Tips to collaborate in Calendar

Modified on Wed, 9 Jul at 5:07 PM

On this page

  • Add co-workers' time zones to your calendar
  • Check someone's availability for an event
  • Simplify invitations using a group
  • Manage responses for large events
  • Notify guests about schedule changes
  • Let someone else manage your event
  • Reply to invitations on the go
  • Let guests modify events
  • Control who sees your calendar and events
  • Check if a meeting room is available

Add co-workers' time zones to your calendar

Learn how:

Add world clocks to Calendar

Show the current time in time zones of your choice at the left of your calendar:

  1. On your computer, open Google Calendar.
  2. In the top right, click Settings Settings and then Settings.
  3. In "World clock" click Show world clock.
  4. Click Add time zone and then choose the time zones you want to see. 

Add a time zone to your Calendar

Display time zones as columns in your calendar, to help schedule events across time zones.

  1. On your computer, open Google Calendar.
  2. In the top right, click Settings Settings and then Settings.
  3. In the "Time Zone" section, click Display secondary time zone.
  4. Click Secondary time zone Down arrow and then choose your time zone.

Change your time zone for all your calendars

  1. On your computer, open Google Calendar.
  2. In the top right, click Settings Settings and then Settings.
  3. In "Time Zone," click Primary time zone Down arrow and then choose your time zone.

Check someone's availability for an event

Learn how:

Get suggested meeting times

If someone has shared their calendar with you, or is part of your work, school, or other organization, you can check if they're free or busy when adding them to an event.

  1. On your computer, open Google Calendar.
  2. On the left, click Search for people.
  3. Start typing someone’s name and choose the person you want to meet with.
  4. At the top left, click Create Add.
  5. Click Find a time. If the guest you invited has shared their calendar with you, you'll see when they can attend.

Simplify invitations using a group

Learn how:

Create a group

  1. Sign in to Google Groups.
  2. At the top, click Create group.
  3. Enter information and choose settings for the group.
  4. Click Create group.
  5. Wait a few minutes for your new group to become active before sending a message to it. Otherwise, you might get a notification that your message couldn't be delivered.

Email a group

  1. In Gmail, click Compose.
  2. Next to To, enter the label name for the group.
  3. Compose your message and click Send.

Schedule a meeting with a group in Calendar

Current members of a group can view an event on their calendar.
  1. Go to Google Calendar
  2. Enter the email address for a group the same way you would add any guest.
Tips:
  • If you have "View members" access to a group and create a group event, each member receives an invitation email.
  • If you don't have "View members" access, the group receives an invitation. For the event to display on a  user's calendar, each user has to accept the invite from the invitation email.
  • If you invite large groups of guests to an event, in the event, you'll see an invitation in progress message until each guest is invited.
  • You can find RSVPs for groups within groups, but not for any additional nested groups.

Manage responses for large events

Learn how:

View and export an RSVP list for a large group

Important: To follow these steps, you must have edit rights to an event of 200 people or more.

Note: You can only view RSVP status of members of groups that you have permissions to see.

  1. On your computer, open the event on the original calendar from which the event was created.
  2. Select Export guest responses to Sheets. Google Sheets will make a list from the most current RSVP list. 
  3. To update the information, repeat step 2 above. The export will create a new tab at the beginning of the original Sheet with the most up to date information.

Create a digital sign-in sheet

  1. In Google Drive, click New and select Google Sheetsand thenBlank spreadsheet.
  2. Add headers to the top row, such as Name, Email, and Signed in (Y/N).
  3. Bring a public-use computer with this spreadsheet open to your event. Guests can then enter their information as they arrive.

Notify guests about schedule changes

Learn how:

Update guests with event changes

Important: The chat feature is only available if you use Google Calendar through a work or school account.

  1. On your computer, open Google Calendar.
  2. Click an event.
  3. Next to the number of guests, select an option:
    • Chat with guests : A new or existing chat opens. Only Chat-enabled guests in your work or school organization are included in the chat.
    • Email guests : A new email opens. All invited guests are included in the email.
Calendar only creates a group chat with guests invited to an event when there are no more than 50 guests (including the organizer). External guests aren't added to group chats.

