How to Share Your Google Calendar (2026): Complete Guide for Teams & Families

Introduction

Over 500 million people actively use Google Calendar for personal and professional scheduling^[1]. For anyone juggling work meetings, family events, and personal appointments in a busy city like Vancouver, this tool is indispensable. Sharing your calendar effectively can transform how you coordinate with coworkers at a downtown office, plan family dinners around soccer practice in Kitsilano, or manage bookings for a small business. This guide will walk you through every method of sharing your Google Calendar, from simple view-only links for a one-off event to creating fully collaborative family or team calendars. We will also cover important privacy settings and best practices to keep your information secure while improving transparency. By the end, you will know exactly how to share your schedule in a way that fits your specific needs, whether you are coordinating a project at UBC or planning a weekend trip to Whistler with friends.

Quick Answer

How to Share Google Calendar To share your Google Calendar, open it on a computer, find your calendar in the "My calendars" list, click the three dots next to it, select "Settings and sharing," and then add people under the "Share with specific people" section. You can grant someone either "See all event details" (view-only) or "Make changes to events" (edit) access. For broader sharing, you can create a public link under the "Access permissions" section or embed the calendar's HTML code directly into a website. The exact steps are slightly different on the mobile app, where you tap the calendar name, then the share icon, and add people from there. For example, a Vancouver-based marketing team might share their "Campaign Launches" calendar with edit permissions for all team members. A family in North Vancouver could share their "Family Schedule" with view-only access for their babysitter, so they always know when they are needed. The process is free and integrated directly into your Google account.

Your Google Calendar Sharing your calendar is not just about letting people see your appointments. It is a fundamental tool for reducing friction in group coordination. For local teams, it eliminates the endless back-and-forth emails trying to find a meeting time. A project manager at a tech startup in Yaletown can see when their developers are in deep work blocks, and a receptionist at a dental clinic on West Broadway can manage room bookings without double-booking the hygienist. For families, a shared calendar becomes the single source of truth. Parents can track their kids' school events, music lessons at the Vancouver Academy of Music, and playdates. When grandparents are visiting from out of town, they can be added to the calendar to see the family's plans, making coordination for a trip to the Aquarium or a reservation at Miku (200 Granville St, Vancouver, BC V6C 1S4, tasting menus from $85 per person) smooth. Couples use it to manage joint commitments, ensuring they both remember anniversary dinners at Hawksworth Restaurant (801 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6C 1P7, mains $48-$68) or weekend getaways. The core benefit is transparency. It builds trust within teams and reduces stress within households. When everyone has visibility, there are fewer surprises and missed commitments. It also allows for better planning, as you can see potential conflicts weeks in advance and adjust accordingly.

Summary: Sharing your Google Calendar improves team efficiency and family coordination by providing a transparent, central schedule. A 2023 study found teams using shared calendars reported a 27% reduction in scheduling conflicts^[2]. As hybrid work remains common, a shared calendar is the simplest way to align distributed groups, preventing miscommunication before it happens.

This is the most common and controlled way to share. You grant access directly to individuals using their email addresses. This method is perfect for sharing with colleagues, family members, or service providers like a personal trainer. #

Granting View-Only vs. Edit Permissions

When you add a person, you choose their permission level. "See all event details" allows them to view your full calendar, including event titles, details, and times, but they cannot change anything. This is ideal for an assistant who needs to know your availability or a family member keeping tabs on your whereabouts. "Make changes to events" allows them to add, modify, or delete events. Use this for collaborative calendars, like a "Team Projects" calendar where everyone adds their deadlines. There is also a "See only free/busy (hide details)" option, which only shows blocked time slots without any details, useful for limited privacy with external contacts. #

On your computer, open Google Calendar. On the left side, find "My calendars" and hover over the calendar you want to share. Click the three vertical dots that appear, then select "Settings and sharing." Scroll down to the "Share with specific people" section. Click "Add people" and enter the email addresses of the individuals. Choose their permission level from the dropdown menu next to their name. You can add a custom message if you wish. Click "Send" to dispatch an email invitation. The recipient will get an email asking them to add your calendar to their own list. #

Managing Individual Access

You can change permissions or remove access at any time. Return to the "Settings and sharing" page for that calendar. In the "Share with specific people" list, you will see everyone with access. Use the dropdown menu next to any person to change their permission level or select "Remove" to revoke their access entirely. This is helpful when a team member changes roles or a contractor's project ends.

