Google Calendar is where most professionals organize their working week. With 500 million monthly active users and around 50 billion events created every single day, it's fair to say that sending a calendar invite is one of the most routine tasks in modern work. And yet, plenty of people still run into the same small problems: guests who never receive the invite, meeting links that go in the wrong place, or invites that land in spam.
This guide walks you through exactly how to send a Google Calendar invite from Gmail, on desktop, mobile, and web, and covers the situations that trip people up most often: inviting someone without a Google account, forwarding an existing invite, and fixing delivery issues when something goes wrong.
Why the details on a calendar invite actually matter
A calendar invite is often the first thing someone sees about a meeting. Before you've said a word, your invite tells them what the meeting is about, whether it's worth their time, and whether you've thought it through. Research from Flowtrace found that 35% of meeting invites are sent less than 24 hours in advance, which doesn't leave much room for preparation. And only 37% of meetings use an agenda at all.
These numbers matter because the average employee spends 392 hours per year in meetings. Unproductive meetings cost the US economy an estimated $37 billion annually, according to Business Insider. A well-constructed invite won't solve every meeting problem, but it puts everyone in a better position before the call even starts.
Here's how to get the mechanics right.
How to send a Google Calendar invite from Gmail on desktop
The most common way to send a Google Calendar invite starts in your browser. You don't need to leave Gmail to get to Google Calendar. Here's how to do it step by step.
- Step 1: Open Gmail in your browser. In the top-right corner, click the Google Apps grid (the square made of nine dots). From the menu that appears, click "Calendar." This opens Google Calendar in a new tab. Or go directly to calendar.google.com.
- Step 2: Click the "+ Create" button in the top-left corner, or click directly on a time slot in your calendar view, and click “Event.”
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- Step 3: A quick-create window will appear. Add a title for your event. For anything more than a basic block, click "More options" to open the full event editor.
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- Step 4: In the full event editor, you'll see a "Guests" panel on the right side of the screen. Start typing a name or email address. Google will auto-suggest contacts from your address book. You can also type in any email address, including non-Gmail ones.
- Step 5: Set the date and start time. Click the time to edit it. To make a meeting repeat, click "Does not repeat" and choose a recurrence pattern: daily, weekly, monthly, or a custom schedule.
- Step 6: If the meeting is remote, click "Add Google Meet video conferencing" and a Google Meet link is generated automatically. If you're using Zoom, Teams, or another platform, paste the meeting link into the description field.
- Step 7: Click "Save." Google will ask whether you want to send invitation emails to your guests. Click "Send."
Your guests will receive an email invite with Accept, Decline, and Maybe options. Their response will update directly on your calendar.
How to add location, a meeting link, or an agenda
A complete invite reduces back-and-forth later. Here's what to include:
- Location: For in-person meetings, type the address into the "Location" field. Google Maps will auto-suggest the address as you type.
- Video link: Click "Add Google Meet video conferencing" for a one-click Meet link. For third-party tools, paste the link into the event description.
- Agenda or notes: Use the description field to add context. Even three bullet points covering what the meeting will cover helps attendees prepare and signals that the meeting has a clear purpose.
How to check someone's availability before you send the invite
If you're on a Google Workspace (work or school) account and you're inviting colleagues from the same organization, Google Calendar can show you when they're free before you finalize the time.
After adding guests to the event, click "Find a time" at the top of the event editor. Google will display a grid showing everyone's calendar side by side, so you can pick a slot that works for all of them. If a guest has shared their calendar with you, you'll also see their time zone reflected in the grid.
How to send a Google Calendar invite on mobile (Android and iOS)
The Google Calendar mobile app is the right tool for this on your phone. The Gmail app doesn't have a built-in calendar invite feature, so you'll need to open Google Calendar separately. Here's how:
- Step 1: Open the Google Calendar app on your phone. If you don't have it installed, it's free to download from the App Store or Google Play.
- Step 2: Tap the "+" button in the bottom-right corner of the screen, then select "Event."
- Step 3: Give your event a title, then set the date and time by tapping on each field.
