Short answer: to share a Google Calendar without exposing private events, share it with the permission “See only free/busy (hide details)”, or mark the sensitive events as Private. People then see a block labeled Busy instead of the title, place or description. Google says sharing settings can only be changed from a computer, not the mobile app, and that a few details can still show when you invite guests or book rooms.
How we checked
This guide follows Google’s own help pages for sharing your calendar, changing event and task visibility and managing a public calendar, read on 6 October 2026. We did not walk through these steps in a personal account, and we do not show screenshots of anyone’s calendar, so the diagrams are ours and summarize Google’s documentation. Menu names can change, so follow the labels in your own calendar.
What “private” means in Google Calendar
Two separate controls decide what another person sees. The first is the permission you give them when you share the whole calendar. The second is the visibility of each event. They combine, and the safest result comes from setting both on purpose. If you do not share your calendar or make it public, Google says your events are not shared and are only visible to you.
Step by step: share a calendar with one person
- On a computer, open Google Calendar.
- On the left, open My calendars, then click More next to the calendar and choose Settings and sharing.
- On the left, click Shared with, then Add people and groups.
- Enter the email address of the person or Google group.
- Choose a permission, then click Send.
The person gets an email and must click the link in it to add your calendar. If they cannot find it, Google suggests checking the address, looking in spam or trash, searching their email for yours, or removing them from the sharing list and adding them again.
Pick the right permission
Google lists five permission levels. To keep details private, the first one is the one you want.
Hide single events with Private visibility
Sometimes you want a colleague to see details of most events but not a doctor visit or a performance review. For that, set the individual event to Private. Google describes three settings: Default visibility, which follows the calendar’s sharing settings; Public, where anyone with access to your calendar can see all details of that event even if the calendar is otherwise free/busy only; and Private, which hides details from everyone except you and people with “Make changes and see event details” or higher. Others see a block labeled Busy.
- On a computer, open the event.
- Click Edit event, then the visibility setting (it shows Default visibility until you change it).
- Choose Private and click Save.
Tasks work the same way, with one catch: Google says tasks without a start and end time are always private and never visible to others.
What can still show on a private event
Google warns that even when an event is private, some details can show if you invite guests or book rooms. It names the start time, end time and event creator. Two related points from the same page:
- If an event is on Default visibility and your invitee has shared their own calendar with others, those people can find the event details on the invitee’s calendar.
- If an event is on Default visibility and you book a meeting room or other resource, people with access to that resource calendar can also find the details.
If a meeting is sensitive, mark it Private and think about who you invite and which rooms you book.
Public calendars and links
You can make a calendar public so anyone can check it. Google says people can then find it on a website or in search results, use it with other apps, and subscribe to it. You can still choose whether they see all event details or only free/busy, and Google’s tip for public calendars is to select “See only free/busy (hide details)” if you do not want people to read event details. Google also notes a public calendar can be embedded on a website or shared as a link.
To stop sharing publicly, uncheck “Make available to public” under Access permissions for events. Google says the change usually takes a few minutes but may take up to 4 hours. A calendar with a lot of personal events is a poor candidate for public sharing. Google suggests keeping a separate public calendar for events you want everyone to see and a private one only you can check.
Work and school accounts
Google says that for a work or school calendar, your administrator decides whether you can share it, and Workspace administrators may restrict sharing settings. If an option is missing, that is the first thing to ask about.
Stop sharing or tighten access later
Google says you can stop sharing your calendar whenever you want. Return to Settings and sharing, open the Shared with list and remove the person, or lower their permission to free/busy. If you shared with a public link by mistake, uncheck public access as described above. After any change, ask the other person to refresh their calendar and check what they can see.
A quick safety checklist
- Share with free/busy only unless the person needs details.
- Mark sensitive events Private.
- Check events that include guests or rooms.
- Avoid public sharing for calendars with personal events.
- Review the Shared with list every few months and remove people who no longer need access.
If you share a calendar so people can book time with you, you may prefer a booking page instead. See our guide to Calendly alternatives, which includes Google Calendar’s own appointment schedules.
Common sharing situations and the setting to use
The right permission depends on who you are sharing with and why. These recommendations apply the five permission levels Google lists on its help page. Menu labels can change, so follow the wording in your own calendar.
Sharing with a partner or family member
If you coordinate daily plans, “See event details” lets your partner see where you are and what you are doing, which helps with school runs and dinners. If you only want them to avoid booking over you, free/busy is enough. For a calendar you keep for family events only, consider a separate shared calendar so your personal appointments stay out of it.
Sharing with a manager or colleague
Colleagues often only need to know when you are available. Start with “See only free/busy (hide details)”, then mark any single meeting you want to show in detail. If a colleague needs to book on your behalf, such as an assistant, “Make changes and see event details” or higher is the level Google lists for editing events. Note that this level also lets them see who else the calendar is shared with.
