How to add someone to Google Calendar

Two different jobs hide behind one question. Inviting a guest to a single event is not the same as sharing your whole calendar. Here is how to do each.

There are two different things people mean by “add someone” to Google Calendar. To invite a person to a single meeting, open the event and add their email under Guests. To give someone ongoing access to your schedule, open Settings and sharing for that calendar and use Share with specific people or groups. Which one you need depends on whether you mean one event or your whole calendar.

Add a guest to a single event (web)

This is what most people are after: inviting someone to one meeting.

1. Open Google Calendar on the web and click an existing event, or click a time slot to create a new one.
2. Click the pencil icon to open the full editor if you are not already in it.
3. On the right, under Guests, type the person’s email address and pick them from the list, or press Enter.
4. Under guest permissions, decide whether they can modify the event, invite others, or see the guest list. Leave these off if you just want them to show up.
5. Click Save. Google asks if you want to send invitation emails. Choose Send so the guest gets the invite and RSVP buttons.

The guest now appears on the event and can respond yes, no, or maybe, and you will see their answer next to their name.

Add a guest from your phone

The Google Calendar app handles event guests well. The iPhone and iPad app cannot set up calendar sharing, but the Android app can.

On iPhone or Android. Open the Google Calendar app, tap the event (or the plus button for a new one), tap the option to add guests, then type the email and tap the suggestion. Save, and confirm you want to send the invite. If you use the built-in Apple Calendar app instead, you can add invitees there too, but the steps and reliability vary. Once the event lands in your Google Calendar, it behaves the same as one created on the web.

Share your whole calendar with someone

Use this when a partner, assistant, or teammate needs to see everything, not just one meeting. Calendar sharing is available on the web and in the Android app, but not in the iPhone/iPad app.

1. On the web, hover over the calendar name in the left sidebar under My calendars.
2. Click the three-dot menu and choose Settings and sharing.
3. Scroll to Share with specific people or groups and click Add people and groups.
4. Enter their email address.
5. Choose a permission level, then click Send.

The person gets an email invitation. They have to click to accept before the calendar shows up in their list.

Choose the right permission level

When you share a calendar, Google offers four levels:

• See only free / busy: hides event details, shows only when you are booked.
• See all event details: read access to titles, times, and notes.
• Make changes to events: they can edit and delete events.
• Make changes and manage sharing: full control, including adding other people.

Give the least access that does the job. An assistant booking your meetings needs “make changes.” A spouse who just wants to avoid double-booking is fine with “see all event details,” or even free/busy.

After they are added: plan around it

Inviting people fills your calendar fast, and a full calendar is not the same as a plan. Once those meetings and shared events live in your Google Calendar, you still have to fit your own work around them.

That is where ClaroCal fits. It connects to your Google Calendar with two-way sync and builds your task list into a realistic, time-blocked day around the meetings already there, reflowing when a guest reschedules. If you are weighing tools, see our best AI calendar apps roundup or our guide to planning your day, and the free plan is a reasonable place to start.

Last reviewed June 2026.