How to share a Google Calendar link

Which link do you need?

Google Calendar has several links, and they do different jobs:

• Sharing by email. For family or colleagues who need to see or edit your calendar.
• Shareable link. For a public calendar that people subscribe to in Google Calendar.
• Public URL. Opens the calendar in a browser, no sign-in needed. Public calendars only.
• Public address in iCal format. For people subscribing from Apple Calendar, Outlook and other apps. Public calendars only.
• Event link. Shares one event, not the calendar.
• Booking page. Lets people book a slot with you.

Share with specific people

Google's steps, on a computer:

1. Open Google Calendar. On the left, find My calendars.
2. Point to the calendar, click More, then Settings and sharing.
3. On the left, click Shared with, then Add people and groups.
4. Enter the email address of the person or Google group.
5. Choose what they can do: see only free/busy, see event details, make changes, or make changes and manage sharing.
6. Click Send.

They get an email and have to click its link to add your calendar. Google says that if it doesn't arrive, check the address and ask them to look in spam.

Get a public link

Making a calendar public lets anyone find it, so use a separate calendar for public events. Google's steps:

1. Open Settings, then click the calendar under Settings for my calendars.
2. Under Access permissions for events, tick Make available to public. Choose See only free/busy (hide details) if you'd rather not show event names.
3. For people who use Google Calendar: under Access permissions for events, click Get shareable link and copy it.
4. For a browser link with no sign-in: click Integrate calendar and copy Public URL to this calendar.
5. For Apple Calendar and other apps: copy Public address in iCal format from the same section.

Google notes that turning off public sharing usually takes a few minutes but can take up to 4 hours.

Put it on a website

Under Integrate calendar, Google also gives you an Embed code. Click Customize to choose what shows, copy the code and paste it into your site. The calendar has to be public for visitors to see it.

The link not to share

Under Integrate calendar there's also a Secret address in iCal format. It lets your own apps, such as Outlook, show your calendar. Google says you shouldn't give it to other people. If you have, click Reset to make the old one stop working.

Share a booking page

For "book a time with me", Google Calendar has appointment schedules. You set your available hours on a computer and get a booking page, and anyone with the link can book a free slot. Some features need an eligible Google Workspace or Google One subscription.

Share one event instead

To share a single event, such as an open day, you don't need to share any calendar. Make an add to calendar link with the tool below. Anyone with a Google account can save the event to their own calendar, and there are links for Outlook and Yahoo plus an .ics file for everyone else.

Google also offers Publish event for events on a public calendar, which gives you a link or HTML button for that event. Our guide to Google Calendar invites via link compares the two.

People can't open your link

• "You need permission". The calendar isn't shared with that account, or isn't public. Check Shared with and Access permissions for events.
• Work or school account. Google says your administrator decides whether you can share outside your organisation.
• Changed on your phone? Google's sharing settings can only be changed on a computer.

To show your Google calendar in Outlook, see Google Calendar link to Outlook.