Bookings
Blocking Out Time
Block time on any staff member's calendar for breaks, meetings, or training so customers cannot book that slot. Works on web and mobile.
Last updated 11 August 2026
Reserve time on the calendar for breaks, training, meetings, or personal tasks so that customers cannot book those slots.
TL;DR
- Blocking out time reserves a staff member's calendar so customers cannot book that slot
- Duration ranges from 15 minutes to 8 hours in 15-minute increments
- Short blocks can repeat daily, weekdays, weekly, fortnightly, or monthly
- Most common mistake: looking for the "Block out time" toolbar button on mobile, it does not exist there
- On mobile, long-press an empty time slot instead
Overview
Blocking out time lets you:
- Reserve a time slot on a specific staff member's calendar
- Choose a reason (lunch break, training, meeting, and more)
- Set a custom duration from 15 minutes to 8 hours
- Repeat slot-level blocks for recurring breaks, training, meetings, or admin time
- Remove blocks when plans change
Blocked time appears on the calendar as a grey block labelled with the reason you selected.
For full-day, multi-day, or multi-staff closures, use the calendar toolbar Block out time sheet instead of the slot-level dialog.
Whole-venue all-day blocks can also be made request-only so customers send an enquiry instead of self-booking that date. See Appointment-Only Days.
Creating a Time Block
On Web
There are three ways to create a time block:
Click an empty slot: Click any empty time slot on the Day, 3-Day, or Week calendar view. The Block Out Time dialog opens with that staff member and time pre-filled.
Toolbar button: Click "Block out time" (with the ban icon) in the calendar toolbar. This button is visible on desktop-sized screens. The dialog opens with the first staff member and the next available 15-minute slot as defaults.
Right-click: Right-click an empty time slot and select "Block out time" from the context menu.
In the Block Out Time dialog:
- The selected staff member and start time appear at the top
- Select a Reason from the dropdown:
| Reason | Stored Value |
|---|---|
| Lunch Break | Lunch |
| Personal Time | Personal |
| Training | Training |
| Meeting | Meeting |
| Processing Time | Processing |
| Other | Other |
- Select a Duration using the quick buttons or enter a custom value:
| Quick Button | Duration |
|---|---|
| 30 | 30 minutes |
| 60 (default) | 60 minutes |
| 90 | 90 minutes |
| 120 | 120 minutes |
To enter a custom duration, type a value in the text field below the buttons. The minimum is 15 minutes and the maximum is 480 minutes (8 hours), in 15-minute increments.
- Choose a Repeat option if the block should recur:
| Repeat option | Use for |
|---|---|
| Does not repeat | One-off breaks or personal time |
| Daily | Daily admin or cleaning windows |
| Weekdays | Monday-Friday lunch or prep blocks |
| Weekly | Same day and time each week |
| Fortnightly | Every second week |
| Monthly | Same date each month when that date exists |
Recurring blocks need an end condition: either an occurrence count or an end date. OpenChair shows a plain-language summary and expected created/skipped count before you save, such as "Every Monday at 12:00 PM for 60 min · 10 blocks · Creates 9 blocks · 1 skipped due to conflicts".
- Click Block Out Time to create the block
A toast confirms: "Time blocked out".
Block a booking's processing gap
When a booking includes free processing time, choose Block this gap from that processing phase. OpenChair locks the staff member, date, start time, and duration to the exact current gap; you only choose the reason. Processing-gap blocks cannot repeat.
The gap is checked again when you save. If the booking or processing phase changed, refresh the calendar and try Block this gap again. OpenChair ignores only the verified parent booking while still rejecting another booking or time block that occupies the gap.
On Mobile
Long-press an empty time slot on the calendar, then select "Block out time" from the action sheet.
The Block Out Time sheet opens:
- The selected staff member and start time appear at the top (e.g., "Starting at 9:30 AM")
- Select a Reason from the radio buttons (same 6 options as web)
- Select a Duration using the preset buttons or tap Custom to enter a value:
| Quick Button | Duration |
|---|---|
| 30m | 30 minutes |
| 45m | 45 minutes |
| 1h (default) | 60 minutes |
| 1.5h | 90 minutes |
| 2h | 120 minutes |
| Custom | Opens a text input (15 to 480 minutes) |
- Tap Block Out Time to create the block
Tip
On mobile, you can also go to the full block time page via the calendar menu, where you can pick a specific staff member, date, and time range with separate start and end time pickers.
