To review calendar invitations that still need your response, open Calendar on your Mac, click the Notifications button in the toolbar, and choose New. Review the listed invitations and select Accept, Decline, or Maybe for each event. This is the direct route for invitations already delivered to Calendar; it does not search every email account for invitations that Calendar has not received or imported. Reply to invitations in Calendar on Mac — Apple Support.

Find invitations that still need a response

Open the Calendar app and look at its toolbar for the Notifications button. Click it, then choose New. Apple describes this list as the place to reply to invitations received in Calendar. A number beside the toolbar button indicates new notifications for invitations and changes to events and shared calendars, so treat it as a count of notifications rather than a precise count of unanswered event invitations. Reply to invitations in Calendar on Mac — Apple Support.

When the list opens, review each item before choosing a response. An event invitation offers Accept, Decline, or Maybe. A shared-calendar invitation is a different request and offers Join Calendar or Decline. If you see an invitation from an unknown sender that you consider unwanted, Apple documents a Report Junk control for that case. Reply to invitations in Calendar on Mac — Apple Support.

Respond without opening Mail

Choose a response on the invitation in Calendar. If you need context first, open the event details from Calendar and inspect the time and event information, then decide whether to accept, decline, or tentatively respond. If your decision is not final, Maybe records a tentative response; it is not the same as leaving the invitation unanswered.

You can also act from a Calendar notification. Depending on the notification and its controls, click the notification to reply in Calendar, or use the offered buttons. For notifications shown in Notification Center, click Notifications at the top of Notification Center and select the invitation. Availability of buttons varies: Apple notes that some notifications have buttons while others open Calendar for the reply. Reply to invitations in Calendar on Mac — Apple Support.

Use the badge as a reminder, not as the invitation list

If the Calendar icon in the Dock shows a red badge, that badge counts pending notifications for invitations and changes to events and shared calendars. Likewise, a number beside a calendar name in Calendar’s list signals notifications associated with that calendar. These indicators can help you notice activity, but the number is not documented as a count of invitations awaiting your personal RSVP. Open Notifications > New to inspect the actual items and decide what needs action. Reply to invitations in Calendar on Mac — Apple Support.

The symbols on event entries answer a different question: they can describe responses to invitations you sent. For example, Apple says an event symbol for invitees who did not respond can mean you have not sent the invitation, no one has responded, or responses are mixed. Do not mistake an organizer’s invitee-response symbol for a marker that you personally have an unanswered invitation. Symbols used in Calendar on Mac — Apple Support.

If the invitation is missing from New

First check whether Calendar is configured to show invitation messages. In Calendar, choose Calendar > Settings, select Alerts, and check Show invitation messages in Notification Center. Apple says this setting controls whether event invitation and change notifications appear in Notification Center; if it is off, notices can still arrive in Calendar or by email. This checkbox is about notification display and is not a search or import function. Change Alerts settings in Calendar on Mac — Apple Support.

Next, confirm that the relevant calendar account is available in Calendar and that the invitation has reached it. Calendar’s New list is for invitations received in Calendar. For iCloud calendar events, Apple notes that an invitation may also arrive in Mail, so seeing an email copy does not mean the email must be searched to respond when the invitation is already in Calendar. However, if the invitation exists only as an email attachment and has not been added to Calendar, Apple’s documented route is to open that attachment, then return to Calendar and use Notifications > New. Reply to invitations in Calendar on Mac — Apple Support.

If there is no Notifications button in the toolbar, inspect Calendar’s toolbar and app window before assuming there are no pending invitations. The Calendar guide identifies this button as the entry point for the notifications list and says its number reflects new notifications. If the invitation is missing after checking the list and account, the supported steps do not provide a universal command to find every unimported invitation across email providers; use the relevant account’s invitation delivery path to get it into Calendar. Send and receive invitations to events in Calendar on Mac — Apple Support.

Build a short review routine

A practical review takes three passes: open Notifications > New, respond to the invitations that are ready for a decision, then leave undecided items for a later review or choose Maybe if you are willing to send a tentative reply. Use Replied only when you need to revisit responses you have already sent: Apple documents it as the place to find an invitation and change your reply. Reply to invitations in Calendar on Mac — Apple Support.

This keeps the task focused on Calendar’s own invitation queue rather than an email search. Wallo can help organize existing open Mac windows and to-dos by goal, with keyboard focusing, if you want the Calendar review alongside other work. It does not replace Calendar’s invitation list or retrieve invitations that have not arrived in Calendar.

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