Share your Google Calendar in three ways
You can share your Google Calendar with family members through three different methods, each giving you control over what they can see and change. The simplest way is to send them a shareable link they can view in their browser without signing in. The second method adds them as a specific person with permissions you choose — they see your calendar in their own Google Calendar account. The third method, calendar delegation, lets a trusted family member manage your calendar almost as if it were their own.
Which method you pick depends on how much access you want to give. If you only want your spouse to see when you're busy, a view-only link works fine. If you want your teenager to add events to a shared family calendar, you'll need to add them as a person with editing rights. If you want your adult child to handle your appointments while you're away, delegation is the right choice.
Key Takeaways
- A shareable link lets anyone with the link view your calendar in a browser without a Google account, but they cannot make changes.
- Adding a person by email gives them access in their own Google Calendar account, and you control whether they can only view, make changes, or manage sharing.
- Calendar delegation lets someone sign into your Google account and manage your calendar as if it were their own, useful for trusted family members handling your schedule.
- You can change or remove access at any time by editing the sharing settings or removing the person from your calendar.
- Family members added to a shared calendar see it in their own Google Calendar sidebar and get notifications for new events you create.
Create a shareable link anyone can view
A shareable link is the fastest way to let family members see your calendar without them needing a Google account. Open Google Calendar on your computer, find the calendar you want to share in the left sidebar, click the three dots next to its name, and select "Settings and sharing." Scroll down to "Share with specific people and groups" and look for the section labeled "Get the link to this calendar" — it may say "Make available to the public" or show a link icon.
Click "Copy link" or the link icon. This generates a URL you can send to family members via text, email, or however you normally communicate. Anyone who opens that link can see your calendar events in their web browser. They cannot add, edit, or delete events — they can only view what you've shared. If you ever want to stop sharing, return to the same settings and click "Remove link" or toggle the sharing off.
One important note: a shareable link shows your calendar to anyone who has it. If you send it to your sister but she forwards it to a friend, that friend can now see your calendar too. If that concerns you, use the next method instead, which lets you control exactly who sees it.
Add family members by email with specific permissions
Adding a family member by email means they see your calendar in their own Google Calendar account, and you decide exactly what they can do. Open Google Calendar, find the calendar in the left sidebar, click the three dots next to its name, and select "Settings and sharing." Under "Share with specific people and groups," you'll see a text box that says "Add people and groups."
Type the email address of the family member you want to share with — this must be their actual Google account email. Click the dropdown next to their email to choose their permission level. "See all event details" means they can view everything but cannot make changes. "Make changes to events" lets them add, edit, and delete events on your calendar. "Make changes and manage sharing" gives them all of that plus the ability to share your calendar with other people. Choose the level that fits your situation, then click "Share."
The family member will receive a notification that you've shared a calendar with them. They don't have to do anything — the calendar automatically appears in their Google Calendar sidebar under "Other calendars." If you later want to change what they can do, return to the sharing settings, find their name, and click the dropdown to pick a new permission level. To remove them entirely, click the X next to their name.
Set up calendar delegation for trusted family members
Calendar delegation is different from sharing — it lets a family member sign into your Google account and manage your calendar as if it were their own. This is useful if you want your adult child to handle your appointments while you're traveling, or if you want your spouse to have full control over scheduling. To set this up, you need to be signed into your own Google account.
Go to Google Calendar settings by clicking the gear icon in the top right and selecting "Settings." Click "Add calendar" in the left sidebar, then select "Subscribe to calendar." No — that's not the right path. Instead, look for a section called "Delegate your calendar" or go directly to myaccount.google.com, click "Security" in the left menu, scroll to "Your devices," and select "Manage all your devices." From there, find "Delegate access to your account" — the exact location varies depending on your Google account setup.
The simpler route: ask the family member you trust to sign into their own Google account, then go to calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/r/settings/addbyemail while you're watching. Enter your email address and choose "Make changes and manage sharing" as the permission level. This adds your calendar to their account with full editing rights. They can now add events, change times, and delete appointments on your calendar from their own account without signing into yours.
Delegation is powerful, so only use it with family members you completely trust. If you want to revoke delegation, go back to the sharing settings and remove that person's access the same way you would for any other shared calendar.
