How to share a calendar in Gmail (and actually save time doing it)

Scheduling a meeting shouldn’t take three days. Yet for many professionals, that's exactly what happens: an email goes out asking for availability, a reply comes back two days later, two of the suggested times don't work, and somehow the meeting still isn't booked. It's one of the more avoidable inefficiencies in the modern workday.

According to research by People Management, professionals lose a significant portion (up to 30%) of their working day to coordination tasks that generate no real output. Sharing your Google Calendar directly addresses a meaningful part of that problem. Rather than exchanging availability over email, you can give colleagues, clients, or teammates direct visibility into your schedule and let them find a time that works.

Google Calendar has a built-in sharing feature that lets others see your availability, your full schedule, or even make changes on your behalf. Despite that, a surprising number of people have never used it — partly because the settings aren't obvious, and partly because the share option sometimes appears to be missing entirely.

This guide covers exactly how to share your Google Calendar, who can see it by default, and what to do when the option isn't showing up.

How do I share a calendar with someone on Gmail?

Sharing your Google Calendar with a specific person is the most common use case, and the process is straightforward once you know where to look. One thing worth knowing upfront: you can't do this from the Google Calendar mobile app. You'll need to use a web browser, either on desktop or through your phone's browser, and navigate to calendar.google.com.

Using Outlook instead? Here's how to share a calendar in Outlook.

How to share a Google calendar on desktop

Step 1: Open Google Calendar. Go to calendar.google.com and confirm you're logged into the correct Google account.

Step 2: Find your calendar. In the left-hand sidebar, look under "My calendars" for the calendar you want to share. If you have multiple calendars, take a moment to confirm you're selecting the right one.

Step 3: Open sharing settings. Hover over the calendar name until three vertical dots appear. Click them and select "Settings and sharing."

Step 4: Add the person. Scroll down to "Share with specific people or groups." Click "Add people and groups" and enter the person's email address.

Step 5: Choose a permission level. Use the dropdown to select the appropriate level of access. Here's what each option means:

• See only free/busy (hide details): The person will know when you're available or unavailable, but won't see any event names or details. This is the appropriate choice for external contacts where privacy matters.
• See all event details: The person can view event names, times, locations, and descriptions, but can't make any changes. Suitable for teammates who need context around your schedule.
• Make changes to events: The person can edit existing events and add new ones. Best suited for an executive assistant or a close collaborator.
• Make changes and manage sharing: Full access, including the ability to share your calendar with others. Reserve this for someone you trust with full administrative control of your calendar.

Step 6: Click "Send." The person will receive an email notification confirming they've been given access.

How to share a Google calendar on mobile

The Google Calendar app for iOS and Android doesn't include the full sharing settings panel. You can view shared calendars on mobile, but to configure or adjust sharing permissions, you'll need a browser.

You don't need to switch to a computer to do this. Open Safari or Chrome on your phone, go to calendar.google.com, and follow the same steps outlined above. The full settings interface loads in the mobile browser just as it does on desktop.

How to share a Google calendar with your organization

If you're using Google Calendar through a Google Workspace account (a business, school, or nonprofit), you can share your calendar with everyone in your organization at once. This is particularly useful for team leads who want their schedule visible to their department, or for anyone managing a shared team calendar.

Here's how to do it:

1. Go to calendar.google.com and open the settings for the calendar you want to share (three dots > "Settings and sharing").
2. Scroll to "Access permissions for events."
3. Check the box next to "Make available for [your organization name]."
4. Choose a permission level: "See only free/busy" or "See all event details."
5. Click "Back" at the top left to save your settings.

It's worth noting that this option only appears for Google Workspace accounts. If you're using a personal Gmail account (ending in @gmail.com), the organization sharing setting won't be available. In that case, you'll need to share with individuals using the steps in the section above.

How to make your Google calendar public

Making your calendar public means that anyone with the link, or anyone who finds it through search, can view it. This isn't the right option for most personal calendars, but it's appropriate in specific circumstances: a business publishing open office hours, a community organization listing upcoming events, or a professional sharing a schedule of public appearances.

To make your calendar public:

1. Open "Settings and sharing" for the calendar.
2. Under "Access permissions for events," check the "Make available to public" box.
3. Select whether the public can see only free/busy information or full event details.
4. To share the link, scroll down to "Integrate calendar" and copy the shareable URL.

Before making a calendar public, review what's currently on it. Any event not marked as "Private" will be visible to anyone who accesses the calendar.

Why is there no share option on my Google calendar?

This is among the most commonly searched questions about Google Calendar. The share option isn't always visible, and it isn't always obvious why. The following covers the most frequent causes.

