How to Share a Google Calendar With Anyone (2026)

If you run a small business, your calendar is the one document everybody needs and nobody can see. A business partner wants to know when you're free, a virtual assistant needs to move your calls around, a client keeps asking for a slot. Sharing your Google Calendar solves all of that without a single back-and-forth email.

The part people trip over is the permission level, because it decides whether someone sees only a grey block or every detail of your day. I've followed Google's own help pages below, so you'll know what each choice does before you click Send.

Sharing your Google Calendar with one person on a computer

Google's help says sharing settings can only be edited from a computer, so open a browser for this one. These are the steps it gives:

1. Open Google Calendar on your computer.
2. On the left, click My calendars.
3. To the right of the calendar you want to share, click More, then Settings and sharing.
4. On the left, click Shared with.
5. Under Shared with, click Add people and groups.
6. Type the email address of the person or the Google group.
7. Choose a permission level (more on those next).
8. Click Send.

The person gets an email, and Google says they need to click the link inside it to add your calendar. Until they do that, nothing appears on their side, which is the reason for most 'I can't see it' messages.

Choosing what people can do with your shared Google Calendar

Google lists five permission levels. This is the bit worth reading twice, because it's easy to give away more than you meant to.

Permission level	What Google says it allows
See only free/busy (hide details)	People can find out when you're busy, but not event names or details
See event details	People can see event names, times, places and descriptions
Make changes (see private events as free/busy)	People can edit events that aren't private, but can't edit private ones
Make changes and see event details	People can edit events and find out who else the calendar is shared with
Make changes and manage sharing	Full control of events, plus the ability to share your calendar with others

For a client or a stranger who only needs to book you, free/busy is the safe choice. For an assistant who runs your diary, one of the make-changes levels fits. I'd keep the last level for a business partner you trust completely, because they can pass your calendar on to anyone.

If you can't share your Google Calendar

Two things stop people most often. First, a work or school account: Google says your administrator decides whether you can share your calendar, so if the option is missing, the person to ask is whoever manages your Workspace. Second, the calendar you're trying to share belongs to someone else. Google says in that case the owner must first give you the Make changes and manage sharing permission.

If you're on a Workspace account, Google also notes that administrators can have permissions that let them find your calendar and its event details even when you haven't shared it. Worth remembering when you're deciding what goes in a work diary.

Letting a whole team or the public see your Google Calendar

Besides naming individuals, Google lets you share with a wider group. The help page describes two options: people in your work, school or other organisation, or anyone, which means the public.

• To share with the public, open Settings and sharing for the calendar, then under Access permissions for events choose Make available to public and pick an access level.
• Google says public calendars can be found on the internet and in search results, and people can subscribe to them.
• For an organisation, the same area offers a version for your company, so colleagues can find and subscribe to the calendar but people outside can't.

I'd only go public for things you want to be found, such as a webinar schedule or opening dates. If your calendar mixes private appointments with public ones, create a separate calendar for the public events and share that one instead. A tidy schedule also helps with planning content, and my guide to building a content calendar shows how I'd set that part up.

What the other person does after you share your Google Calendar

Once they click the link in the email, your calendar sits under Other calendars on their side. Google says that if they can't find the email, there are four things to try:

1. Make sure you typed the right email address.
2. Ask them to check their spam or trash folders.
3. Ask them to search their inbox for your email.
4. Take them off the sharing list, then add them again.

The last one sounds crude, but it's what Google recommends, and it re-sends the invitation.

Sharing a Google Calendar from your phone

Google's help for mobile is plain on this: you can only edit Google Calendar sharing settings from a computer, not the mobile app. So if you're out and about and need to give someone access, open calendar.google.com in a computer-style browser view, or wait until you're back at your desk. The calendar itself works fine in the app once it's been shared.

Stopping sharing on your Google Calendar

Changed your mind, or finished a project with a freelancer? Google lets you stop sharing whenever you like:

1. Open Google Calendar on your computer.
2. Find My calendars on the left, then click More next to the calendar, then Settings and sharing.
3. For specific people or groups, find their name under Shared with and click Remove.
4. For public sharing, turn off Make available to public under Access permissions for events.

I do this as a habit when a contractor finishes. Old access is the sort of thing that sits there for years.

Keeping your shared Google Calendar tidy for a small business

A few habits make shared calendars much less painful:

• Use a separate calendar for each purpose, such as client calls, content and personal, so you can share one without exposing the others.
• Give people the smallest permission they need and review the list now and then.
• Mark anything personal as private, so make-changes people only see a busy block.
• Put your recurring content slots on a shared calendar. If you plan posts weekly, my weekly content schedule for a busy founder fits neatly on one.

Frequently asked questions

How do I share my Google Calendar with someone?

On a computer, open Google Calendar, click More next to the calendar under My calendars, choose Settings and sharing, then Shared with and Add people and groups. Enter their email address, pick a permission level and click Send.

Can I share my Google Calendar from my phone?

Google's help says you can only edit Google Calendar sharing settings from a computer, not the mobile app. Use a computer browser to change who has access.

Why can't the person see my shared Google Calendar?

They need to click the link in the email Google sends them. If they can't find it, check the address, ask them to look in spam or trash, or remove them from the sharing list and add them again.

What does See only free/busy mean in Google Calendar?

It means people can find out when you're busy but can't see event names or details.

Can I stop sharing my Google Calendar later?

Yes. Open Settings and sharing for the calendar and click Remove next to the person under Shared with. For a public calendar, turn off Make available to public.

Why is sharing greyed out on my work calendar?

Google says that for work or school calendars your administrator decides whether you can share. Contact your administrator if the option isn't there.