Sharing with a client, recruiter or someone outside your company
Use free/busy only. Your work calendar may include internal meetings, names and notes you would not want an outsider to see. If you want people to book time with you, a booking page is a cleaner answer than sharing a calendar. Our Calendly alternatives guide includes Google Calendar’s own appointment schedules.
Sharing with a group
Google says you can add a Google group when you share, so you do not need to add each person. Remember that everyone in the group receives the permission you choose, and people who join the group later get the same access. Review the group’s membership when you review your sharing list.
Keeping what you share on a separate calendar
If you share many calendars with many people, a dedicated calendar for the events you want others to see is easier to manage than trying to hide events one by one. Put those events on the shared calendar and keep everything else on your main one. Google makes a similar suggestion for public calendars.
Troubleshooting: when Google Calendar sharing does not work as expected
Most sharing problems come from a missed email, a missing option or a delay. Work through these checks in order.
The other person cannot see your calendar
Google says the person gets an email and must click the link in it to add your calendar. If they cannot find it, check that you used the right email address, ask them to look in spam or trash, ask them to search their email for yours, or remove them from the sharing list and add them again. Also confirm they are signed in with the account you shared with.
The sharing option is missing or greyed out
Google says sharing settings can only be changed from a computer, not from the mobile app. On a work or school account, your administrator decides whether you can share, and Workspace administrators may restrict sharing settings. If the option does not appear on a computer, contact your administrator.
Details are still visible after you chose free/busy
Check the event itself. An event set to Public shows all its details to anyone with access to your calendar, even if the calendar is free/busy only. Open the event, check its visibility, and change it to Default or Private. Also look at the guests: if an invitee has shared their own calendar, the event may show there.
A change has not taken effect yet
Google says removing public access usually takes a few minutes but may take up to 4 hours. Ask the other person to refresh their calendar and check what they can see. If you changed a permission and the old view persists, wait and test again before you assume it failed.
Check what others actually see
The most reliable test is to ask a trusted person to look at your calendar and describe what they can see. Do this after you change settings and again after you add a sensitive event.
FAQ
Can I share my Google Calendar without showing event details?
Yes. When you share the calendar, choose “See only free/busy (hide details)”. The person sees when you are busy but cannot see the names or details of events or tasks. To set it up, open Google Calendar on a computer, open Settings and sharing for the calendar, choose Shared with, click Add people and groups, enter the email address, choose the free/busy permission and click Send. The person then needs to click the link in the email Google sends them to add your calendar.
Can people see my private events?
Other people see a block labeled Busy for events you mark Private, so they know the time is taken but not what it is. Google says Private hides details from everyone except you and people with “Make changes and see event details” or higher. So a person with edit access and the details permission can still read them. Keep that in mind before you give someone the higher permission, and review the Shared with list regularly.
Can I change Google Calendar sharing from my phone?
Not in the mobile app. Google says sharing settings can only be edited from a computer. You can open Google Calendar in a desktop browser, or request the desktop site in your phone’s browser, but the supported way is a computer. Event visibility, such as marking an event Private, is a separate setting you can use when you edit an event.
Why can someone still see details of an event I marked private?
Google notes that when you invite guests or book rooms, some details can still appear: the start time, end time and event creator. There is also a case with Default visibility: if your invitee has shared their own calendar, others can find the details on the invitee’s calendar, and people with access to a booked resource can find them there. For sensitive meetings, mark the event Private, limit the guest list and think about which rooms you book.
How do I stop sharing a calendar?
Open Settings and sharing for the calendar, go to the Shared with list and remove the person, or lower their permission to free/busy. For a public calendar, uncheck “Make available to public” under Access permissions for events. Google says a public change usually takes a few minutes but may take up to 4 hours. Afterwards, ask the other person to refresh and check what they can see.
Can I share a work calendar?
Only if your administrator allows it. Google says administrators decide whether you can share a work or school calendar, and Workspace administrators may restrict sharing settings. If the option is missing, ask your administrator before you look for a workaround. A personal calendar you create yourself is usually the easier way to share events with someone outside your company.
What is the difference between free/busy and Private?
Free/busy is a permission you set for the whole calendar and a person. Private is a visibility setting you set for a single event. With free/busy, a person sees busy blocks for every event. With Private, a person who otherwise has detail access sees that one event as Busy. Use free/busy when the person should never see details, and Private for individual exceptions in a calendar you share more openly.
Is it safe to make a calendar public?
Google says a public calendar can be found on a website or in search results, used with other apps and subscribed to. That is useful for events like classes or public meetups, but a poor choice for a calendar with personal events. If you do make one public, select free/busy only unless you want everyone to read details, and consider a separate calendar for public events.
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