Control what family members see in shared events
When you share your calendar with family members, they see the event title, time, and location by default. If an event says "Doctor's appointment at 2 PM," they'll see exactly that. If you want to hide details from some family members, you can mark individual events as private before sharing the calendar.
Open the event, click "Edit event," and look for a "Visibility" or "Show as" dropdown — it's usually near the bottom of the event details. Change it from "Public" to "Private." Now, when family members view your calendar, they'll see a time block that says "Busy" but won't see the event title or details. This is useful if you want your family to know you're unavailable without knowing exactly why.
Keep in mind that if you've given someone permission to edit your calendar, they can change the visibility setting on your events. If you want to keep certain events completely hidden from a family member, don't share your entire calendar with them — instead, create a separate calendar for events you want them to see and share only that one.
Create a shared family calendar everyone can use
Instead of sharing your personal calendar, you can create a new calendar specifically for family events — birthdays, holidays, appointments everyone needs to know about. Open Google Calendar, click the plus sign next to "Other calendars" in the left sidebar, and select "Create new calendar." Give it a name like "Family Schedule" and a description if you want, then click "Create calendar."
Now add events to this calendar that the whole family should see. To share it with family members, click the three dots next to the calendar name and select "Settings and sharing." Add each family member by email, choosing whether they can only view it or also add and edit events. A shared family calendar works best when everyone has editing rights — that way, your spouse can add their work trip, your teenager can add their soccer game, and everyone sees the full picture.
This approach keeps your personal calendar private while giving the family a central place to coordinate schedules. You can still share your personal calendar with specific people if needed, but the family calendar becomes the main source of truth for shared events.
Troubleshoot common sharing problems
If a family member says they can't see your calendar after you've shared it, ask them to refresh their browser or close and reopen the Google Calendar app. Sometimes the new calendar takes a minute to appear in their sidebar. If they're using the shareable link method, make sure they're opening it in a web browser — the link doesn't work in the Google Calendar app.
If you've added someone by email but they're not receiving the notification, check that you typed their email address correctly. Google won't send a notification if the email doesn't exist. You can also manually send them a message letting them know you've shared your calendar and what email address to look for it under.
If a family member can see your calendar but events aren't showing up, check that the calendar is actually turned on in their view. In Google Calendar, each calendar in the sidebar has a checkbox next to it — if it's unchecked, events won't display even though they have access. Ask them to click the checkbox next to your calendar name to turn it on.
If you want to stop sharing your calendar with someone, go back to the sharing settings, find their name, and click the X to remove them. They'll lose access immediately — the calendar will disappear from their sidebar. If you used a shareable link, clicking "Remove link" stops anyone from accessing that link, but people who already have it saved may still be able to view it for a short time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can family members see my calendar if they don't have a Google account?
Yes, if you use the shareable link method. Anyone with the link can view your calendar in a web browser without signing in. If you add them by email, they need a Google account because the calendar appears in their Google Calendar sidebar. Delegation also requires a Google account since they're signing in to manage your calendar.
What's the difference between sharing and delegation?
Sharing means they see your calendar in their own account and can make changes if you give them permission. Delegation means they sign into your Google account and manage your calendar as if it were their own. Delegation gives more control but requires trusting them with your account password. Use sharing for most family members and delegation only for people you completely trust.
Can I share my calendar with someone who doesn't use Google Calendar?
If they don't have a Google account, the shareable link is your only option — they can view it in any web browser. If you want them to have editing rights or see it in a calendar app, they'll need to create a free Google account first. Once they have one, you can add them by email and give them whatever permissions you choose.
What happens if I change an event after sharing my calendar?
Family members see the updated event in real time. If you change the time of a meeting, they'll see the new time the next time they refresh their calendar or open the app. If you delete an event, it disappears from their view immediately. They'll also get notifications if you've turned on event notifications in your sharing settings.
Can I share only certain events instead of my whole calendar?
Not directly — when you share a calendar, people see all events on it. If you want to share only specific events, create a separate calendar for those events and share that calendar instead. For example, create a "Family Events" calendar and add only the events you want your family to see, then share that calendar with them while keeping your personal calendar private.