If you are trying to coordinate dinner plans with your spouse, schedule a meeting with a busy coworker, or manage a project team, constantly texting back and forth to find an open time slot is inefficient. The easiest solution is to share your Google Calendar. This allows specific people to see exactly when you are busy, completely eliminating scheduling conflicts.
Understanding Permission Levels
Before you share your calendar, it is critical to understand that you are not giving up your privacy. Google allows you to dictate exactly what the other person can see.
- See only free/busy (hide details): The safest option for coworkers. They will see a solid block labeled “Busy” on your calendar, but they will not know if you are at a doctor’s appointment, an interview, or sleeping.
- See all event details: The best option for family members. They can see the exact name, location, and description of your events.
- Make changes to events: The person can add, edit, or delete events on your calendar (ideal for an executive assistant).
- Make changes and manage sharing: The person has full administrative control over your calendar.
How to Share Your Calendar with Specific People
You cannot configure sharing permissions from the mobile app; you must use a desktop web browser.
- Open your web browser and navigate to Google Calendar.
- Look at the left-hand sidebar. Under the “My calendars” section, locate the specific calendar you want to share (usually your name).
- Hover your mouse over the calendar name and click the three vertical dots that appear.
- Select Settings and sharing from the dropdown menu.
You are now in the backend settings for that specific calendar. Scroll down until you see the section labeled “Share with specific people or groups.”
- Click the Add people and groups button.
- A popup window will appear. Type the email address of the person you want to share with. (They must have a Google Account).
- Click the Permissions dropdown menu and select the appropriate privacy level (e.g., “See only free/busy”).
- Click Send.
How the Recipient Views the Calendar
The person you added will instantly receive an email notification containing a link to add your calendar to their list. Once they accept, your calendar will appear in their left sidebar under “Other calendars.” They can click the checkbox next to your name to toggle your events on and off, overlaying your schedule directly on top of their own to easily find open time slots.
How to Revoke Access
If someone leaves the company or you no longer want a person to see your schedule, you can instantly revoke their access. Return to the “Settings and sharing” menu, locate their name under “Share with specific people,” and click the “X” on the far right side of their row. They will immediately lose access to your schedule.