How to Share Google Calendar

Collaborating on your schedule is particularly important for those using calendar software. You may want your colleagues, friends, or family to be able to view your appointments and find slots for when you are free. Luckily, Google Calendar offers robust capabilities for sharing your calendar that you can learn quite easily. 

Maintaining your own calendar keeps you organized, but sharing a calendar means you can coordinate with others. This is especially important for high-velocity teams who may be using Google Calendar to manage their schedules and scheduling meetings for lots of participants. Trying to coordinate these meetings through email alone is a massive time-waster when you know there is a better option out there.

Google Calendar is part of Google Workspace, so naturally, it integrates with Google’s other tools, such as Meet and Gmail. This makes Google Calendar a very attractive option for teams who are already using Google’s other products to complete their work. As a result, you probably want to learn how to share Google Calendar. 

What are the benefits of sharing my calendar? 

Makes it easier to coordinate with your group

When organizing a vacation or even simply planning a trip to the dentist, it can be hard to know when everyone is free. Google shared calendars can help you coordinate with anyone you like and avoid much of the back-and-forth that would result if you avoided using this technology. When there are more than two people involved in the scheduling process, this makes Google Calendar’s sharing feature even more useful. 

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Saves time in organizing meetings

Busy teams are often scheduling meetings that involve lots of people and you want everyone on the team to be able to view the upcoming meetings. If you share a calendar in Google, everyone can have access to the schedule and even view events in different colors to help keep things organized. 

Important people can keep track of your schedule

A shared Google Calendar means important people can keep track of your schedule, no matter what you’re doing. You can control how much detail they see of your appointments and whether or not shared users can make updates to the calendar. In this way, this makes it much easier for people such as your family or team members to check your availability. 

Supercharge your productivity

Instead of wasting time hunting around for the availability of people such as fellow team members or your boss, you can simply consult your shared Google Calendar when you want to schedule a meeting. The Google Calendar app makes it easy to update details and send invites to members so you can see who has accepted or declined. You can avoid the messy process of coordinating via email or Slack when Google Calendar has all the information. 

How do I set up a new Google Calendar? 

The first step to sharing a calendar is setting one up in the first place. Sometimes you might want to share an existing calendar but very frequently you’ll want to create a dedicated calendar to share with particular individuals. Luckily, Google makes it very easy to create a new calendar so you can have multiple calendars, and all you’ll need to do is make sure you’re logged into Google. 

Creating a dedicated calendar is important because you’ll want to keep it clean and guarantee that the people you share it with are only seeing events that are relevant to them. For instance, it could be good to create a shared calendar for your team at work which everyone can use to schedule meetings. When creating a calendar, pay attention to the permissions that you set for invitees so they can’t make unplanned changes. 

To set up a new Google Calendar, follow these steps: 

• Head over to calendar.google.com, or open the Google Apps icon on any Google page. Select the Calendar icon and log into your Google account if you haven’t already. 
• Select the hamburger icon on the top left corner of the Google Calendar page and open up the left menu bar. 
• Scroll down to “Other calendars” and select the plus symbol and select “Create new calendar”. 
• This step will open the settings page for your new calendar where you can enter the name of your new calendar, a description, and set the time zone. 
• Once you’ve entered all your details, select “Create calendar”. 

Your new calendar will be created and you will be given the option to create another new calendar. Create as many calendars as you like until you are satisfied, and then you can move on to sharing your new calendar with invitees. 

How do I share a Google Calendar?

When you first set up a new Google Calendar it is not automatically shared. You have to first create the Google Calendar you want to share before you can invite particular people to collaborate or view. A new Google Calendar is private only to you so you have to follow steps in order to share it with family, friends or colleagues. 

In order to share Google Calendars with others, you will need to have their email addresses to hand so you can send them an invite. Once you invite someone to share your calendar, they will be able to see meetings and appointments, and your calendar will be added to their own Google Calendar account once accepted. 

To share a Google Calendar, follow these steps: 

• Head over to Google Calendar and scroll down the left sidebar to find the calendar you want to share. 
• Select the vertical ellipses next to your calendar to open up a drop down menu where you can select “Settings and sharing”. 
• From here, you will be able to access your calendar Settings and you can scroll down to select “Add people and groups”. 
• A dialogue box called “Share with specific people” will open where you can enter the name or email of the people you want to add to your calendar. 
• Enter as many emails as you would like to add people to the shared calendar. 
• Select the relevant permission for people you want to add from the dropdown and then select “Send” to send out your invites to your chosen people. 

This is the most simple way to add invitees to access your shared calendar, and you can add people in bulk to make the process a relatively fast one. 

How do I manage access to the shared calendar? 

When you’re sharing access to your Google Calendar it’s very important to manage the permissions of what people can see when they view your calendar. For example, you might not want them to view every detail of your appointments but simply be able to discover when you are busy or free. 

Also, you may want to prevent your collaborators from making changes to a Google Calendar event because you want to reserve that privilege for yourself. In this case, you’ll need to change the settings either when you invite other users to collaborate or update the settings of users who already have access. 

