The default Google Calendar sharing flow sends an email invitation and requires the recipient to have a Google account. But there's another way: a public iCal URL that anyone can subscribe to in any calendar app, no email and no Google account needed.
Here's how to get that link and use it.
Step 1: Open your calendar settings
Go to calendar.google.com on a desktop browser. In the left sidebar, hover over the calendar you want to share — it doesn't have to be your main calendar — and click the three-dot menu. Select Settings and sharing.
Step 2: Make the calendar public
Scroll down to Access permissions for events. Check the box next to Make available to public.
Google will show a warning that anyone can see your events if they have the link. This is fine for schedules that aren't private — sports schedules, community events, club meetings, public event listings. Don't do this with your personal calendar.
Step 3: Copy the iCal URL
After enabling public access, scroll down slightly to Integrate calendar. You'll see two URLs:
- Public URL in iCal format — this is the one you want
- Public URL to this calendar (HTML format) — this is for viewing in a browser, not for subscribing
Click the copy icon next to Public address in iCal format. The URL looks like:
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/example%40gmail.com/public/basic.ics
Step 4: Share the link however you want
You can paste this URL anywhere — in a group chat, on a website, in a newsletter, or in a social media post. Recipients don't need a Google account and don't need to accept any invitation.
How recipients subscribe
Google Calendar:
- Click the + next to Other calendars in the left sidebar
- Select From URL
- Paste the iCal URL
- Click Add calendar
Apple Calendar on iPhone:
- Go to Settings → Calendar → Accounts → Add Account → Other
- Tap Add Subscribed Calendar
- Paste the URL and tap Next
Apple Calendar on Mac:
- Open Calendar → File → New Calendar Subscription
- Paste the URL and click Subscribe
Outlook:
- Open Outlook calendar
- Click Add calendar → Subscribe from web
- Paste the URL and click Import
Once subscribed, the calendar updates automatically whenever you add or change events. Recipients don't need to re-subscribe.
What this approach is good for
- Posting a club or organization's event schedule on a website
- Sharing a league schedule in a group chat without collecting everyone's email
- Letting anyone on any calendar app subscribe to your events
- Embedding a "subscribe to this calendar" link in a newsletter or flyer
What this approach doesn't do
A public iCal URL shares your entire calendar — every event on it. If you want to share only a specific set of events (just the games, just the school events, just the trip itinerary) without exposing everything else on a calendar, you need a different tool.
Sharing a curated event list instead of a whole calendar
CalHelper is built for exactly this situation. Instead of making an entire Google Calendar public, you can upload just the events you want to share — from a PDF, a photo, or a list you type in — and CalHelper generates an iCal feed URL for those events only.
This is useful for event coordinators who want to publish a season schedule, a conference agenda, or a series of community events as a subscribable calendar link — without putting those events on a personal Google Calendar and without sending email invites.
The resulting URL works the same way: paste it anywhere, anyone subscribes in any calendar app, events update when you update the source.