Closures, breaks & blocks
Block time for holidays, lunch breaks, staff time off, and one-off closures.
Quick answer: Use scheduling settings for closures and recurring breaks, the calendar for quick blocks, and Team for staff time off. Blocks remove availability without deleting services.
Overview
Availability blocks mark time when you or your team cannot take bookings. They work alongside business hours and service schedules to control which slots customers see.
| Block type | Where to manage | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Holiday closures | Scheduling settings | Multi-day closures, annual leave |
| Recurring breaks | Scheduling settings | Daily lunch breaks |
| Quick calendar blocks | Calendar | One-off unavailable periods |
| Staff time off | Team | Individual staff unavailable |
| UK bank holidays | Scheduling settings | Auto-block public holidays |
Screenshot coming soon
Before you start
Note
Blocks hide slots from your booking page but do not cancel existing bookings. Handle affected bookings manually.
Common tasks
Add a holiday closure
Block a date range when the whole business is closed.
Screenshot coming soon
Closures span one or more days. Set recurring breaks
Block the same time window on selected weekdays — e.g. lunch 12:00–13:00.
Screenshot coming soon
Breaks repeat every week on chosen days. Quick-add from calendar
Click and drag on the calendar to block a specific period without opening settings.
How blocks affect bookings
Blocked times are excluded when Sway calculates available slots. Customers won't see those times on your booking page. Staff calendars show blocks so you know when you're unavailable.
How slots are calculatedRead →Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Business-wide closures and breaks affect everyone. Staff time off and custom hours apply to individual team members.
Related articles
Settings
Holiday closures
Block date ranges when your business is closed — bank holidays, annual leave, or renovations.
Settings
Recurring breaks
Shared lunch breaks and recurring time blocks for the whole business.
Availability & blocks
Staff time off
Mark when team members are unavailable — holidays, sick days, and personal leave.
Availability & blocks
How slots are calculated
How Sway combines hours, blocks, buffers, smart booking, and staff into bookable times.
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