How To Create a Shared Google Calendar 2025 (Newbie Guide)

If you’ve ever found yourself wishing there was a simple way to keep everyone on the same page—whether it’s your family, your project team, ...

If you’ve ever found yourself wishing there was a simple way to keep everyone on the same page—whether it’s your family, your project team, or just a group of you and your friends trying to plan something together—then let me show you how easy it is to create your very own shared calendar using Google Calendar, so that everyone can see important events, add meetings, and avoid any of those last-minute scheduling headaches that always seem to pop up at the worst possible time.

To start, all you really need is to open Google Calendar in your web browser, where, on the left-hand side of the screen, you’ll notice two sections labeled “My calendars” and “Other calendars,” and this is where all your existing calendars live, but it’s also where you can add new tasks with just a couple of steps; so, what you want to do is find the little plus icon next to “Other calendars,” click on it, and from the menu, choose “Create new calendar,” which will bring up a form where you can give your calendar a name (example, “Team,” “Family,” or whatever you choose), add a quick description if you like, and even set the time zone to match your group’s location, ensuring that everyone’s on the same clock.

After you’ve filled out those details and clicked “Create calendar,” it’ll take just a few seconds for Google to set things up, and once it’s done, your new shared calendar will appear in your list; from there, click on the calendar’s name to open its settings, and now you’ll see a variety of options, including permissions and sharing settings, which is where the real magic happens—because you can add the email addresses of everyone you want to share the calendar with, set their permissions (do you want them to see only free/busy times, add and change events, or even manage sharing?), and once you’ve set everything the way you want, simply hit “Send,” and your invitees will receive an email allowing them to join and view the calendar, making collaboration seamless.

Now, with your shared calendar set up and your team or family added, you can start creating events that everyone can see—just double-click any date, or hit the “Create” button, and fill in the event details like the title (maybe “Weekly Meeting” or “Birthday Party”), select your shared calendar from the dropdown (so the event appears in the right place), pick a color to make it stand out, and click “Save”; the event will instantly appear on the shared calendar, and everyone with access will see it automatically, with notifications and reminders if you set them up, making it nearly impossible for anyone to miss an important date.

You can add as many events as you need, adjust permissions for different people, and even use the calendar on your phone or tablet, since Google Calendar syncs everywhere, and the best part is, you’re always in control—so whether you’re organizing a sports team, planning study sessions with classmates, or just keeping your household organized, a shared Google Calendar can make your life a whole lot simpler and a lot less stressful tasks.

That’s all there is to do—creating a shared calendar in Google is as easy as a few clicks if you follow the steps, a bit of typing, and some thoughtful sharing, and once you start using it, you’ll wonder how you ever kept everyone coordinated without it; I hope this guide helped you feel confident enough to try it out yourself, and until next time, happy scheduling!