How to set meeting duration on a scheduling poll

A heatmap cell is 30 minutes. Your meeting might be an hour. Free2Meet lets you set an optional meeting duration when you create a datetime poll. If you do, best-times mode ranks windows where the whole group stays free for the full length — not just the busiest single slot.

Duration is optional. Leave it on Any duration when you are exploring overlap or the length is flexible. Set 30 minutes, 1 hour, 1.5 hours, or 2 hours when you already know how long the meeting needs to be. This guide covers when to choose each, how best-times uses duration, and what to do when nobody fits the full window.

Duration is a create-time setting for datetime polls — it powers best-times ranking, not a limit on what respondents can paint.

Where to set duration

1. Open create event and choose Dates & Times (duration does not apply to dates-only polls).
2. Set your daily time window and candidate dates as usual.
3. Find How long is the event? — optional dropdown: Any duration, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours.
4. Create and share the poll. Respondents paint free slots the same way either way.

Respondents may see a note that the organiser expects a certain length — it helps them think in meeting-sized blocks. They still mark any free times on the grid; duration affects how you read results, not what they can select.

What each option means

• Any duration — best-times highlights the longest contiguous runs at maximum overlap. Good for “when are most of us free?” before the agenda is fixed.
• 30 minutes — standups, quick syncs, one-on-ones. Smallest window; easiest to find full overlap.
• 1 hour — default for most team meetings and client calls.
• 1.5 or 2 hours — workshops, reviews, offsites. Harder to align; best-times shows whether a full block exists.

How best-times uses duration

The grid uses 30-minute cells. When duration is set to 1 hour, best-times looks for two consecutive cells where the same people are free — a contiguous 60-minute window. The banner can read like Best: Thu 3:00pm — 5/6 free for that full span.

• Explicit duration — only windows that fit the full length rank at the top.
• Any duration — ranks the longest stretch of darkest cells per day (flexible length).
• Heatmap vs Best times — heatmap shows every cell; best-times filters to winners. See how to read the heatmap.

When to set duration vs leave it open

• Set duration — calendar invite needs a fixed length; workshop agenda is 90 minutes; you want the banner to do the scanning.
• Leave Any duration — social hangouts, “sometime Tuesday afternoon,” or you might shorten the meeting if overlap is thin.
• Two-poll pattern — dates-only to pick the day, datetime + 1 hour to pick the slot (see dates-only vs datetime).

Nobody fits the full duration?

1. Check best-times for a shorter ranked window if any appear (sometimes a 30-minute peak exists inside a 1-hour ask).
2. Widen the poll’s daily time window or add another candidate day.
3. Nudge stragglers — overlap may improve when missing people answer.
4. Shorten the meeting in real life, or run a follow-up poll with two specific slots only.

Picking among top windows: how to pick the best meeting time.

Common questions

• Can I change duration after creating? — No. Create a new poll if the length changed; it takes about 30 seconds.
• Does duration limit the grid? — No. It only affects best-times ranking and the organiser banner.
• 15-minute meetings? — Grid step is 30 minutes; use 30 minutes as the minimum practical duration.
• Multi-day events? — Duration applies per meeting slot on each day in the window, not across days.

Related reads

Create a poll · Read the heatmap · Pick the winner · Dates-only vs datetime.

Questions we get

We set duration when the invite needs a real length — otherwise Any duration keeps the poll flexible. — The Free2Meet team