Summary: Sharing with specific people offers precise control over who sees your calendar and what they can do. You can choose between view-only, edit, or free/busy-only access for each individual. This method is essential for 1:1 collaboration, as it maintains clear accountability while providing the necessary visibility for coordinated work or family life.

How to Make Your Google

Calendar Public Making a calendar public means anyone on the internet can find and view it if they have the link. This is useful for organizations that want to publish event schedules, like a community center, a yoga studio, or a restaurant promoting live music nights. #

Understanding Public Calendar Access Levels

When you make a calendar public, you have two visibility options. "Make available to public" allows anyone to find your calendar through a Google search if they know the exact name, and they can see all event details. "See only free/busy (hide details)" makes the calendar publicly findable but only shows when you are busy, not what you are doing. For a business like The Ellis (1104 Davie St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1N1, brunch $15-$22), the first option would let customers see their weekly trivia or brunch specials event details. The second option might be used by a consultant to show general availability without revealing client names. #

Steps to Publish Your Calendar

On a computer, go to the calendar's "Settings and sharing" page. Under "Access permissions," check the box next to "Make available to public." You will then see a warning; click "OK" to confirm. Immediately below, you can choose between "See all event details" or "See only free/busy" for the public access setting. Once saved, your calendar is public. Google will generate a public URL, which you can find further down the page under "Integrate calendar." This is the link you can share anywhere. #

Use Cases and Cautions

Public calendars are excellent for non-sensitive, promotional schedules. Think of a public library's event calendar, a festival schedule for the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, or a sports team's game calendar. However, you should never make your primary personal or work calendar public. Always create a separate, dedicated calendar for public events to avoid accidentally sharing private appointments. Double-check that no confidential information is on the calendar before you toggle the public setting.

Summary: Making a calendar public broadcasts its events to anyone online, ideal for organizations promoting schedules. You control whether the public sees full details or just busy times. Always use a dedicated calendar for this purpose, as making a primary calendar public poses significant privacy risks by exposing all your appointments to search engines.

Link Sharing a calendar link provides a flexible middle ground between specific sharing and making it fully public. You generate a unique URL that you can distribute to a select group without needing to add each person individually by email. #

Generating Secret Links in Calendar Settings

In your calendar's "Settings and sharing" page, scroll to the "Integrate calendar" section. Here you will find your calendar's ID. More importantly, you will see a "Public URL to this calendar." If your calendar is not public, you will first need to click "Get shareable link" under the "Access permissions" section. This creates a secret, unlisted link. You can then choose the access level for link viewers: "See all event details" or "See only free/busy." Copy the provided HTTPS link. #

This method is perfect for situations where you have a fluid group. For example, a volunteer coordinator for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank could share the "Volunteer Shifts" calendar link in a newsletter. Parents of a sports team could be given a link to the "U12 Soccer Practice" calendar. A freelance photographer could share a "Booking Availability" link with potential clients. Since you are not managing a list of emails, it is low-maintenance. You can revoke access by resetting the link in your settings, which immediately invalidates the old URL. #

Security and Link Management

A shareable link is only as secure as you keep it. While it is not indexed by search engines like a public calendar, anyone with the link can view it. Do not post it on open forums or social media if you intend it for a limited audience. If you suspect the link has been shared too widely or a team member leaves, go back to the "Access permissions" section and click "Reset" next to the shareable link. This creates a new URL and instantly disables the old one. All previous links will stop working.

Summary: A shareable link offers a convenient way to distribute calendar access without managing individual invites. You generate a secret URL with configurable view permissions, ideal for dynamic groups like volunteers or club members. Remember to reset the link if it becomes compromised, as this is the only way to revoke access for everyone who has it.

