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What’s on the Schedule: How to Share a Google Calendar

What’s on the Schedule: How to Share a Google Calendar
What’s on the Schedule: How to Share a Google Calendar

Google Calendar is your go-to daily planner, but you don't know how to share a Google Calendar with your mates? Then this article is for you.

Have you ever wondered how much easier communication would be if you could make your schedule available in the cloud? People would be able to check your agenda before calling or dropping a text. This easily translates into fewer conversations like: "Hey, Jane, are you going to have an open window to discuss this task with me this week?" followed by: "Oh, but Joe, I can't at that time." Saved time is useful time in a professional context.

According to CakeHR, companies around the world have found that using shared calendars is the easiest way to prevent miscommunication and productivity losses. Believe it or not, such a simple tool can ensure efficiency, improve organization, and lead to smooth teamwork. And many companies choose the Google Calendar to be that tool.

Why Use a Shared Calendar?

This tool is basically one master calendar that combines a bunch of individual calendars. If it's a team plan, each user can choose the color of their calendar for improved viewability. If it's your personal productivity planner we're talking about, having folders or labels will help with the organization of different types of events. You can even keep a private calendar for personal matters and a work one to which you give viewing access — and you can view them both in one integrated calendar.

Still not sure that using a shared calendar is a wise strategy? Check out these amazing benefits that will change your mind!

1. Helps you and your team spend time more productively

It's easier to plan your day or week knowing everyone's agenda. Integrating the whole team's plans in one app makes sure everyone will be informed about their colleagues' daily tasks and meetings, reducing the need to constantly check in about a certain date or appointment. As a result, your team can stay more focused on their individual tasks and show better weekly KPIs.

2. Balances out assignments

When your team members make it a habit to use a shared calendar it will become much easier to balance their volume of work. All team leaders will have an insight into the availability, tasks, and appointments of their colleagues. This way, they can plan their future tasks or ease the workload for those who have a lot on their plates.

3. Helps make short- and long-term plans

The G-Suite calendar can also be used as a team's project planner to map out your workload, tasks, and activities required to achieve foreseeable and future goals. This means that every team will not only be able to easily coordinate weekly tasks but also plan something a month or two in advance.

Google Calendar has four different views: list, week, month, and timeline, allowing all team members to track their short- and long-term activities.

4. Lets everyone know what others are up to

It can be incredibly useful to know what your colleagues are up to not only while they are in the office but also when they are out of the office on a vacation or a day off. Sharing a calendar can help you out with this.

In addition, knowing your teammates' obligations and meetings can be a great advantage. This way, each one of your team members can distribute tasks more efficiently and even arrange meetings quicker.

5. Helps share life events with friends and family

While you're sharing a Google calendar with your workmates, why not also create one for your closest circle of people where you can share each other's birthdays, dinner plans, and other precious events? Thanks to notifications, you will never again miss a family dinner or forget to show up at your niece's school play.

It's incredible how such a simple tool can have so many benefits, right? The only thing left to do now is to actually share a Google calendar with others.

Let the People See: A Complete Instruction

There are a few options to share a Google calendar depending on the tools you are using. Some options are more straightforward than others, but let's start with the Google Calendar app itself.

Option #1: How to Share Your Google Calendar via Settings

First, access the calendar through your browser of choice. Find the My calendars section; by default, it should be on the left-hand side. That's also where you can add new calendars. But in this case, there you'll find the menu that configures viewing permissions.

You'll find the Sharing Settings when you hover your mouse over the calendar — an arrow will appear, as you can see on the image below, and the menu you need initiates when you click on the arrow:

Google calendar sharing settings
Google calendar sharing settings

Image source: Android Authority

Once you do this, a small Add people button right under Share with specific people section will appear. Type in the email addresses of your colleagues, and then choose their access levels (edit, view only, etc.).

Add address to share calendar
Add address to share calendar

Image source: Android Authority

The second option is to use the Get Shareable Link button. The website will generate a special link you can send to anyone, just like in the Google Drive apps. When someone opens the link, they immediately get access to your calendar.

In addition, you can check the Make available to public box and allow anyone on the internet to find and access your calendar (which we don't recommend in personal use). This last option is more suitable for public coworking spaces or clubs, where the only information is the availability schedule.

Google calendar access permissions
Google calendar access permissions

Image Courtesy of Android Authority

Note that this step can only be done from your computer browser.

Option #2: Share your Gmail Calendar on iPhone or Android

Sharing a Google calendar on your Android or iOS smartphone is a bit tricky, as you can only share individual events on the mobile app. But if you need to share something on the go, here's how you do it:

Unlock your smartphone, find the Google Calendar app, and tap on the icon. It comes pre-installed on almost all Android phones. If you have an iOS device you might need to make a detour to the App Store.

If the event you want to make accessible was created earlier, find it and click the Edit button. Otherwise, you can send out invites to view your scheduled event when creating a new one. Simply scroll down, tap the Add people text, and type in the appropriate addresses. Don't forget to save the event once you're finished editing!

Sharing Google calendar on Android
Sharing Google calendar on Android

Image source: Wiki How

Option #3: How to Share a Google Calendar via Mailbird

Mailbird is an email client for Windows that unifies all your email accounts from different providers into one place. The client is smart, easy to use, and does a great job of improving productivity, collaboration, and communication in the workplace via native features and integrations. And, of course, the Google Calendar is one of Mailbird's many integrations.

To share a Google calendar in Mailbird, first open the program on your PC. Then look for the Apps option located in the bottom left corner. Once you do that, search for Google Calendar and tick the checkbox.

Add Google calendar to Mailbird
Add Google calendar to Mailbird

Once selected, the Google Calendar button will also appear at the bottom left corner, right above Apps. Click it, and then enter your Gmail account information.

Log in to Google in Mailbird
Log in to Google in Mailbird

Voila! It is as simple as that. The best thing about syncing Mailbird and Google Calendar is that you won't only have access to your calendar. You'll also be able to open it while reading your emails and won't need to switch between tabs.

Google calendar sidebar integration
Google calendar sidebar integration

Not only will this email client help you easily share a Google Calendar, but it is also very helpful when it comes to managing multiple email accounts.

In addition, using Mailbird is simple, even if you're not tech-savvy. It features an intuitive user interface, so you won't have any problems understanding its features. Using the Mailbird client can help you increase your productivity, and it also comes with plenty of features that will make managing emails and calendars easier than ever before. Also, you will get access to a native calendar — a unified calendar for all your different accounts.

Option #4: How to Share a Google Calendar via Outlook

If you're using Outlook instead, sharing a Google calendar is also an option here, albeit a more tricky one. That is because the calendar doesn't come as an integration in Outlook.

Importing a calendar into Outlook

First, do all the steps from the first option up until you get to the calendar menu. Then click on Settings and Sharing.

Google calendar sharing settings
Google calendar sharing settings

Image source: Android Authority

Scroll all the way down until you see Secret address in iCal format. Click on the link, select it, and then copy it.

Now open your Outlook email client and find the native calendar inside the app. Then look for the Shared Calendars option, click on Add Calendar, and choose the From Internet option.

Share Google calendar to Outlook
Share Google calendar to Outlook

Image source: How to Geek

A new window will pop up. Make sure to paste the link there, and click OK.

Google calendar subscription in Outlook
Google calendar subscription in Outlook

Image source: How to Geek

Sharing a calendar in Outlook

Here comes the tricky part: sending calendar invites via Outlook. Here is how to do that easily:

  1. Click on "Calendar," and then choose "Share Calendar."
  2. Choose your Gmail Calendar.
  3. Find the "Add" button and select all your Outlook contacts you want to share the calendar with.
  4. Click "OK," and all the people will be added.
  5. You can manually change the access level of every person if the default option doesn't fit your needs.

Wrap Up

Using calendars is a great way to improve productivity in both your personal and work life. Sharing a calendar with your team can help you work more efficiently as a unit. After all, you don't need to constantly check in with people about their or your schedule; you can just check the calendar.

There are several different options to share a Google calendar with your connections, be it colleagues from work or loved ones. You can do that from your web browser by choosing a specific calendar and then sharing it from the settings. Another option is to use an email client and share a calendar via Mailbird or import it into your Outlook account and then send it to your contacts. If you prefer using an Android or iOS device, you can open the Google Calendar app and share a certain event.

Now that you know how to share a Google calendar, you can start working more productively in a team. While you're at it, why not also improve your email efficiency by testing out the Mailbird email client?

FAQ

Why can't I share my Google Calendar?

If you're trying to share your whole calendar via the smartphone, then sadly this option is not yet available. You can share your Google calendar via browser or a desktop app, such as Mailbird. With the smartphone app, you can only share individual events.

How do I request to share a Google Calendar?

If you received an address to a Google Calendar but don't have viewing permission, you'll be redirected to an error message page with a button to request access. Click on the button and the owner of the calendar will get a notification asking to add you to the viewing list.

How do you add someone to your Google Calendar?

1) Open your Google Calendar in a browser or an app that has a Google Calendar integration, such as Mailbird.2) Hover your mouse over a calendar you want to share and click on the menu arrow next to the calendar's name.3) Open sharing settings and add email addresses of people you want to share the calendar with.4) Click done, once you're finished.