Viewing a Blocked Time Slot
Blocked time appears on the calendar with its team-visible reason or custom title. A private title is shown as Unavailable to peers, while the creator and owners/managers retain the authorised detail.
To view the details of an existing block:
On web: Click the blocked time block on the calendar. A "Blocked Time" dialog shows:
- Staff name
- Time range (e.g., "2:30 PM - 3:30 PM")
- Duration in minutes
- Reason or authorised custom title
- Edit, Duplicate, and Remove actions for direct blocks you are allowed to manage
On mobile: Tap the blocked time indicator on the calendar. The "Blocked Time" sheet shows the same details.
Approved time off is managed from its request rather than as a generic calendar block. When you open a request-owned block, choose Manage time off to withdraw, retry, or cancel it from the Time off screen. Older app versions fail closed and tell you to open Time off; they do not remove the block or leave Approved history stale.
Removing a Time Block
- Click or tap the blocked time block on the calendar
- In the details dialog/sheet, choose the removal scope and select Remove blocked time
- The block is deleted and the time slot becomes available for bookings
For recurring blocks, choose This block, This + future, or Entire series before removing.
A confirmation explains whether the action removes this occurrence, this and future occurrences, or every unelapsed occurrence in the series. Past entries remain unchanged.
Note
Owners and Managers can manage direct blocks across the venue. Staff can inspect, edit, duplicate, and remove blocks on their own staff calendar, but cannot manage another team member's blocks. Approved request-owned time off must be managed from Time off.
Validation Rules
When creating a time block, OpenChair checks for conflicts:
| Check | Error Message |
|---|---|
| Block overlaps an existing booking | "This time overlaps with an existing booking" |
| Block overlaps another time block | "This time overlaps with an existing block" |
| Staff member not in venue | "Staff not found in this venue" |
| End time not after start time | "End time must be after start time" |
| Duration outside 15 to 480 minute range | "Duration must be between 15 minutes and 8 hours" |
If any check fails, the block is not created and the error message appears as a toast.
Platform Differences
| Feature | Web (Desktop) | iPad | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create from empty slot click | Yes | Yes (long-press) | Yes (long-press) |
| Visible "Block out time" action | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Right-click context menu | Yes | No | No |
| Duration presets | 30, 60, 90, 120 min | 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 min + Custom | 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 min + Custom |
| View block details | Click block | Tap block | Tap block |
| Edit, duplicate, remove direct block | Yes (authorised role) | Yes (authorised role) | Yes (authorised role) |
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Cannot find the "Block out time" button | On phone, open the visible Create menu. On tablet and desktop-sized layouts, use the calendar toolbar. Staff can also long-press an empty slot on their own calendar. |
| "This time overlaps with an existing booking" error | Another booking already occupies that slot. Cancel or reschedule the conflicting booking first, then create the block. |
| "This processing gap is no longer available" | The parent booking or gap changed after the dialog opened. Refresh the calendar, reopen Block this gap, and try again. |
| Cannot remove a time block | Staff can manage only blocks on their own staff calendar. Owners and Managers can manage venue blocks. Request-owned approved time off is managed from Time off. |
| Blocked time not showing on the calendar | Ensure you are viewing the correct date and staff member. Blocked time only appears in Day, 3-Day, and Week views, not in Agenda view. |
Related Articles
Common questions
- How do I block out time on the calendar?
- Click any empty time slot on web, or long-press an empty slot on mobile, then select Block out time. Set a reason, duration (15 min-8 hours), optional repeat rule, and click Block Out Time.
- Who can remove a time block?
- Only Owners and Managers can remove time blocks. Stylists can create blocks but cannot delete them.
- What happens if a block overlaps an existing booking?
- For one-off blocks, OpenChair prevents the block from being created and shows the error 'This time overlaps with an existing booking'. For recurring blocks, the dialog previews the created/skipped count and conflicted occurrences are skipped.
- How long can a time block be?
- Time blocks can be set from 15 minutes to 8 hours (480 minutes) in 15-minute increments.