Sharing a Google Calendar is one of those things that sounds simple but has a few different options depending on what you actually need. This guide covers both main approaches: sharing directly with a specific person, and sharing via a public link that anyone can subscribe to.
Option 1: Share with a specific person
This is the right approach when you want to share with one or a few people and control their level of access.
Step 1: Open Google Calendar settings
Go to calendar.google.com on a desktop browser. In the left sidebar, hover over the calendar you want to share and click the three-dot menu that appears. Select Settings and sharing.
Step 2: Add the person
Scroll down to Share with specific people or groups. Click Add people and groups, then type the email address of the person you want to share with.
Step 3: Set their permissions
You'll be asked to choose a permission level:
- See only free/busy (hide details) — They can see when you're busy but not what the event is. Good for letting colleagues know your availability without exposing personal details.
- See all event details — They can see everything: event names, descriptions, locations, guests. They cannot add or change events.
- Make changes to events — Full read/write access. They can add, edit, and delete events on this calendar.
- Make changes and manage sharing — Same as above, plus they can share the calendar with others. Only grant this to someone you really trust.
Step 4: Send the invite
Click Send. The other person gets an email invitation. Once they accept, the calendar appears in their Google Calendar.
What the other person sees
If they accepted via the email link, the calendar shows up in their Other calendars list and syncs automatically. They don't need to do anything else to keep it updated.
Option 2: Share via a public iCal link
This approach is better when you want to share with many people, post a link publicly (on a website, in a group chat), or share with people who don't use Google Calendar.
Step 1: Make the calendar public
In the same Settings and sharing page, scroll to Access permissions for events. Check Make available to public. Google will warn you that anyone with the link can see your events — only do this for calendars that don't contain private information.
Step 2: Get the iCal link
Below the public checkbox, you'll see Public address in iCal format. Click the copy button next to that URL. It looks something like:
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/youraddress%40gmail.com/public/basic.ics
Step 3: Share the link
Send this URL to anyone. They can subscribe to it in Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, or any other calendar app that supports iCal subscriptions. When you add or update events, their subscribed calendar updates automatically.
When to use which approach
| Situation | Best approach |
|---|---|
| Sharing with a specific coworker or family member | Share with specific person |
| Posting a schedule on a website | Public iCal link |
| Sharing with people on different calendar apps | Public iCal link |
| Letting someone edit events | Share with specific person (with edit permissions) |
| Sharing with a large group | Public iCal link |
What if you want to share just a few events, not your whole calendar?
Sharing a Google Calendar shares everything on it. If you want to share only specific events — a youth sports schedule, a school event list, a trip itinerary — without exposing the rest of your calendar, you need a different approach.
CalHelper lets you create a separate iCal feed from any schedule source (a PDF, a photo, a text list of dates) and share that as a standalone link. Recipients subscribe once and get just those events, with nothing from your personal calendar included.
This is especially useful for families who want to share a kid's activity schedule with grandparents or other family members without sharing their full calendar.