Here are the different permissions you can set for your shared Google Calendar: 

• See only free/busy (hide details) – when you choose this setting, users will be able to see when you are free during particular time periods but they will not be able to view the details of your events. Use this option when you want to keep the specifics of your appointments private. 
• See all event details – use this setting when you want users to be able to have more access to details about your event including the name, description, time and location. This is a good option when you want users to be able to know more of the specifics of your appointments. 
• Make changes to events – using this setting, not only will your users have access to the details of your events but they will also be able to make changes. The shared calendar is more open to users who can schedule, change and delete events just as you can. 
• Make changes to events and manage sharing – in this final setting, users not only have access to all your event details and the ability to make changes, but they also have permission to share your entire calendar with others. Choose this option if you want to give users full capabilities to manage the calendar. 

Can you add someone to your Google Calendar?

It’s very possible to add someone to your Google Calendar, as long as you make sure your calendar is already set up. You can only share a calendar with 75 users in a single 24-hour period, after which you may find that you encounter an error message and your calendar becomes read-only for a short period. 

Always be sure of who you are sharing your calendar with and make sure they really need access. Err on the side of caution when it comes to granting permissions and make sure collaborators only see what they need to see. 

Google Calendar is set up in such a way that makes it very easy to add someone to your calendar, as long as you have their email address or they are saved to your contacts. You can add more than one person at a time to your Google Calendar if you desire. 

How do I create a collaborative Google Calendar?

Google calls a collaborative calendar a group calendar, and you can share a calendar with an entire group such as your organization if you set it up within Google. In order to set up a group calendar, you must first create a group and you must also be an administrator. 

You can either create a group in the Admin console or use Google Groups. This makes it easier to send group communications to multiple members instead of individually adding email addresses. Also, your calendar can be shared with a single group so everyone has access to the group calendar. 

To create a collaborative Google Calendar, here’s how to do it:

• Open Google Calendar and then scroll down to your list of calendars. 
• When you get to “Other calendars”, select the “Add” button and then select “Create new calendar”.
• This will take you to a Settings screen where you can fill in the details for your new calendar. 
• Enter the name of the calendar (such as Company Holidays Calendar), the description, and choose a time zone.
• Select “Create calendar” to set up your new calendar. 
• Next, you want to share your new calendar with the group you have created. 
• Scroll down the left sidebar and select the name of your new calendar.
• Hit the vertical ellipses button and select “Settings”.
• Select the option to share with everyone in your organization – under “Access permissions”, check the “Make available for your organization” box. 
• If you want to share the calendar, request for users to subscribe to the calendar.
• Navigate to the permissions box, select the “Down” arrow and then pick an option.
• Select “Send” to share your new calendar.

Remember, you have to be an administrator to share a calendar with a group. 

How do I share my Google Calendar on my iPhone app?

There might be a time when you are using Google Calendar but you want to add your events to Apple Calendar. Now the good news is that Google Calendar is not native to iOS but there is a way to share Google Calendar. All you need is access to your iPhone or iPad and you will be able to view all your events. 

For example, you may be using Google Calendar for work and Apple services for home use. It might be handy to view all your events in one place and in this case you would like Google Calendar and Apple Calendar to work together. 

Here’s how to share Google Calendar on Apple Calendar: 

• Open your Mac, iPhone or iPad, and navigate to the device settings.
• Scroll down and select the Calendar icon.
• Select “Accounts”, and then “Add account”, and choose Google.
• Enter the information for your email address and hit “Next” to then enter your password
• Select “Next”.
• Now, your emails, contacts, and calendar events will be shared directly with your Google Account. If you only want to sync your Google Calendar, switch off the other services.
• Finally, navigate to the Calendar app on your iPhone, Mac or iPad to locate your updated Google Calendar events.

Now, it’s important to remember that you will not be able to create new Google Calendars with your Apple Calendar. 

Can I share my Google Calendar with family?

Yes, you absolutely can create a calendar and share it with family using Google Calendar. It’s important to remember that you need to set up your family first with Google, which you can do using a number of different options. 

Here are the ways you can set up a family in Google: 

• Add people to your family on the family Google webpage.
• Download Google’s family link app on your smartphone.
• Find the Google One or Google Assistant app to create a family account by navigating to the “Manage family group” setting. 

Using Google, it is free to set up a family group, although some premium subscriptions may require a paid plan. Once you’ve created your family group, you’ll be able to find a new shared calendar called “family” which everyone in the family will be able to access. 

Can other users see my Google Calendar?

Other users won’t be able to see your Google Calendar unless you specifically choose to share it with them. This means you can create as many calendars as you like and no one will be able to see your events. 

Even if you share your calendar with other users, you can also remove them at any time or change their permissions on the Settings page. Whoever creates the calendar originally is automatically the administrator of the calendar. 

How can I accept an invitation to a shared calendar? 

