Disable "Email organizer" by default in Microsoft Outlook email meeting invites on macOS

Question

I'm using the Microsoft Outlook Office 365 desktop client for macOS, via my work computer. Version 16.58 currently.

When I receive a meeting invite, the option is checked on by default to "Email organizer" when responding to an event.

Maybe I don't fully grok the Outlook way of doing things, but I don't want to email the sender every time I accept an invite. It pollutes their inbox and my "Sent" folder.

But this checkbox is re-enabled for every new meeting invite I receive.

How can I set the default behavior to NOT "Email organizer" when I respond to an event?

---

Screenshot:

RSVP to this event
Optional message to organizer
Email organizer (slider/checkbox)
Accept | Tentative | Decline | Propose New Time

In previous versions of Outlook, this same behavior (?) may have been phrased:

Respond With Comments
Respond Without Comments
Do Not Send a Response

Answer 1

There is not a way to change the default behavior of the "Email organizer" toggle, neither for meetings that you organize nor for meetings that you respond to.

You can set up a Rule that automatically deletes Acceptance emails by clicking the Tools menu, followed by Rules. Create a new rule that deletes emails when the subject includes "Accepted:" (see screenshot)

I suggest keeping Tentative/Decline emails because those might contain messages from the other person that explain why they can't Accept the meeting, or might contain a new proposed time.

Finally, although the organizer can open the meeting on their calendar to see who has accepted it, many people aren't aware of that and rely on the email response to see who has accepted their meeting. I was once called out by a former boss for not accepting their meeting invitations, when in fact I had accepted them with the "Email Organizer" option turned off. Based on that and other experiences, I've found it's best to keep the toggle on.