How to Embed a Google

Calendar on a Website Embedding places a live, interactive version of your calendar directly onto a webpage. Visitors can view events and navigate through months without leaving the site. This is a professional touch for businesses and organizations. #

Getting Your Embed Code

The process starts on the computer in your calendar's "Settings and sharing." Navigate to the "Integrate calendar" section. You will see a box labeled "Embed code." This is an HTML iframe code snippet. Before copying it, click the "Customize" link next to it. This opens a configuration tool where you can set the default view (week, month, agenda), adjust the width and height, and choose which calendars to show if you have multiple. Once customized, copy the entire code from the box. #

Adding the Code to Your Website

The next step depends on your website platform. For WordPress, you would typically create a new page or post, switch to the HTML/Code editor (not the visual editor), and paste the embed code where you want the calendar to appear. On Squarespace or Wix, you would add an "Embed" or "Code" block to your page and paste the snippet there. For a custom website, you would add the code to the appropriate section of your HTML file. After publishing, the calendar will display live on your site. #

Examples and Best Practices

A local fitness studio like Orangetheory Fitness in Kitsilano could embed their class schedule. A restaurant such as Nightingale (1017 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6E 0C4, shared plates $14-$36) could show their weekly special event nights. A community association could embed a calendar of neighborhood meetings. The key best practice is to embed a dedicated calendar, not your personal one. Ensure the events have clear, descriptive titles so site visitors understand them at a glance. Test the embedded calendar on both desktop and mobile devices to ensure it displays correctly.

Summary: Embedding a Google Calendar onto your website provides visitors with a live, interactive schedule. You copy a customizable HTML code from your calendar settings and paste it into your site's backend. This is a highly effective tool for businesses and groups to display public events, driving engagement by keeping information directly accessible on their own web property.

Managing Permissions and

Privacy on Shared Calendars Once you start sharing, ongoing management is key to maintaining both functionality and security. Google Calendar provides several layers of control to fine-tune what others see. #

Reviewing and Adjusting Existing Shares

Regularly audit who has access to your calendars. Go to "Settings and sharing" for each calendar and review the "Share with specific people" list. Remove anyone who no longer needs access, like former employees or contractors. For example, if a designer leaves your agency, remove them from the "Client Projects" calendar immediately. You can also downgrade permissions; a team member moving to a different department might go from "Make changes" to "See all event details." #

Using the "Default" Privacy Setting

A powerful but often overlooked setting is the "Default" permission under "Access permissions." This controls what people in your organization (if you use Google Workspace) or other people you've shared any calendar with can see. The options range from "See only free/busy" to "See all event details." Setting this to "See only free/busy" is a good privacy baseline. It means that when you share one calendar with a coworker, they cannot automatically see the details of your other calendars unless you explicitly share those too. #

Event-Level Privacy Controls

Even on a shared calendar, you can hide specific events. When creating or editing an event, click the event visibility icon (a little eye or a lock). You can mark an event as "Private." For people with "See all event details" access, a private event will only show as "Busy" with no title or details. This is perfect for a personal doctor's appointment on a work calendar or a surprise party event on a family calendar. The event details remain visible to you and anyone with "Make changes" access. | Permission Level | Can View Event Titles & Details | Can Add/Edit Events | Sees Private Events As | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Make changes | Yes | Yes | Full Details | | See all event details | Yes | No | "Busy" (Only) | | See only free/busy | No | No | "Busy" (Only) | | Free/Busy via Link | No | No | "Busy" (Only) |

Summary: Proactively managing permissions prevents clutter and protects sensitive information. You should review shared access lists quarterly and use the "Private" flag for individual sensitive events. Setting a restrictive "Default" permission acts as a privacy safety net, ensuring you don't accidentally over-share across all your calendars when you share just one.

