How to Create a Google Calendar (Separate Calendars Explained)

One calendar for everything soon becomes a jumble of client calls, school runs, content deadlines and dentist appointments. Google Calendar lets you create as many separate calendars as you like, each with its own colour, so you can see your whole life at a glance or hide everything except work. Here's how to create one, and the small settings that make separate calendars so useful.

Create a new calendar, step by step

1. Open Google Calendar in a web browser on your computer.
2. On the left, find Other calendars and click the plus icon next to it.
3. Choose Create new calendar.
4. Type a name, and a short description if you like.
5. Click Create calendar.

Your new calendar now sits under My calendars on the left, ready for events. Head back to the main view and you'll see it.

Why you can't do it on your phone

This trips a lot of people up. Google says you can only create new calendars from a browser. Once you've made it on a computer, it shows up in the Google Calendar app too, where you can add events to it. If you're phone-only, open calendar.google.com in your phone's browser and request the desktop site.

Calendar or event: which do you need?

If you just want to add an appointment, you need an event, not a new calendar. Create a new calendar when you want a separate stream of events you can show, hide, colour or share on its own, like Google's own example of a Football calendar for practices and games.

You want to	Create
Add a meeting or appointment	An event
Keep a type of activity separate	A new calendar
Share one area of life with someone	A new calendar, then share it
Track a recurring commitment	An event set to repeat

Calendar ideas for small business owners

• Client work: calls, deadlines and deliveries.
• Content: blog posts, newsletters and social media days.
• Admin: tax dates, renewals and reminders.
• Personal: family, health and time off.
• Team: shared with a VA or colleagues for holidays and availability.

I keep separate calendars for client work, content and personal life. When I'm planning content, I hide everything else, and the week suddenly looks manageable.

Give each calendar its own colour

It's colour that makes multiple calendars readable. Next to the calendar's name, click the three dots and pick a colour, or use Add custom colour to match your brand. Google's help page covers this in a couple of clicks, and it makes an enormous difference when you glance at your week.

Rename or hide a calendar

• Rename it: click the three dots, choose Settings and sharing, and type a new name at the top.
• Hide it from the list: click the three dots and choose Hide from list.
• Show it again: go to Settings, scroll to Settings for other calendars and choose to show it in your calendar list.

You're the owner, and that matters

Here's the insight that saves headaches later. Google says that when you create a calendar, you automatically become its owner, and only the owner can permanently delete it or transfer ownership. If you set up a team calendar and then leave the business, nobody else can delete or take it over unless you hand it on. For shared business calendars, decide early who should own them.

Share your new calendar

Open the calendar's Settings and sharing page and add people by email. Google offers four levels: see only free/busy, see event details, make changes to events, and make changes and manage sharing. For a VA who books your calls, make changes to events works well. For a partner who just needs to know when you're free, free/busy is plenty.

Add events to the right calendar

When you create an event, pick which calendar it belongs to before saving. It's easy to forget and end up with a client call on your personal calendar. A quick glance at the calendar name in the event box avoids that. If you're planning content, my content calendar template pairs nicely with a dedicated content calendar, and the weekly content batching template helps you block out creation time.

Common mistakes with multiple calendars

• Creating a calendar for every tiny project. Five or six well-chosen calendars beat twenty.
• Forgetting to pick the calendar when adding events, so everything lands on your main one.
• Sharing full details when free/busy would do.
• Leaving old calendars visible long after the project ended. Hide or delete them.

Using your new calendar on your phone

Once the calendar exists, open the Google Calendar app and check it's ticked in the side menu so its events show. When you add an event on your phone, tap the calendar name in the event to choose where it goes. You can't create the calendar itself in the app, but you can do everything else with it there.

My verdict

Open Google Calendar in a browser, click the plus next to Other calendars, choose Create new calendar, name it and click Create calendar. Give each calendar a colour, share only the ones others need, and remember you own what you create, so plan who should own shared business calendars.

Frequently asked questions

Can I create a new Google Calendar on my phone?

Google says you can only create new calendars from a browser. Once created, the calendar appears in the app.

How many calendars can you have in Google Calendar?

You can create separate calendars for different parts of your life, each with its own colour and sharing settings.

Who can delete a calendar I create?

Only the owner, which is you when you create it. The owner can also transfer ownership.

How do I change the colour of a Google Calendar?

Click the three dots next to the calendar's name and pick a colour, or choose Add custom colour.

How do I share a new Google Calendar?

Open its Settings and sharing page, add people by email and choose their permission level.