How to Delete a Google Calendar (or Hide or Unsubscribe)

Calendars pile up. An old project calendar, a team calendar from a job you left, a school term calendar from years ago, a class timetable someone shared with you once. Clearing them out makes your week far easier to read. Google gives you three ways to get rid of a calendar, and picking the right one depends on whether you own it and whether anyone else uses it.

Hide, unsubscribe or delete: which one?

Option	Use it when	Who can do it
Hide	You want it out of sight but may need it again	Anyone
Unsubscribe	Someone else owns it and you're done with it	Non-owners
Delete	You own it and nobody needs it any more	Owners

Delete a calendar you own

1. Open Google Calendar on your computer.
2. At the top right, click the gear icon, then Settings.
3. In the left column, under Settings for my calendars, click the calendar's name.
4. Scroll to Remove calendar.
5. Click Delete, then confirm.

Before you click, remember Google's warning: if you share a calendar with other people or groups, deleting it removes it for everyone. If colleagues or family still use it, consider handing it over instead, so it carries on without you.

Why you can't delete your main calendar

Your primary calendar is the one with your name on it, created with your Google account. Google says you can't delete it, but you can delete all of its events. If you want a fresh start, clear the events rather than looking for a delete button that isn't there.

Unsubscribe from a calendar someone shared with you

1. Open Google Calendar and click Settings.
2. In the left column, select the calendar you want to remove.
3. Click Remove calendar, then Unsubscribe, then Remove calendar to confirm.

Here's the thing to know before you do it: once you unsubscribe, Google says you won't be able to find the calendar again unless the owner, or someone with permission to make changes and manage sharing, shares it with you again. If there's any chance you'll need it, hide it instead.

Hide a calendar instead

Hiding is the gentle option and it's reversible in a click. On the left side of Google Calendar, find the calendar under My calendars or Other calendars and click it to hide or show its events. Google suggests this for calendars you only check occasionally, such as a public holidays calendar or a shared team rota.

To clear it from your list entirely without unsubscribing, hover over the calendar name, click the three dots and choose Hide from list. You can bring it back later from Settings by finding the calendar and clicking Preview.

The owner trap with calendars you created

This one confuses people. If you created a secondary calendar, Google says you can't unsubscribe from it, because you own it. Your only options are to hide it, delete it, or transfer ownership to someone else and then remove it. So if the unsubscribe option isn't showing, check whether you're the owner.

Can I do this on my phone?

The settings for deleting a calendar live in Google Calendar on a computer, so it's easiest to do it there, even if you mostly use the app. On your phone you can turn calendars on or off in the side menu, which is the mobile version of hiding them. Once you've deleted or unsubscribed on the computer, the calendar disappears from your phone too.

Tidying up a cluttered calendar

1. Hide everything except your own calendar for a day and notice what you miss.
2. Unsubscribe from shared calendars you haven't looked at in months.
3. Delete old project calendars you own, after checking nobody else uses them.
4. Give the calendars you keep distinct colours so you can read your week at a glance.

If you plan content or campaigns, a dedicated calendar for that work keeps it separate from meetings. My weekly content batching template works well alongside one, and if you organise events, see how to cancel a Facebook event for the social side of calling something off.

Deleting all events but keeping the calendar

Sometimes you don't want the calendar gone, you just want a clean slate, for example on your primary calendar after a messy year. Google lets the owner delete all events from the primary calendar. The option lives in that calendar's settings. Think hard before you do it, because it wipes every event, including ones with guests, and there's no quick undo.

Handing a calendar over instead of deleting it

If you're leaving a project or a role and others still rely on a calendar you created, transferring ownership is kinder than deleting it. The new owner keeps all the events and sharing, and you can then remove it from your own list. It's the calendar equivalent of handing over the keys rather than changing the locks.

My verdict

Own it and nobody needs it? Settings, Remove calendar, Delete. Shared with you and finished? Unsubscribe, knowing you can't get it back without a re-share. Not sure? Hide it. Your primary calendar can't be deleted, only emptied, and deleting a shared calendar removes it for everyone.

Frequently asked questions

Why can't I delete my Google Calendar?

You can't delete your primary calendar. You can delete its events, or delete any secondary calendars you own.

Does deleting a shared Google Calendar remove it for everyone?

Yes. Google says if you share a calendar with others, deleting it removes it for everyone.

What's the difference between unsubscribe and delete in Google Calendar?

Unsubscribe removes someone else's calendar from your list. Delete permanently removes a calendar you own.

Can I get a calendar back after unsubscribing?

Only if the owner, or someone with permission to manage sharing, shares it with you again.

How do I hide a calendar in Google Calendar?

Click the calendar's name on the left side of Google Calendar to hide or show its events.