As well as creating and sharing your own calendars, there may be specific situations where someone has shared a calendar with you. To do this, they will need to have your email address so they can add you to their Google Calendar. 

When someone shares a calendar with you, you will receive an invitation to view and potentially modify it. This invitation arrives via email and will contain a link you can click to accept the invitation. 

Here’s how to accept an invitation to a shared calendar: 

• Open your emails and find the message containing the calendar invitation. 
• Select the link that says “Add this calendar”. 
• On your Google Calendar page that opens, select “Add” on the Add calendar dialogue box that opens. 
• Any time you want to view your shared calendar, select it from the sidebar where it will now be included in the list. 

You have a choice over whether you want to view your shared calendar, since you can select the box next to it to turn it on or off. 

How can I help people find a Google Calendar? 

Now, if you are using shared Google Calendars you may find that you or your associates have access to many calendars. Sometimes, it can be difficult to find the calendar you’re looking for but Google makes it easy to find a shared Google Calendar. 

Of course, one way is to directly share the calendar using the steps we have already described. Another method is to share a Calendar ID with new users which they can use to find a particular Google Calendar. 

Here’s how to help someone find a shared Google Calendar. 

• Head over Google Calendar and make sure you’re logged in. 
• Scroll down to “My calendars” on the left hand menu bar, and locate the shared calendar.
• Hover over the shared calendar and select the vertical ellipses.
• Select “Settings and sharing”.
• Navigate to the Integrate calendar section and copy the “Calendar ID”.
• Paste this Calendar ID into an email or document that you want to share with new users
• Instruct them to follow these steps:
• Scroll down to “Other calendars” and select “Subscribe to calendar”.
• Paste the copied Calendar ID into the “Add a calendar” section and select “Enter”.

The shared calendar will now display in the user’s “Other calendars” list.

How can I make my Google Calendar public?

Sometimes, you might want to set up a Google Calendar and make it public to everybody. This option is only recommended if you genuinely have a need to give lots of people access to your calendar, such as when you are running public events. 

When you make your calendar public, it is even visible to Google Search so be careful when changing this setting to make sure it is really needed. 

To make your Google Calendar public, follow these steps: 

• Open Google Calendar. 
• Navigate to the “My Calendars” section on the left-hand toolbar. 
• Next to the calendar you want to make public, select the vertical ellipses. 
• Select “Settings and sharing”. 
• Navigate down to the “Access permissions for events” section. 
• Check the box next to “Make available to public”. 
• A warning flashes up and you will need to select “OK”. 

Now, your calendar is visible to the public and anyone will be able to view your events. 

How can I stop sharing my Google Calendar? 

There may come a time when you want to share your Google Calendar and then for whatever reason you want to stop sharing it with other users. Google gives you the option to change the permissions on your calendar quite easily. 

Using this method, you can remove individual users but keep the Google Calendar active and visible to you. As well as removing individuals, you can also change the permissions for the level of detail they are able to see or change their ability to manage the calendar. 

Here’s how to stop sharing Google Calendar: 

• First, head over to Google Calendar. 
• Scroll down to the “My calendars” section. 
• Select the vertical ellipses next to the calendar you want to stop sharing. 
• Select “Settings and sharing” from the menu that opens. 
• Scroll down to “Share with specific people or groups” and locate the user you want to remove. 
• Select the “X” button next to their name to remove them from the calendar. 
• Alternatively, use the dropdown next to their name to change the permissions for sharing your calendar. 

Your calendar will now cease to be shared with the select individual if you have followed these steps. 

How can I remove a shared Google Calendar? 

You might reach a point where you would like to remove your shared calendar from Google Calendar. Not only do you want to remove it for other users, but you also want to delete it permanently from your account. 

You might choose this option if your calendar has reached the end of its usefulness, and you want to keep your Google Calendar account tidy. You also might want to avoid thinking the calendar is still active and causing confusion. 

To remove a shared Google Calendar for everyone, follow these steps: 

• Open up Google Calendar and scroll down the left-hand toolbar. 
• Select the calendar you want to remove and select the vertical ellipses. 
• Choose “Settings and sharing” from the menu that opens. 
• Scroll down to the “Remove calendar” section and hit the delete button. 
• A warning will pop up and you will need to select “Permanently delete”. 

This process will completely remove your shared calendar for everyone. If you just want to remove yourself from the calendar, select “Unsubscribe”. 

Wrapping up

Google Calendar is an extremely handy tool that you can use to share your events and appointments with other individuals, so it’s worth learning how to share Google Calendar. Not only does it give other users insight into your availability, but you can use it to schedule events with more than one person. This makes Google Calendar one of the top choices for teams and families. 

It helps to supercharge productivity for teams and keep things organized, so you spend less time worrying about everyone’s availability for scheduling your next event. You can control the level of detail that other users are able to see and therefore only share which type of events you are comfortable with. 

Being able to coordinate events in this way is highly useful for groups who need to see the availability of other users. As a popular tool, it’s very likely that users will be familiar with the Google Calendar interface and thus avoid a steep learning curve.