The fastest way to share your Google Calendar
Open Google Calendar on any device, find the calendar you want to share in the left sidebar under "My calendars", click the three dots next to it, and select "Settings and sharing". Scroll down to "Share with specific people" and enter the email address of the family member you want to add. Choose whether they can view only, make changes, or manage the calendar entirely. Click "Send" and they will receive an email invitation.
The person you share with does not need to do anything special to accept — they can start viewing the calendar as soon as they open that email. If they have a Google account, they can open the calendar directly in their own Google Calendar app. If they do not have a Google account, they can still view it through the link in the email, though they cannot add events or make changes.
Key Takeaways
- You can share a calendar with specific people by entering their email address in the "Share with specific people" section of calendar settings.
- You choose the permission level for each person — view only, edit, or manage — and can change it anytime.
- Family members with Google accounts see the shared calendar appear in their own Google Calendar app automatically.
- You can share multiple calendars with the same person, and each calendar can have different people with different permission levels.
- Removing someone's access is when ready — go back to settings, find their name, and click the trash icon next to it.
The three permission levels explained
View only means the person can see all your events, times, and titles, but cannot add, change, or delete anything. This is the safest choice if you want family members to know your schedule without letting them modify it. Use this for grandparents, adult children, or anyone who just needs to see when you are busy.
Make changes lets the person add new events, edit existing ones, and delete events on your calendar. They cannot change who has access to the calendar or delete the calendar itself. This works well for a shared family calendar where multiple people add their own events — a spouse adding work trips, a teenager adding sports practice, a parent adding doctor appointments.
Manage changes gives full control. The person can add, edit, and delete events, change sharing settings, and even delete the entire calendar. Only give this permission to someone you trust completely, like a spouse managing a household calendar or a business partner. You can always change it back if needed.
Setting up a shared family calendar from the start
If you want one calendar that multiple family members contribute to — rather than sharing your personal calendar — create a new calendar first. In Google Calendar, click the plus sign next to "Other calendars" on the left side, select "Create new calendar", and give it a name like "Family Schedule" or "Household Calendar". Then share that new calendar with the people you want, giving them "Make changes" permission so they can add their own events.
This approach keeps your personal calendar private while giving everyone a central place to post their schedules. You can still share your personal calendar separately with specific people if you want them to see both. Many families find it helpful to have one shared calendar for appointments everyone needs to know about (doctor visits, school events, vacations) and keep personal calendars separate for work or private commitments.
Sharing with people who do not have Google accounts
When you share a calendar with someone who does not have a Google account, Google sends them an email with a link. They can click that link and view the calendar in their web browser without logging in. They cannot add or edit events — they can only see what you have shared with them.
If a family member without a Google account needs to add events to a shared calendar, they have two options: create a free Google account (which takes two minutes and only requires an email address), or you can add the events for them based on what they tell you. Some families choose to have one person manage the shared calendar and ask others to text or call them with events to add.
Changing or removing access later
You can change someone's permission level anytime without removing them entirely. Go back to the calendar settings, find their name in the "Share with specific people" section, and click the dropdown next to their name to choose a different permission level. The change takes effect when ready — if you downgrade someone from "Make changes" to "View only", they lose the ability to edit right away.
To remove someone completely, click the trash icon next to their name in the sharing settings. They will no longer see the calendar in their Google Calendar app, and any links they have will stop working. If you share the calendar again with the same person later, they start fresh with whatever new permission level you set.
Troubleshooting when sharing does not work
If you enter an email address and nothing happens, double-check that you typed it correctly — even a single letter wrong will cause the invite to fail. Google will not send an invitation to an address it cannot find. If the person says they never received an email invitation, ask them to check their spam or promotions folder, as calendar invitations sometimes get filtered there.
If someone can see the calendar in their Google Calendar app but events are not showing up, they may need to refresh the page or close and reopen the app. If they still cannot see events after refreshing, go back to your sharing settings and verify their permission level is not set to "View only" — though "View only" should still show events, so if it does not, try removing and re-adding them.
If you are sharing from a work Google account and the person has trouble accessing it, your organization's administrator may have restricted sharing outside the company. Contact your IT department to ask whether external sharing is turned on for your account.
Sharing a calendar on your phone or tablet
The process is the same on mobile as on a computer. Open the Google Calendar app, tap the calendar name in the left sidebar, tap the three dots at the top, and select "Settings". Scroll to "Share with specific people" and enter email addresses the same way you would on a computer. The mobile app works identically — you just tap instead of click.
One difference: on a phone, the left sidebar may be hidden by default. Tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the top left to open it, then find your calendar name and tap the three dots next to it. Everything else follows the same steps as the desktop version.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share my Google Calendar with someone who uses Outlook or Apple Calendar?
Yes. When you share a calendar with someone, Google gives you a link you can send them. They can paste that link into Outlook, Apple Calendar, or most other calendar apps to view your events. They will not be able to edit the calendar through those apps, but they can see your schedule. The exact steps vary by app, so they may need to look up "add shared calendar" for their specific program.
What happens if I share my calendar and then delete an event?
The event disappears from everyone's view when ready, including people you shared the calendar with. If you only want to hide an event from certain people, you cannot do that — sharing is all-or-nothing for each calendar. You would need to create a separate private calendar for events you do not want to share.
Can family members see my calendar if I do not send them an invitation?
No. The only way someone can see your calendar is if you share it with them directly by entering their email address, or if you give them a public link. straightforward having someone's email address does not let them see your calendar. Your calendar is private by default.
If I share my calendar with my spouse, can they share it with someone else?
Only if you give them "Manage changes" permission. With "Manage changes", they can change the sharing settings and add other people. If you give them "Make changes" permission, they can only add and edit events — they cannot change who has access. If you want to control who sees the calendar, keep "Manage changes" for yourself only.
Can I see who is looking at my shared calendar?
Google Calendar does not show you a list of who has viewed the calendar or when they viewed it. You can see who you have shared it with by going to the sharing settings, but you cannot track whether they actually look at it or how often. If you need that information, you would need to ask them directly.