Shared Calendar Etiquette for

Teams and Families Clear rules of engagement prevent a shared calendar from becoming a source of confusion or conflict. Establishing etiquette is as important as knowing the technical steps. #

Naming Conventions and Event Details

Consistency is important. Agree on a naming format for events. A team might use: "[Project Name] - Weekly Sync" or "[Client] - Deadline." A family might use: "Leo - Piano Lesson" or "Family - Dinner at Grandma's." Always fill in the event description and location fields. For a work meeting, add the agenda doc link. For a family event, put the address (e.g. 6543 Balsam St, Vancouver for a community center) or reservation confirmation number. This turns the calendar into a useful hub of information, not just a list of times. #

Color-Coding and Calendar Separation

Use different calendars for different domains of life. Have separate calendars for "Work," "Personal," "Family," and "Side Projects." Color-code them distinctly. This visual separation allows you to overlay them for a complete picture while keeping categories clear. When sharing, you typically share only the relevant calendar. You wouldn't share your "Personal" calendar with your work team. This separation maintains professional boundaries and personal privacy. #

Communication Around Changes

If you need to move or cancel a shared event, communicate directly with the affected parties, don't just silently update the calendar. Send a quick message: "Heads up, I've moved the budget meeting to 3 PM." For family events, a text in your family group chat prevents surprises. Also, be mindful of others' time zones if your team is distributed. Google Calendar can show secondary time zones, which is helpful for coordinating between Vancouver and Toronto, for instance.

Summary: Effective shared calendar use requires agreed-upon rules for naming events, using descriptions, and maintaining separate calendars for different life areas. Direct communication about changes is essential, as the calendar is a tool to support conversation, not replace it. Good etiquette ensures the calendar remains a trusted source of truth for everyone involved.

Creating a Shared Family or

Team Calendar from Scratch Sometimes, instead of sharing your own calendar, you need to create a brand-new calendar dedicated to group use. This keeps group events separate from your personal appointments. #

The Creation Process

On the computer, look at the left sidebar under "Other calendars." Click the "+" sign next to it and select "Create new calendar." Give it a clear name, like "Rivera Family Schedule" or "Acme Corp - Marketing." Add a helpful description, set the time zone (Pacific Time for Vancouver), and click "Create calendar." You have now made an empty calendar that you own. The next step is to share it. Go to the new calendar's "Settings and sharing" page and add the relevant people with "Make changes" permissions so everyone can contribute events. #

Populating and Structuring the Calendar

Start by adding all known recurring events. For a family, this includes school days, weekly swimming lessons at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre, and recycling pickup days. For a team, add standing meetings, paydays, and company holidays. Use the recurring event feature. Encourage all members to add their relevant items. The goal is for this calendar to become the complete picture for that specific domain. You can create multiple shared calendars for different purposes, like a "Family Logistics" calendar and a "Family Fun & Trips" calendar. #

Ownership and Administration

As the creator, you are the default owner. The owner can delete the calendar, change all settings, and permanently remove events. In a team setting, consider using a generic team email account (e.g. marketing@yourcompany.com) to create and own the calendar. This prevents issues if the original creator leaves the organization. For a family, a parent typically owns it. Owners should periodically archive or delete past events to keep the calendar loading quickly and looking clean.

Summary: Creating a dedicated shared calendar from scratch provides a clean slate for group activities, separate from personal schedules. The owner adds members with edit permissions and populates it with recurring events as a foundation. For long-term stability in a team, consider using a group email as the calendar owner to avoid disruption from personnel changes.

Making Shared Calendars Visually Distinct with Custom Backgrounds

When you manage multiple shared calendars (work team, family, side project), they can all start to look the same on your screen. A plain white or grey background offers no visual cue to distinguish your "Soccer Team" calendar from your "Book Club" calendar at a glance. This is where visual customization becomes a powerful productivity aid. #

The Challenge of Calendar Overload

The default Google Calendar interface is functional but visually uniform. If you have five different shared calendars layered together, all you have to differentiate them is a thin strip of color on the left and the event color itself. When you are quickly scanning your week, it takes extra cognitive effort to parse which event belongs to which group. A custom background image for each calendar provides an instant, subconscious context clue. Opening your "Family Vacation Planning" calendar to see a background of Tofino's sunset immediately puts you in the right mindset, separate from your "Q4 Sales" calendar. #

