The simplest way to delete a Google Calendar event

Open Google Calendar on your computer or phone, find the event you want to cancel, and click or tap it once. A small window will pop up showing the event details. Look for the trash can icon or a delete option — on a computer it's usually in the bottom right of that window, on a phone it's often a menu with three dots. Click the trash can or delete button, and the event disappears from your calendar.

That's the whole process. The event is gone when ready, and anyone you invited will not see it on their calendar anymore. If you invited other people to the event, Google Calendar will send them a cancellation notice automatically — you don't have to message them separately.

The steps are slightly different depending on whether you're using a computer, phone, or tablet, but the idea is the same: find the event, open it, and delete it. The sections below walk through each device type so you know exactly where to look.

Key Takeaways

  • Click or tap the event once to open its details, then look for a trash can icon or delete button to remove it.
  • Cancelling an event sends a notification to everyone you invited, so you don't need to tell them separately.
  • On a computer, the delete option is usually at the bottom of the event details window.
  • On a phone or tablet, you may need to tap a menu icon (three dots) to find the delete option.
  • Once you delete an event, it's gone from your calendar and from the calendars of everyone you invited.

Cancelling an event on a computer

Go to Google Calendar in your web browser and look at your calendar view. Find the event you want to cancel — it will appear as a colored block on the day it's scheduled. Click on the event once, and a small popup window will appear showing the event name, time, and other details.

In that popup window, look at the bottom right corner. You should see a trash can icon. Click it. A confirmation message may appear asking if you're sure you want to delete the event — click "Delete" or "Yes" to confirm. The event is now removed from your calendar and from the calendars of anyone you invited.

If you don't see a trash can icon in the popup, try clicking the event name itself to open the full event details page. On that page, look for a menu icon (three vertical dots) near the top right. Click it and select "Delete event" from the menu that appears.

Cancelling an event on an iPhone or iPad

Open the Google Calendar app on your iPhone or iPad. Scroll through your calendar to find the event you want to cancel and tap it once. The event details will open in a new screen showing the event name, time, location, and who you invited.

Look at the top right corner of that screen. You should see a menu icon made of three vertical dots. Tap it, and a list of options will appear. Tap "Delete" or "Delete event" from that list. A confirmation message will ask if you're sure — tap "Delete" again to confirm. The event is now removed from your calendar and a cancellation notice goes to everyone you invited.

Cancelling an event on an Android phone or tablet

Open the Google Calendar app and find the event you want to cancel. Tap the event once to open its details. You'll see the event name, time, location, and guest list on the screen.

At the top right of the screen, look for a menu icon (three vertical dots). Tap it to open a menu with several options. Select "Delete" from that menu. A confirmation message will appear — tap "Delete" again to confirm. The event is removed from your calendar and a cancellation notice is sent to everyone you invited.

What happens when you cancel an event

When you delete an event from Google Calendar, several things happen automatically. First, the event disappears from your calendar view. Second, if you invited other people to the event, Google Calendar sends each of them a cancellation notice. They will see a message in their email and on their calendar showing that the event has been cancelled.

The cancellation notice goes to everyone you originally invited, whether they accepted, declined, or never responded to the invitation. You cannot choose to cancel for only some people — cancelling the event cancels it for everyone. If you need to cancel for only one or two people, you may want to delete the event and create a new one without those people, or contact them separately to explain.

Cancelling a recurring event

If the event repeats (for example, every Monday or every week), Google Calendar will ask you which instances you want to delete. When you click the delete button, a popup will appear with three options: "This event," "This and following events," or "All events."

Choose "This event" if you only want to cancel one occurrence — for example, if you want to skip next Monday's meeting but keep the rest of the series. Choose "This and following events" if you want to cancel this occurrence and all future ones, but keep past occurrences. Choose "All events" if you want to delete the entire series, including past, present, and future occurrences. After you choose, the cancellation notice goes to all invitees for the instances you deleted.

Removing yourself from someone else's event

If someone else created an event and invited you, you can remove it from your calendar without deleting it for everyone else. Open the event details and look for a button that says "Remove" or "Leave event" — this is different from the delete button. Clicking it removes the event from your calendar only, and the organizer and other guests will still see it on theirs.

This is useful if you were invited to an event you no longer want to attend. Removing yourself is more polite than deleting the event, because it doesn't cancel the event for everyone else — it just takes you off the guest list and removes it from your view.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I undo a cancelled event?

Google Calendar does not have an undo button for deleted events. Once you delete an event, it's gone. If you need to restore it, you'll have to create the event again manually. If you cancelled a recurring event and deleted all instances, you'll need to recreate the entire series.

Will people know I cancelled the event if I delete it?

Yes. Google Calendar automatically sends a cancellation notice to everyone you invited, so they will receive a notification that the event has been cancelled. They will see the cancellation in their email and on their calendar.

What if I want to cancel the event for just one person?

Google Calendar doesn't have a built-in way to cancel for one person only. Your options are to delete the entire event and create a new one without that person, or to contact them separately and ask them to ignore the original invitation. Some people delete the event and recreate it with a different guest list.

How do I cancel a recurring event but keep some of the dates?

When you delete a recurring event, Google Calendar asks whether you want to delete "This event," "This and following events," or "All events." Choose "This event" to delete only one occurrence and keep the rest of the series. You can repeat this for each date you want to skip.

Does the organizer get notified if I remove myself from their event?

Yes. When you remove yourself from an event, the organizer receives a notification that you've declined or left the event. This is different from the organizer cancelling the event for everyone.