- Step 4: Scroll down and tap "Add people." Type in the email address of each guest you want to invite. You can add multiple guests this way.
- Step 5: Tap "Save" in the top-right corner. Google will ask whether you want to send email invitations to your guests. Tap "Send."
That's it. Each guest receives an email invite and can RSVP from their inbox.
Sending a Google Calendar invite from Gmail on iPhone or Android
If you're in the Gmail app and want to set up a meeting without switching apps, there's a shortcut. On both iOS and Android, tap the Google Apps grid icon (top-right corner of the Gmail app) and you'll see an option to open Calendar. From there, follow the steps above.
You can also access Google Calendar from your phone's browser by going to calendar.google.com and using the full desktop version. The interface adapts well to mobile screens.
How to invite someone to a Google Calendar event if they don't use Gmail
This is one of the most common points of confusion, and the answer is simple: it works. You can invite anyone with any email address to a Google Calendar event.
When you add a non-Gmail address to the "Guests" field and send the invite, that person receives a standard email invitation with the event details, a calendar attachment (.ics file), and the option to accept, decline, or mark as tentative. Their calendar app, whether it's Outlook, Apple Calendar, or something else, handles the import automatically once they respond.
- If your guest uses Outlook: The invite arrives as a standard meeting request in their Outlook inbox. They can accept and the event will land on their calendar, just as it would from an Outlook organizer.
- If your guest uses Apple Calendar: The .ics attachment opens directly in Apple Calendar. One tap adds the event.
- If your guest uses a corporate email system: Some organizations filter external calendar invitations, especially large companies running Outlook or Exchange with strict security settings. If a guest says they haven't received anything, ask them to check their junk folder, and suggest they add noreply@google.com to their contacts to prevent it happening again.
One practical note: if you're not in the same organization as your guest, Google recommends following up to make sure they RSVP through the invitation email. Some calendar services won't automatically add the event until the guest actively accepts. A quick message on Slack or via text confirming the invite is on its way takes two seconds and avoids the "I never got anything" conversation later.
How to forward a Google Calendar invite
Sometimes you need to pass an invite on to someone who wasn't originally included. There are two ways to do this, and the one you choose depends on whether you want them added as a formal guest.
Option 1: Add them directly to the event (recommended)
This is the cleaner approach. Open the event in Google Calendar, click the edit (pencil) icon, add the person's email address in the "Guests" field, and save. Google will ask if you want to send them an invite email. Click "Send." The new guest is added to the event, can RSVP, and their response shows up in your guest list.
Option 2: Forward the original invite email from Gmail
Open the original invite email in your Gmail inbox and forward it as you would any email. The recipient can accept the event from the forwarded email and it will be added to their calendar. Note that this method doesn't add them to the official guest list on the event, so you won't see their RSVP status in Google Calendar.
There's also a third option within Google Calendar itself. Open the event, click the three-dot menu in the event detail view, and select "Email guests." This opens a Gmail compose window with all current guests pre-filled. You can remove people from the recipient list or add new email addresses before sending.
Why your Google Calendar invite might not be showing up
If a guest says they haven't received your invite, here are the most common causes and how to fix them.
- It went to spam: Ask the guest to check their spam or junk folder. If they find it there, they should mark it as "not spam" and add your email or noreply@google.com to their safe senders list to avoid it happening again.
- They're logged into the wrong Google account: If your guest uses multiple Google accounts, the invite might have landed in an account they're not actively checking. Ask them to check other inboxes or look in Google Calendar directly by searching for your name.
- The email address has a typo: Double-check the spelling of every guest's email address in your event. A single wrong character means the invite goes nowhere. Remove the incorrect address and re-add the correct one, then send the update.
- Their organization's email system blocks external invites: Some corporate email setups, particularly larger organizations on Outlook or Exchange, filter out external calendar invitations automatically. In this case, share the meeting details manually (date, time, link) and ask your guest to create the event on their end.
- There was a sync delay: Google Calendar invitations usually arrive within minutes, but there can occasionally be a short delay. If your guest checks immediately after you send, they might just need to wait a few minutes before refreshing their inbox.
