# Blackouts

There may be reasons where you want to block certain dates in the availability calendar so that a customer can't rent items across those dates. This is often referred to as a "blackout dates", or in Product Rentals Pro, simply Blackouts.

A Blackout is the blocking of dates for any reason that isn't a rental. In Product Rentals Pro, a Blackout can be across your whole store, or it can be for selected Products and Variants. Some examples for why you might create a Blackout, include:

* Your store is closed for a couple of weeks across the Christmas & New Year period. You aren't accepting pickups and aren't dispatching postal rentals over this period. 
* A Product is out-of-action for a while, due to needing repair or a parts replacement. You have a good idea how long what will take, so you create a Blackout for this Product/Variant for the expected dates.
* You or a staff member will be using a Product for personal use for a period of time (however, you may decide it's better to put this through as a [manual rental](/user-guide/managing-rentals/creating-a-rental-manually.md)).
* A number of your Products are required for a marketing photo shoot over a couple of set days

### Creating a Blackout

1. Go to "Blackouts" from the Product Rentals Pro app menu
2. Click the "Add Blackout" button at the top right of screen\
   ![](/files/YHExuqQehsYLf6q6iTqH)
3. Complete the [Blackout form fields](https://docs.productrentalspro.com/user-guide/) and **Save.**

For an explanation of each of the form fields in the Blackout form, see:

{% content-ref url="/pages/XYFFsa5gRQdhc6gI0j04" %}
[Blackout Form Fields & Options](/user-guide/managing-rentals/blackouts/blackout-form-fields-and-options.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

### Editing a Blackout

1. Go to "Blackouts" from the Product Rentals Pro app menu
2. Click the name of the Blackout you wish to Edit.
3. Update the [Blackout form fields](/user-guide/managing-rentals/blackouts/blackout-form-fields-and-options.md) and **Save.**

For an explanation of each of the form fields in the Blackout form, see:

{% content-ref url="/pages/XYFFsa5gRQdhc6gI0j04" %}
[Blackout Form Fields & Options](/user-guide/managing-rentals/blackouts/blackout-form-fields-and-options.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

### Deleting a Blackout

1. Go to "Blackouts" from the Product Rentals Pro app menu
2. Click the name of the Blackout you wish to Delete.
3. Once the Blackout form screen loads, click the **Delete Blackout** button at the top right of screen.\
   ![](/files/BEOcA9PrfMYSMAN2ZBax)
4. The confirmation dialog pops up asking if you're sure you want to delete. Click **Delete** to proceed.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.productrentalspro.com/user-guide/managing-rentals/blackouts.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.