overlay help page points to Microsoft 365 group calendars and the Group calendar web part.

Sources