Outlook Add-in for California Court Deadlines

Not legal advice. Rules attested September 29, 2026; last full pass August 17, 2026. Verify every date yourself. Read the full disclaimer

Each verified rule carries its own date on the methodology page, all of them September 29, 2026: the date the maintaining attorney last attested it. The last full pass, signed off on August 17, 2026, checked the rules against their official sources (the code, the California Rules of Court, or for court holidays the Judicial Council calendar), with the exceptions listed on the about page. Rules still awaiting sign-off are listed on the methodology page as not yet verified. County local rules are paraphrased summaries. Individual department and judge standing orders are included only where the court publishes them and we have read the document, so assume your own department has requirements beyond what you see here. Verify every date against the operative code sections, your court's rules and your department's own order before relying on it. Using this site creates no attorney-client relationship.

The add-in puts this site's deadline calculators in a pane beside your mail. Work out a date, press "Open as Outlook appointment" on any deadline that has not passed, and Outlook opens a new appointment with the deadline, its rule and a link back to the calculator already filled in. You check it and save it.

What it does

Runs the same calculators as the site: civil motions, summary judgment, discovery responses, the response to a complaint, discovery cutoffs, depositions and experts, ex parte notice, notice of appeal and criminal motions.
Opens a pre-filled appointment titled with the deadline and its rule, such as "Opposition due (CCP § 1005(b))". The body carries the authority, a line telling you to verify the date against the rule, and the calculator link. The other side's dates are marked "(other side)".
Does not write to your calendar on its own, does not set a reminder (Outlook uses your default), and cannot make an all-day entry. The appointment opens at 9:00 a.m. on the deadline date; tick All day before you save if you want one.
Where Outlook cannot open the appointment, each deadline downloads as a calendar file instead, and the pane says why.

Install it

Download the manifest file (manifest.xml) and save it somewhere you can find it.
Go to aka.ms/olksideload in your browser and sign in to Outlook if asked. The Add-Ins for Outlook window opens after a few seconds.
Select My add-ins.
At the bottom, under Custom Addins, select Add a custom add-in, then Add from File.
Choose the manifest file you downloaded and accept the prompts.
Open or select any email, then choose Deadline calculator in the Court deadlines group. If it is not on the ribbon: in Outlook on the web and new Outlook, select More apps on the ribbon or Apps on the message; in classic Outlook, select All Apps. The pane opens.

The add-in appears in Outlook on the web, new and classic Outlook on Windows, and Outlook on Mac. Microsoft says classic Outlook can take up to 24 hours to show an add-in added this way. Some firms block custom add-ins. If Add from File is unavailable or fails, ask your IT department.

For firm IT: the same manifest file can be deployed to the whole firm from the Microsoft 365 admin center, under Settings, Integrated apps, Add-ins, Deploy Add-in, by uploading the manifest. Microsoft says a deployed add-in can take 24 to 72 hours to appear.

Updating from an earlier version

An add-in added from a file, or uploaded in the admin center, is a stored copy of the manifest file. If your button says My deadlines, you have the earlier version, and it stays that way until the new file is added. To update, remove the old add-in (below), then follow the install steps above with a freshly downloaded manifest. If your firm's IT deployed the add-in, ask them to deploy the new manifest file.

Remove it

Open aka.ms/olksideload, select My add-ins, find California Court Deadlines under Custom Addins, choose the three dots beside it, then Remove.

Privacy

The add-in asks Outlook for read item, which is all it needs to open an appointment form, and it never reads the selected message. The calculators run in the pane. The appointment is filled in by Outlook inside your own mailbox, so the deadline, its date and any case name you type are never sent to this site. The add-in pane loads Microsoft's Office JavaScript library from Microsoft's servers. Outlook add-ins use that library to work with Outlook. As on every page here, the site counts page views and that a calculation ran, and it counts that an appointment was opened, with no title, date or case name. See privacy.

Without the add-in

Every calculator on the site has an Add to Outlook button that downloads a calendar file, and a saved docket can be subscribed to from Outlook. See California court deadlines in Outlook and the case organizer.

FAQ

Does the add-in put deadlines on my calendar by itself?

No. It opens Outlook's own new appointment window with the deadline filled in. Nothing goes on your calendar until you check it and press Save, or Save & Close in classic Outlook and Outlook on Mac.

Why does the appointment open at 9:00 a.m. instead of all day?

Outlook does not let an add-in fill in an all-day event or a reminder. The add-in opens a half-hour entry at 9:00 a.m. on the deadline date in your Outlook time zone. Tick All day in the window before you save if you want one.

Does the add-in read my email or send my case information anywhere?

No. It asks Outlook for read item, which is all it needs to open an appointment form, and it never reads the message you have selected. The calculations run in the pane, and the appointment is filled in by Outlook in your own mailbox. This site receives no dates, titles or case names from it. The add-in pane loads Microsoft's Office JavaScript library from Microsoft's servers. Outlook add-ins use that library to work with Outlook.

Does it work on my phone?

No. Outlook on iPhone, iPad and Android does not let an add-in open a new appointment, and this add-in is offered only in Outlook on Windows, Mac and the web. On a phone, use Add to Outlook on the site, which downloads a calendar file.