You can share a Google Calendar with one specific person and decide exactly what they see: only when you're busy, full event details, or the right to edit and reshare. The steps below come from Google's Android help page for sharing a calendar, which shows no update date. Desktop and iPhone use separate versions of that page, and the steps are not covered here.
Share a calendar from the Android Calendar app
According to Google's Android instructions, you can share any calendar you own, or one you've been given permission to share.
- Open the Calendar app.
- At the top left, tap Menu, then Settings.
- Select the calendar you want to share.
- Under "Shared with," tap Add people or groups.
- In the search box, enter and choose a name or group. You can add more than one person or group at once.
- Choose a permission level (see the next section).
- Tap Save to send the invite.
The other person gets an email and has to click the link in it before your calendar shows up for them. Sharing isn't instant on their side until they do that.
What each permission level actually lets them do
This is the choice that matters. The names below are the ones Google uses on the Android help page:
| Permission | What the other person can do |
|---|---|
| See only free/busy (hide details) | See only when you're busy. No event or task names or details. |
| See event details | See all details: names, times, places and descriptions. |
| Make changes (see private events as free/busy) | Edit events that aren't private. Private events can't be edited. |
| Make changes and see event details | Edit events or tasks that have a start and end time, and see who else the calendar is shared with. |
| Make changes and manage sharing | Full control of events or tasks, plus the ability to share your calendar with others. |
How private events show up
The "Make changes (see private events as free/busy)" level has a detail that catches people out. Per Google, a private event marked Busy appears to them as a busy block with no details, while a private event marked Free doesn't appear at all. If you want a block of time to stay visible but secret, mark it private and Busy.
Which one to pick
- A coworker who just needs to book around you: See only free/busy. They get your availability and nothing else.
- A partner or assistant who should know where you are: See event details.
- Someone who helps run the calendar: one of the Make changes options.
- Make changes and manage sharing is the one to be careful with. It lets that person share your calendar with anyone. Google also notes that if you want to share a calendar someone else owns, the owner has to give you this permission first.
If you only want one person to see your calendar, don't make it public. Google's desktop help page says a public calendar can be found on the internet or in search results, used with other apps, and subscribed to in Google Calendar.
They never got the invite: what to check
Google's troubleshooting list for a missing sharing email is short:
- Check that you typed the correct email address.
- Ask them to look in spam or trash.
- Ask them to search their mail for your email address.
- Remove them from the sharing list, then add them again. Adding them again sends a fresh invite.
Remember that they have to click the link in that email. Until they do, your calendar won't appear for them, even though you've already saved the share.
Work or school account? The administrator may block it
If the calendar belongs to a work or school account, Google says the administrator decides whether you can share it. If the option is missing or sharing fails, it may be turned off for your organization, and only your admin can change that. This is the only sharing limit the help page mentions.
Stop sharing with someone
You can stop sharing whenever you want. In the Calendar app, go to Menu > Settings, select the calendar, and look under "Shared with." Everyone you've shared with is listed there. Tap Remove next to the person's name.
It's also a good time to check who has "Make changes and manage sharing," since those people can add others. For a similar audit of your wider account, see how to see which apps can access your Google Account.
On a computer or iPhone
Google publishes separate desktop and iPhone versions of this help article, and the steps differ from Android. The desktop version also words the permissions slightly differently. For example, it describes "Make changes and see event details" as "People can edit events on your calendar and find who else it's shared with." The permission names line up, so the guide above for choosing a level still applies. For the exact clicks on a computer, follow Google's desktop page.