• You're using the mobile app: The Google Calendar app for Android and iOS doesn't include the sharing settings panel. This is by design: sharing is managed through the web interface only. Open calendar.google.com in a browser, even on your phone, and the full settings will be accessible.
• The calendar belongs to someone else: You can only share calendars you own, or calendars where you've been granted "Make changes and manage sharing" access. If you're viewing a calendar that someone else created and shared with you, you won't see a share option for it. Calendars you don't own typically appear under "Other calendars" in the left-hand sidebar, rather than under "My calendars."
• Your Google Workspace admin has restricted sharing: Some organizations restrict external calendar sharing through the Google Workspace admin console. If you're unable to share your calendar outside your domain, or the sharing options look different from what's described here, it's worth checking with your IT or admin team. These restrictions are usually put in place for security or compliance reasons.
• It's a subscribed or read-only calendar: Calendars such as "US Holidays," or sports and event schedules you've subscribed to, are read-only. You can view them in your account, but you can't share them because they aren't yours. These calendars typically appear under "Other calendars" rather than "My calendars."

Who can see my Gmail calendar?

This is worth understanding clearly, because the defaults aren't always what people assume.

By default, your Google Calendar is private. Only you can see your events and their details. There are, however, some important nuances depending on your account type and your organization's settings.

• Personal Gmail accounts: Your calendar is entirely private unless you've explicitly shared it with someone or made it public. No one else has access to your events.
• Google Workspace accounts: Depending on your organization's configuration, colleagues within the same domain may be able to see your free/busy status, even without you sharing your calendar directly. This is typically managed by your Workspace admin rather than by individual users.
• Shared events: When someone invites you to a calendar event, the other attendees can see that you were included and view your response status, whether you accepted, declined, or haven't responded.
• Events marked as Private: Even if you share your calendar with someone who has full edit access, any event marked as "Private" will display only as "Busy" to them. No other details will be visible.

To review your current sharing settings at any time, go to calendar.google.com, click the three dots next to your calendar's name, and select "Settings and sharing." Scroll down to see a complete list of who has access and at what permission level.

For a more detailed breakdown of how visibility is managed at the organizational level, Google's official Workspace documentation covers admin-controlled settings thoroughly.

Tips for managing your Google calendar sharing

Once sharing is set up, a few practices will help keep things organized and secure.

• How to remove someone's access: Go to "Settings and sharing" for your calendar, find the person's name under "Share with specific people or groups," and click the X next to their name. Access is revoked immediately.
• Use free/busy sharing for external contacts: When sharing your calendar with people outside your organization, such as clients, partners, or contractors, "See only free/busy" is generally the most appropriate option. It gives them the information they need to schedule a meeting without exposing details that aren't relevant to them.
• Mark sensitive events as private: If you share your calendar broadly but have events you'd prefer to keep confidential, mark those individual events as "Private" when creating them. Open the event, click "More options," and look for the visibility setting. Those events will appear as "Busy" to anyone viewing your calendar, with no further detail.
• Create a dedicated calendar for shared visibility: Rather than sharing your primary calendar, consider creating a secondary calendar specifically for shared use. You can add a new calendar from the left sidebar by clicking the + next to "Other calendars," populate it with only the events you want others to see, and share that calendar on its own. Your primary calendar remains private.

Your calendar is shared. Now make every meeting count

Sharing your Google Calendar is one of those small changes that has a disproportionate impact on how smoothly your day runs. Once colleagues, clients, or teammates can see your availability directly, the emails asking "when are you free?" largely take care of themselves. Fewer messages, fewer delays, and less time spent on coordination that adds nothing to the actual work.

That said, calendar sharing solves the visibility problem. It doesn't solve everything that comes before and after a meeting.

If scheduling is still creating friction, Fyxer's shareable calendar link takes things a step further. Rather than asking someone to check your calendar and suggest a time, you can send them a direct booking link that reflects your real availability. They pick a slot, it lands in your calendar, and no one has to write a single scheduling email.

Once the meeting is in the diary, Fyxer handles what happens during and after it. Its AI notetaker joins the call, captures what was discussed, and drafts the follow-up so that action items don't get lost in the gap between the meeting ending and the next thing demanding your attention. The notes are ready when you need them, without you having to write a word.

Taken together, sharing your calendar and using Fyxer gets you out of the business of managing meetings and back to the business of running them.

Sharing Gmail calendar FAQs

How do I share a Google Calendar with someone who doesn't have Gmail?

You can share a Google Calendar with any email address, not just Gmail accounts. Enter their address in the sharing settings as you normally would. They'll receive an email with a link to view the calendar. If the recipient doesn't have a Google account, they'll be able to view the calendar in read-only mode, but won't be able to make any changes.

How do I stop sharing my Google Calendar with someone?

Go to calendar.google.com, click the three dots next to your calendar's name, and select "Settings and sharing." Scroll to "Share with specific people or groups" and click the X next to the relevant person's name. Access is removed immediately.

Can I share just one event rather than my whole calendar?

Yes. Open the event, click the three dots at the top right, and select "Copy link." You can share that link with anyone, and they'll be able to view that specific event. Alternatively, when creating or editing an event, you can invite guests directly by adding their email address in the "Guests" field. This shares the event only, not your calendar.

What's the difference between sharing a calendar and inviting someone to an event?

Sharing a calendar gives someone ongoing visibility into your schedule across all events, depending on the permission level you've set. Inviting someone to an event sends a one-off invitation for that specific occasion. They can accept or decline the invitation, but they won't have any visibility into the rest of your calendar.