Can Microsoft Bookings send SMS text reminders?

Which countries are supported#

The Microsoft documents don't agree, so here is what each one says as of September 2026:

Safe assumption: US, Canadian and UK numbers work. If your customers are in Australia or the Netherlands, test with a real number before you rely on it. In a 2024 Q&A thread where Enable text message notifications was greyed out, a Microsoft support engineer confirmed SMS wasn't available outside the US, Canada and the UK, so elsewhere the option may not be usable at all.

How to turn SMS on#

1. Tenant setting (admin). In the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to Settings → Org settings → Bookings and make sure SMS is allowed. The Bookings admin doc calls it "Allow Microsoft to send SMS messages". The Teams admin doc calls it "Allow Microsoft to send SMS text message notifications". It's on by default.
2. Licence. Assign Teams Premium. The Bookings service description lists it as a requirement for SMS. A licensing change on 1 April 2026 moved some Teams Premium features into Teams Enterprise, but the licensing page still lists Bookings SMS under Teams Premium.
3. Per service. Open your shared booking page → Services → the service → Notifications, then tick Enable text message notifications for your customer. Save.
4. Customer opt-in. The booking form shows an opt-in box. Customers who don't tick it get email only, and anyone can reply STOP to opt out.

In the Bookings app in Teams, the same option sits under Settings → Appointment type → Add appointment type → Send them text messages.

When SMS options are missing or texts don't arrive#

• Option greyed out or not shown: no Teams Premium licence, SMS turned off for the tenant, or a region outside the supported list.
• Government cloud: not available in GCC, GCC High or DoD, per the service description.
• Customer didn't opt in: check the booking. SMS only goes to customers who ticked the box.
• Number outside the supported countries: those numbers won't receive texts.
• Staff selection: one Q&A user found texts only went out when Allow customers to choose a particular staff for booking was on. That's a community report, not documented behaviour, but it's a quick thing to test.
• Group services: the current Bookings docs don't say whether SMS works for services with more than one attendee. Test before you depend on it.

Teams admins can see what was sent in the Teams admin center under Analytics & reports → Usage reports → SMS notifications usage. Microsoft says it includes the time sent, message type and delivery status.

What Bookings SMS can't do#

As of September 2026, SMS can't run a two-way exchange such as "reply Y to confirm" (a 2023 Q&A answer confirms it's notify-only), and Microsoft doesn't document any way to edit the text of the messages or choose the sending number. Email reminders are far more flexible on timing and content. See Bookings email reminders, and the no-show reduction guide for combining the two. Licence questions are covered in Bookings licence requirements.

If text reminders matter more than keeping scheduling in Microsoft 365, standalone schedulers handle SMS without a Teams Premium licence. SimplyBook.me, for example, sells SMS credits or lets you connect your own gateway; Microsoft Bookings vs SimplyBook.me covers what you'd gain and lose.

BookingsXP is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft.