How to Share Your Schedule With Others

You need someone to see your schedule. Maybe it is your partner trying to plan dinner around your meetings. Maybe a client wants to know when you are free. Maybe a virtual assistant needs to book appointments on your behalf.

The problem: you can not figure out how to share your schedule with others without exposing everything on your calendar. Your therapist appointment, your salary negotiation prep, your 3pm nap — all visible.

Good news. Every major calendar app has sharing controls, and most of them let you choose exactly what the other person sees. This guide covers five ways to share your schedule, from full calendar sharing to one-off file exports, so you can pick the method that fits your situation.

Method 1: Share Your Google Calendar

Google Calendar is the most common calendar for both personal and professional use. Sharing takes about two minutes.

Step by step

1. Open Google Calendar in a browser. Sharing does not work from the mobile app.
2. In the left sidebar, hover over the calendar you want to share. Click the three-dot menu.
3. Select Settings and sharing.
4. Scroll to Share with specific people and click Add people and groups.
5. Enter the person’s email address.
6. Choose a permission level (see below).
7. Click Send.

The recipient gets an email with a link to add your calendar to their own Google Calendar view.

Permission levels

Google gives you four options, from least to most access:

• See only free/busy — They see when you are busy but not what the event is. Good for scheduling with clients or coworkers who just need to find an open time.
• See all event details — They see titles, times, locations, and descriptions. Good for a partner or assistant who needs context about your day.
• Make changes to events — They can edit your events. Good for an assistant who manages your schedule.
• Make changes and manage sharing — Full control. They can edit events and change who else has access. Rarely needed.

Make your calendar public

If you want anyone with the link to see your schedule — useful for public office hours or event calendars — go to Access permissions for events in the same settings page and check Make available to public. You can limit this to free/busy only.

Method 2: Share Your Apple Calendar

Apple Calendar (iCal) supports sharing through iCloud. Both people need an Apple ID for full two-way sharing.

Step by step

1. Open Calendar on your Mac.
2. In the left sidebar, right-click the calendar you want to share.
3. Select Share Calendar.
4. Enter the person’s email address and press Enter.
5. They receive an invitation. Once accepted, the shared calendar appears in their Calendar app.

Permission levels

Apple Calendar offers two modes:

• View only — The default. They can see your events but not change them.
• View and edit — Click the person’s name in the sharing settings and check Allow Editing.

Limitations

Apple Calendar sharing works best between Apple users. If the other person uses Google Calendar or Outlook, they will receive a read-only subscription link instead of a full shared calendar. They will see your events, but updates may take hours to appear because subscribed calendars only refresh periodically.

Method 3: Share Your Outlook Calendar

Outlook handles sharing differently depending on whether you use a personal Microsoft account or a work/school account through Microsoft 365.

Work or school account (Microsoft 365)

1. Open Outlook on the web.
2. Click Share at the top of the calendar view.
3. Enter the person’s name or email.
4. Choose a permission level:
   • Can view when I’m busy — Free/busy only.
   • Can view titles and locations — Limited details.
   • Can view all details — Full event information.
   • Can edit — They can modify your events.
5. Click Share.

Personal Microsoft account

Sharing from a personal Outlook account is more limited. You can publish your calendar as a web link that others subscribe to, but you can not grant edit access or share with specific permission levels the way you can with a work account.

1. Go to Settings > View all Outlook settings > Calendar > Shared calendars.
2. Under Publish a calendar, select the calendar and choose Can view all details or Availability only.
3. Click Publish and copy the link to send to whoever needs it.

Method 4: Export and Send an ICS File

Sometimes you do not want to give someone ongoing access to your calendar. You just want to send them a snapshot — your schedule for a specific week, a single event, or a trip itinerary.

That is what ICS files are for. ICS is the standard calendar file format. Every calendar app can open one.

From Google Calendar

1. Open the event you want to share.
2. Click the three-dot menu and select Copy to… then export, or use Settings > Import & Export > Export to download all events as a .ics file.
3. Send the file by email or messaging app.

Google does not make it easy to export a specific date range. The export downloads everything, which is rarely what you want.

From Apple Calendar

1. Open Calendar on your Mac.
2. Select the event, then go to File > Export > Export to save it as an .ics file.
3. For a full calendar export, select the calendar in the sidebar, then File > Export > Export to get all events.

From Outlook

1. Go to File > Save Calendar (desktop) or export from the web settings.
2. Choose the date range and level of detail.
3. Save and send the .ics file.

From UCals

If you use UCals, exporting is faster. Just tell it what you need. Say “export this week” or “export Monday through Friday” and it generates the ICS file. No digging through menus. The file works with any calendar app the recipient uses — Google, Apple, Outlook, or anything else that reads the standard format. This is especially handy when someone just needs a snapshot of your upcoming schedule and you do not want to set up ongoing sharing.

Method 5: Use a Scheduling Link

If the goal is not “see my schedule” but rather “find a time to meet,” a scheduling link is usually the better approach. Instead of sharing your whole calendar, you share a link that shows only your available slots.

Options

• Google Appointment Schedules — Built into Google Calendar (requires Google Workspace). Go to Create > Appointment schedule, define your available hours, and share the booking link. Free with Workspace.
• Calendly — The most popular standalone option. Free tier allows one event type. Paid plans start at $10/month for multiple event types and integrations.
• Cal.com — Open-source alternative to Calendly. Free tier is generous. Paid plans add team features.
• SavvyCal — Newer option that lets the other person overlay their own calendar to find mutual availability.

Why this is often the best choice

Scheduling links solve the most common reason people share calendars in the first place: finding a time that works for both people. They do this without exposing any private details. The other person sees open slots, picks one, and the event lands on both calendars.

If a client asks “can you send me your availability,” a scheduling link is almost always the right answer.

Which Method Should You Use?

The right approach depends on who you are sharing with and how long they need access.

Situation	Best method	Why
Partner or family member needs ongoing visibility	Google/Apple/Outlook sharing (view details)	Always up to date, no repeated effort
Assistant manages your schedule	Google sharing (edit access)	They need to add and move events
Client wants to find a meeting time	Scheduling link	Shows only availability, nothing private
Coworker needs your availability for a project	Google sharing (free/busy only)	They see when you are open without seeing what you are doing
Someone needs your schedule for one specific week	ICS file export	One-time snapshot, no ongoing access
Public office hours or event calendar	Google public calendar link	Anyone with the link can see it

Common Sharing Mistakes

Sharing too much

The most common mistake is sharing your full calendar with someone who only needs your availability. Your client does not need to know about your dentist appointment. Use free/busy visibility or a scheduling link instead.

Wrong permission level

Giving someone edit access when they only need view access creates risk. They might accidentally move or delete an event. Start with the lowest permission level that works and increase it later if needed.

Forgetting shared calendars exist

People share a calendar for a project, the project ends, and the sharing stays active for years. Audit your sharing settings every few months. In Google Calendar, go to each calendar’s Settings and sharing page and review the list under Share with specific people. Remove anyone who no longer needs access.

Assuming instant sync

Subscribed calendars — especially Apple Calendar subscriptions to Google calendars — do not update in real time. There can be a delay of 15 minutes to several hours. If timing matters, confirm directly with the other person rather than assuming they see your latest changes.

If your schedule lives in multiple apps and you are tired of things being out of sync, a calendar app that syncs everything in one place makes sharing simpler because you only have one source of truth to share from. And if you use different devices throughout the day, make sure you know how to sync your calendar across devices so the version you share is always current.

Not using the right tool for the job

Many people default to sharing their entire Google Calendar because they do not realize scheduling links exist. If all someone needs is to book time with you, a Calendly or Cal.com link takes two minutes to set up and avoids every privacy concern.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share my calendar with someone who uses a different app?

Yes. ICS files work across every major calendar app -- Google, Apple, Outlook, and others. If you need ongoing sharing across different apps, Google Calendar sharing works best because most other apps can subscribe to a Google calendar link. Scheduling links also work regardless of what calendar the other person uses.

How do I share my schedule without showing event details?

Use free/busy sharing. In Google Calendar, share with the "See only free/busy" permission. The other person sees time blocks marked as busy or free but cannot see event titles, descriptions, or locations. Scheduling links also hide all details by default -- they only show open time slots.

What is an ICS file?

ICS (iCalendar) is the standard file format for calendar data. It works with every major calendar app. When you export events as an ICS file, the recipient can open it to add those events to their own calendar. Think of it like a PDF for calendar events -- a universal format anyone can read.

Can someone I share my calendar with see my private events?

It depends on the permission level. With "free/busy" access, they see that you are busy but nothing else. With "see all event details," they see everything unless you mark individual events as private. In Google Calendar, you can set any event to "Private" visibility, and it will appear as "Busy" to people with view access.

How do I stop sharing my calendar with someone?

In Google Calendar, go to the calendar settings, find "Share with specific people," and click the X next to their name. In Apple Calendar, right-click the calendar, choose "Share Calendar," and remove the person. In Outlook, go to calendar permissions and revoke their access. Changes take effect immediately.

Is sharing a calendar the same as creating a shared calendar?

No. Sharing your calendar gives someone visibility into your existing events. A shared calendar is a separate calendar that multiple people can add events to -- like a team calendar for project deadlines or a family calendar for household events. Most calendar apps support both, but they are set up differently.

Do scheduling links work if I do not use Google Calendar?

Yes. Calendly, Cal.com, and SavvyCal all connect to Google Calendar, Outlook, and Apple Calendar. They read your availability from whichever calendar you connect, and booked events sync back to that calendar automatically. The person booking does not need any calendar app at all -- they just click the link and pick a time.

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