Managing waitlist entries

View waitlist from the calendar.

Quick answer: Open a full session on the calendar to see who is on the waitlist, manually notify the next person, or remove an entry.

2 min readFor Business, StaffReviewed 9 June 2026

Before you start

  • Waitlist enabled
  • At least one fixed-session or one-off service

Overview

When a class or event is full, customers can join the waitlist from your booking page. From the calendar you can see the queue for any session, notify someone manually, or remove entries you no longer need.

  • Waitlist appears on full capacity sessions
  • Entries are ordered first-come
  • Up to 10 customers per slot
  • Automatic emails fire when spots open — you can also notify manually
Calendar group dialog with waitlist entries
Waitlist entries appear when you open a full session on the calendar.

Before you start

Note

Waitlist only applies to fixed-session and one-off services with capacity — not flexible 1:1 appointments.

Waitlist settingsRead →

Step-by-step

  1. Open the calendar

    Go to Calendar and find the session that is full or has a waitlist.

    Look for: Calendar

  2. Click the session

    Open the group slot dialog to see bookings and the waitlist section.

    Waitlist section with notify and remove actions
    Each entry shows name, email, status, and how many times they were notified.
  3. Notify or remove an entry

    Use Notify to send the spot-available email immediately. Use Remove to take someone off the list without notifying them.

    Look for: Notify

What happens next

When a booking is cancelled, Sway automatically emails the first active waitlist entry (subject to your minimum notice and cooldown settings). If they don't book, the next person can be notified after the cooldown.

Waitlist emails & timing rulesRead →

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Staff with calendar access can view and manage waitlist entries the same as owners and admins.