Let someone else manage your event

Learn how:

Transfer ownership of your event to someone else in Calendar

Current members of a group can view an event on their calendar.

  1. Go to Google Calendar.
  2. Enter the email address for a group the same way you’d add any guest.

Tips:

  • If you have "View members" access to a group and create a group event, each member receives an invitation email.
  • If you don't have “View members” access, the group receives an invitation. For the event to display on a user’s calendar, each user has to accept the invite from the invitation email.
  • If you invite large groups of guests to an event, in the event, you’ll see an invitation in progress message until each guest is invited.
  • You can find RSVPs for groups within groups, but not for any additional nested groups.

Note: The new owner needs to accept the transfer of ownership of the event by clicking a link in an automatic email. Until they accept, you’re still the owner. 

Create a team calendar

Learn how:

Create a team calendar

Important: You can only create new calendars from a browser. After you create a calendar, you can find it on your browser and in the Calendar app.

  1. On your computer, open Google Calendar.
  2. On the left, next to "Other calendars," click Add other calendars Plus and then Create new calendar.
  3. Add a name and description for your calendar.
  4. Click Create calendar.

Share a team calendar

  1. On your computer, open Google Calendar. You can’t share calendars from the Google Calendar app.
  2. On the left, find the “My calendars” section. To expand it, click the Down arrow Down arrow.
  3. Hover over the calendar you want to share, and click More and then Settings and sharing.
  4. Under “Share with specific people or groups,” click Add people and groups.
  5. Add a person’s or Google group’s email address. Use the drop-down menu to adjust their permission settings. 
  6. Click Send.
  7. The recipient will need to click the emailed link to add the calendar to their list.

Tip: To share a calendar that you don’t own, you need to ask the owner to give you “Make changes and manage sharing” permission.

Delete a calendar

  1. On your computer, open Google Calendar.
  2. In the top right, click Settings Settings and then Settings.
  3. In the left column, find the calendar you want to delete.
  4. Click the name of the calendar.
  5. Click Remove calendar and then Delete and then Delete permanently. 

Reply to event invitations on the go

Learn how:

Edit Quick responses

  1. On your Android device, open the Calendar app.
  2. Tap Menu and thenSettingsand thenGeneraland thenQuick responses.
  3. Touch one of the current responses to edit or replace the text.
  4. Tap Ok.

Send a Quick response

  1. On your Android device, open the Calendar app.
  2. Open an event.
  3. Click More and thenEmail guests.
  4. Choose one of your quick responses, or write a customized message.

Let guests modify events

Learn how

Let guests modify an event

  1. On your computer, open Google Calendar.
  2. Click an eventand thenEdit event Edit.
  3. At the right, under “Guests can,” check “Modify event.”
  4. Click Save.

Note: When you check “Guests can modify event,” they can edit all fields, view the guest list, book rooms, and manage the event as you can.

Let guests modify events by default

  1. In Calendar, click Settings and thenSettings.
  2. In the Event settings section, click Default guest permissions and select Modify event.

Control who sees your calendar and events

Learn how:

Manually select who can see your calendar

  1. In Calendar, on the left, go to My calendars.
  2. Next to your calendar, click More and thenSettings and sharing.
  3. For Access permissions for events, select your preferred sharing settings.
    You can still invite people to see your calendar by using the Share with specific people or groups settings.

Check if a meeting room is available

Learn how:

Add a meeting room to your calendar

  1. On your computer, open Google Calendar. 
  2. Next to "Other calendars," click Add and thenBrowse resources.
  3. Next to the meeting room that you want to add, check the box.
  4. (Optional) To rename a meeting room:
    1. Next to "Settings for other calendars," click the meeting room that you just added.
    2. For "Name," enter a new name.
  5. At the top, click Back  to return to your Calendar homepage.






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