I absolutely love Google Calendar and as a top-level Google Product Expert I get to see some really fascinating and interesting ways that people want to use Google Calendar.
I also see some of the same questions over and over again. So here’s my FAQ on Google Calendar which’ll hopefully help resolve some of those niggling questions you (or a friend!) might have.
And if your question isn’t answered here, then please do drop a comment below, or get in touch separately.
I shared a calendar with people outside my organisation but they cannot edit it
Your Google Workspace administrator has restricted the ability to share either your primary or secondary (or both!) calendars with people outside your organisation. Check out this post to learn how to make that change!
Why am I missing events older than 1 year on my mobile app?
Events older than 1 year don’t show up on the Android app.
You’ll need to use the mobile browser to view those events.
I’ve got lots of duplicate events – how do I get rid of them?
It’s not possible to bulk delete calendar events natively within Google Calendar. You can try using one of this 3rd party app: https://www.gcaltoolkit.com/ (which was created by a fellow Calendar Product Expert)
Or, you can use the export/import feature of Google Calendar to bulk edit events. This video shows you how to do that.
I have shared my personal calendar with my work calendar but I still can’t see my personal Tasks
Unfortunately it isn’t currently possible to share Tasks with anyone. If you have to-dos that you want to see in both your personal and work accounts then you should add them as ‘events’ in your calendar.
Would you like to send update emails to existing Google Calendar guests? “Do Not Send” still sends.
This pop up isn’t the clearest unfortunately. Basically do not send only applies to guests using a Google account. Guests with out Google accounts will always get an update as it’s the only way for Google to notify the other calendar system.
Want more personalised help?
I hope this article was of assistance to you, but if you want more personalised help then why not get in touch? I specialise in helping small business owners just like you use Google Workspace to improve productivity; collaboration; communication and cybersecurity.
The date on the app icon is always 31 – how do I fix that?
This isn’t something you can fix sadly. For iOS users, and some Android users, the icon on the mobile app will always display 31 regardless of what the actual date is.
This is due to limitations set by that particular operating system and isn’t something you (or Google) can change.
I’ve got a question about Appointment Schedules
I don’t have Reminders on my Google Calendar anymore
Google has removed the Reminders functionality (August 2023). They are encouraging everyone to use Tasks instead.
This also means you won’t see Google Keep Reminders in Google Calendar anymore.
How do I stop Google Calendar from automatically adding Google Meet to a meeting invite?
If you’re using the free version of Google Calendar go to Settings > General > Event Settings and unclick “Automatically add Google Meet video conferences to events I create”.
If you’re using Google Workspace, your administrator will need to make this change in the Admin Console:
1. Go to Admin Console / Apps / Google Workspace / Calendar
2. Click in the ‘Sharing settings’ box
3. Click on the pencil icon in the Video Conferencing section and de-select “Automatically add video conferencing to events users create”
Want more personalised help?
I hope this article was of assistance to you, but if you want more personalised help then why not get in touch? I specialise in helping small business owners just like you use Google Workspace to improve productivity; collaboration; communication; and cybersecurity.
Why can’t I share my Family calendar with my work calendar?
This is by design. Google designed the Family calendar to only be accessible by the members of the Family Group when they’re using their linked Google account. So, even though you might be a member of the Family Group, you won’t be able to share the Family calendar with any other of your accounts.
A calendar that I created is not deleting.
You can’t delete your default (primary) calendar – even though a Delete button is available, it won’t actually do anything!
2 replies on “Google Calendar – frequently asked questions”
Good info, but I have one question, and that is “how do I stop the daily email messages saying that I don’t have any events scheduled that day”??
Thanks, Brian
Hi Brian – go into Settings / Other Notifications (shown under your calendar’s specific settings) and chnage ‘Daily Agenda’ to None (rather than Email).