- You didn't click "Send" when prompted: When you save a Google Calendar event with guests, Google asks whether you want to send email invitations. If you clicked "Don't send," your guests' calendars may have been updated silently (if they're Google Calendar users in the same Workspace), but they won't have received an email. Edit the event, make any minor change, save again, and click "Send" this time.
Habits that make calendar invites more useful
The mechanics of sending an invite are straightforward. What separates a useful invite from a forgettable one comes down to a few consistent habits.
- Name the meeting clearly: A title like "Chat" or "Sync" doesn't tell anyone what they're walking into. "March Pipeline Review" or "New Client Onboarding: Week 1 Check-In" gives guests immediate context, and makes it easy to find later when they're searching their calendar. Specific titles also signal that the meeting has a defined purpose, which tends to make them shorter and more focused.
- Put an agenda in the description: According to Archie, only 37% of meetings use an agenda. Even a few brief bullet points in the event description make a difference. Guests know what to prepare, the meeting stays on track, and there's a natural endpoint. You don't need a formal document. Three lines in the description field is enough to change the energy of a meeting.
- Build in a buffer: Google Calendar defaults to 30 or 60-minute blocks. Most meetings don't need that long. Consider setting events for 20 or 45 minutes instead of the full half hour or hour. It gives everyone breathing room between calls and tends to keep discussions more focused. You can change the default event duration in Google Calendar settings.
- Double-check the time zone: If you're scheduling across locations, the time zone field matters. Google Calendar lets you add a second time zone to your calendar view, which helps when you're coordinating with guests in different cities. It's also worth stating the time zone explicitly in the invite title or description for anyone who might be dialing in from somewhere unexpected.
- Send with enough notice: 35% of invites go out less than 24 hours before the meeting. For recurring team meetings, that's fine. For anything that requires preparation, aim for at least 48 hours, and more if attendees need to travel or block significant time in advance.
- Limit the guest list to people who need to be there: It's tempting to loop in everyone who might have a stake in the conversation, but larger groups tend to produce less focused decisions. If someone only needs the outcome rather than the discussion, a follow-up summary serves them better than sitting through the call. You can add them as optional guests if you want them aware without requiring attendance.
Once the meeting's in the calendar, what comes next?
Getting people into a Google Calendar event is the start of a meeting, not the end of the work that surrounds it. Most of what actually makes a meeting productive happens before and after the call: the preparation, the notes, the follow-ups.
Fyxer handles things after your meeting. Our Notetaker joins your Google Meet calls, captures what was discussed, and has structured notes ready before you've closed the tab. From those notes, Fyxer drafts follow-up emails in your tone, so action items get communicated quickly and nothing gets lost in the gap between the end of the call and whenever you get around to writing it up.
If you're running several meetings a week and writing your own summaries after each one, that's a real chunk of time. Fyxer gives it back.
Google Calendar invites FAQs
Can I send a Google Calendar invite directly from Gmail?
Not directly from the Gmail compose window. The quickest path is to open Google Calendar from the apps grid (the nine-dot icon in the top-right corner of Gmail) and create an event from there. The invite is then sent via email automatically to each guest you add.
Can I send a recurring calendar invite in Gmail?
Yes. When creating an event in Google Calendar, click "Does not repeat" and choose a frequency: daily, weekly, monthly, or a custom pattern. All guests receive the recurring invite and can accept or decline the full series or individual instances.
How do I add a Zoom or Microsoft Teams link to a Google Calendar invite?
Paste the meeting link into the event description field. For Google Meet, click "Add Google Meet video conferencing" and a link is generated automatically. Third-party links work fine in the description and will appear in the invitation email your guests receive.
How do I update or cancel a Google Calendar invite after sending it?
Edit the event in Google Calendar, make your changes, and click "Save." Google will ask if you want to notify guests about the update. Click "Send" to email them the changes. To cancel, delete the event and choose to notify guests. They'll receive a cancellation email and the event will be removed from their calendars.