Using CalendarBG for Instant Customization

This is where a tool like the CalendarBG Chrome extension becomes useful. After installing it from the Chrome Web Store, you can change the background of any Google Calendar view. You can choose from its built-in library of over 10,000 HD photos, selecting a serene forest for your personal calendar, a sleek abstract design for work, or a fun pattern for a shared family calendar. You can even use your own photos from Google Drive, making a shared family calendar display a rotating gallery of your own memories. #

Applying Backgrounds to Shared Calendars

The process is simple. With CalendarBG active, open Google Calendar. Use the extension's panel to search for an image or select one from your favorites. You can adjust the blur and brightness to ensure event text remains readable and toggle between light or dark text. For a shared team calendar focused on creativity, a team lead might set an inspiring landscape background. For a shared calendar tracking a home renovation project, you could use a background of the architectural plans. This visual distinction helps your brain switch contexts faster, making your time spent in Google Calendar more pleasant and efficient. The free plan offers plenty of options to get started, and a PRO plan unlocks features like auto-rotation and unlimited use of your own Drive photos.

Summary: Customizing your calendar's background with images provides instant visual context, helping you distinguish between multiple shared calendars at a glance. Tools like CalendarBG make this easy with a vast library of photos and personal image support. This small aesthetic upgrade can reduce mental fatigue and make collaborative scheduling a more engaging and organized experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share my Google Calendar with someone who doesn't have a Google account?

No, you cannot directly share a calendar in a way that allows interactive viewing with someone without a Google account. They need a Google account to be added to "Share with specific people." However, if you make the calendar public or get a shareable link, they can view it in a web browser without signing in. They will not be able to add it to their own calendar app or receive updates automatically. Q: What is the difference between sharing a calendar and inviting someone to an event? A: Sharing a calendar grants ongoing access to see or edit all events on that entire calendar. Inviting someone to a single event only sends them an invitation to that specific appointment. They will see it on their own calendar if they accept, but they cannot see any other events on your calendar. Sharing is for continuous collaboration, while event invites are for one-off meetings. Q: How do I stop sharing my Google Calendar with someone? A: Go to the calendar's "Settings and sharing" page on a computer. In the "Share with specific people" section, find the person's email address. Click the dropdown menu next to their name and select "Remove." If you shared via a link, go to "Access permissions" and click "Reset" next to the shareable link to generate a new, invalidating the old link. Q: Can I share only certain events on my calendar, not the whole thing? A: There is no native feature to share a filtered selection of events. Your options are to create a separate calendar for the events you want to share and only share that, or to mark private events you don't want seen as "Private" on a shared calendar. People with "See all event details" access will only see "Busy" for private events. Q: Why can't I see the "Settings and sharing" option for a calendar? A: This usually means you do not have ownership or "Make changes" permissions for that calendar. You can only change sharing settings for calendars you own. If you are trying to change settings on a calendar someone else shared with you, you need to ask the owner to adjust the permissions. Q: Is there a limit to how many people I can share my calendar with? A: Google does not publish a strict limit for sharing with specific individuals, but there are practical limits. For sharing with a large group (hundreds or thousands), using a public link or embedding the calendar on a website is the recommended and more scalable approach. Q: How do I share a Google Calendar on my iPhone or Android phone? A: Open the Google Calendar app. Tap the calendar name you want to share under "My calendars." Tap the share icon (usually three connected dots or a person with a plus sign). Enter the email address of the person and select their permission level (View or Edit). Tap "Send." The full range of settings is still best managed on a computer.

References

[1] Google, "Google Workspace Updates," 2024. Announcement on Google Calendar user milestones. URL 2: Asana, "The Anatomy of Work Index," 2023. Global study on workplace collaboration and time wasted on scheduling. URL 3: CalendarBG, "Chrome Web Store Listing," 2026. Product page for the custom backgrounds Chrome extension. URL 4: Google Support, "Share your calendar with someone," 2026. Official help documentation for calendar sharing. URL 5: Google Support, "Make your calendar public," 2026. Official help documentation for public calendar settings. URL 6: Google Support, "Embed your calendar on a website," 2026. Official help documentation for embed codes. URL 7: TechRepublic, "Best practices for shared digital calendars," 2025. Article on team calendar etiquette and structure. URL #sharecalendar #googlecalendar #teams #family #collaboration