Creating a shared calendar starts with a new calendar, then inviting people to view or edit it
A shared calendar in Google Calendar lets multiple people see the same events and add their own. You create a new calendar first, then decide who can see it and whether they can make changes. The person who creates the calendar is the owner and can remove people or delete the calendar anytime.
The simplest setup is a household calendar where everyone can add events, or a team calendar where one person manages it and others view it. You can also share your existing personal calendar with specific people, though that shows them all your events at once rather than letting you control which ones are visible.
Key Takeaways
- Create a new calendar in Google Calendar settings, then share it by inviting specific people with their email addresses.
- You can set each person's permission level: view only, make changes, or manage the calendar and invite others.
- People you invite receive an email and can accept or decline; they see the calendar in their own Google Calendar account once they accept.
- Shared calendars appear in a separate section in Google Calendar, making it easy to toggle them on and off without affecting your personal calendar.
- You can stop sharing with someone at any time by removing them from the sharing settings, and they lose access immediately.
How to create a new calendar to share
Open Google Calendar on your computer and look for the plus sign next to "Other calendars" on the left side. Click it and select "Create new calendar." Give it a name like "Family Schedule" or "Project Timeline" and add a description if you want — this helps people understand what goes on this calendar.
Choose a time zone that matches where most events will happen, then click "Create calendar." The calendar now exists in your account but is private. You'll see it listed under "Other calendars" on the left. Now you're ready to invite people to it.
Inviting people to your shared calendar
Right-click on the calendar name under "Other calendars" and select "Settings and sharing." Scroll down to the "Share with specific people" section. Click "Add people" and type the email address of the person you want to invite.
Next to their email, you'll see a dropdown menu for permissions. Choose one of three options: "See all event details" (they can view but not change anything), "Make changes to events" (they can add, edit, or delete events), or "Make changes and manage sharing" (they can do everything plus invite other people). Click "Send" and Google Calendar will email them an invitation.
The person you invited will see an email from Google Calendar with a link. They can click "Yes" to accept and the calendar will appear in their Google Calendar account. If they click "No," they won't see it. You can invite as many people as you need, and each person can have different permission levels.
What happens when someone accepts your invitation
Once someone accepts, the shared calendar shows up in their Google Calendar under "Other calendars" with your name next to it. They can toggle it on and off using the checkbox, just like any other calendar. When it's on, they see all the events on that calendar mixed in with their own events.
If you gave them permission to make changes, they can click on any event and edit it, add new events, or delete events. If you only gave them view permission, they can see the events but the edit button won't work. All changes appear for everyone on the calendar in real time — if someone adds an event, you see it immediately without refreshing.
Changing permissions or removing someone
Go back to the calendar's "Settings and sharing" page anytime to change what someone can do. Find their name in the "Share with specific people" section and click the dropdown next to their email to pick a different permission level. The change takes effect right away.
To stop sharing with someone, click the X button next to their email address. They lose access immediately and the calendar disappears from their Google Calendar account. They won't be able to see new events or make changes, but events they already created stay on the calendar.
Sharing your existing personal calendar instead
If you want to share your main personal calendar rather than create a new one, right-click on "My calendar" and select "Settings and sharing." You can invite people the same way — by email address and permission level. The difference is that everyone you invite sees all your events on that calendar, not just selected ones.
This works well if you want a partner or family member to see your full schedule, but it's less flexible than a shared calendar because you can't hide certain events from certain people. Most people find it cleaner to keep a personal calendar private and create separate shared calendars for specific purposes.
Troubleshooting common sharing problems
If someone says they didn't receive an invitation email, check that you typed their email address correctly in the sharing settings. Google Calendar sends the invitation right away, so if it's not in their inbox, it might be in spam. Ask them to search their email for "calendar" or check their spam folder.
If someone accepted the invitation but the calendar isn't showing up in their account, have them refresh Google Calendar or sign out and back in. Sometimes it takes a minute to appear. If they're using the Google Calendar app on their phone, they may need to close and reopen the app.
If you invited someone but want to cancel before they accept, removing them from the sharing settings will prevent them from seeing the calendar even if they click the invitation link. There's no way to "unsend" an invitation, but removing them has the same effect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share a calendar with someone who doesn't have a Google account?
No. The person you're sharing with needs a Google account (Gmail, Google Workspace, or another Google service) to see a shared calendar. If they don't have one, they can create a free Gmail account. Once they have an account, you can invite them using their email address.
What's the difference between sharing a calendar and sharing an event?
Sharing a calendar invites someone to see all events on that calendar and potentially make changes. Sharing an event means sending one specific event to someone — they get the details but don't see your calendar or other events. Use calendar sharing for ongoing schedules and event sharing for one-time invitations.
Can I see who's viewing my shared calendar?
You can see everyone you've invited in the "Settings and sharing" page, but you can't see whether they're actually looking at it or how often they check it. Google Calendar doesn't track who's viewing or when.
If I delete a shared calendar, what happens to the events?
When you delete a shared calendar, all events on it disappear for everyone, including people you shared it with. The calendar vanishes from their accounts too. If you only want to stop sharing, remove people from the sharing settings instead of deleting the calendar.
Can someone I shared a calendar with share it with another person?
Only if you gave them "Make changes and manage sharing" permission. With that level, they can invite other people and change their permissions. If you only gave them "Make changes to events" or "See all event details," they can't invite anyone else.