How To Set Up A Shared Office Calendar

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How To Set Up A Shared Office Calendar. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Setting up a shared office calendar allows your team to view availability, book meetings, and coordinate schedules from a single central location. Whether your business uses Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, this guide walks you through creating a shared calendar, assigning permissions, and managing access for your staff.

Microsoft 365 Shared Calendars

Create a Shared Calendar in Outlook

1. Open Outlook and select Calendar from the bottom navigation pane.
2. Right-click My Calendars and choose Add Calendar, then select Create blank calendar.
3. Enter a name for the calendar (for example, Team Calendar) and click OK.
4. Right-click the new calendar and select Sharing Permissions.
5. Click Add, search for the staff members you want to include, and click Add again.
6. Select each user and choose a permission level from the dropdown:
7. • Can view when I'm busy — shows free/busy time only.
   • Can view titles and locations — shows meeting subject and location.
   • Can view all details — shows full appointment information.
   • Can edit — allows the user to create and modify events.
   • Delegate — allows the user to manage the calendar on your behalf.
8. Click OK to save the permissions.

Access a Shared Calendar in Outlook

1. In Outlook, go to Calendar.
2. Click Open Calendar on the ribbon, then select From Address Book.
3. Search for the shared calendar owner, select their name, and click OK.
4. The shared calendar will appear under Shared Calendars in the left navigation pane.

Google Workspace Shared Calendars

Create a Shared Calendar in Google Calendar

1. Open Google Calendar in a web browser.
2. On the left, under My calendars, click Create new calendar.
3. Enter a name for the calendar and an optional description.
4. Set the correct time zone for your organisation.
5. Click Create calendar.
6. Hover over the new calendar under My calendars, click the three-dot menu ⋮, and select Settings and sharing.
7. Under Share with specific people and groups, click Add people and groups.
8. Enter the email addresses of your staff members.
9. Choose a permission setting from the dropdown menu:
10. • See only free/busy (hide details)
    • See all event details
    • Make changes to events
    • Make changes and manage sharing
11. Click Send. Staff will receive an email invitation to add the calendar to their list.

Access a Shared Calendar in Google Calendar

1. Open Google Calendar.
2. Under Other calendars, click the plus + icon and select Subscribe to calendar.
3. Enter the email address of the person who shared the calendar with you.
4. Press Enter and the calendar will appear under Other calendars.

Permission Best Practices

• Assign See all event details or Can view titles and locations to most staff so they can coordinate meetings without seeing private information.
• Reserve Make changes to events or Delegate permissions for office managers or administrative assistants who need to book rooms and appointments on behalf of others.
• Review calendar permissions quarterly to remove access for former employees or staff who have changed roles.
• Avoid sharing calendars externally unless necessary. If you must share with clients or suppliers, use the See only free/busy setting to protect privacy.

Troubleshooting

Shared calendar not appearing

• Ask the calendar owner to confirm they have sent the sharing invitation.
• Check your email inbox (including spam/junk) for the calendar sharing invitation and click Accept.
• In Outlook, ensure you are connected to the internet and restart the application to sync folder changes.

Cannot see event details

• Contact the calendar owner and request a higher permission level, such as Can view all details or See all event details.
• Verify that events are not marked as Private, which hides details from all users except the organiser.

Changes not syncing across devices

• Ensure all devices are connected to the internet and signed into the same Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace account.
• Force a sync by restarting the Outlook or Google Calendar application.
• Check that the shared calendar is enabled (ticked) in the calendar list on the affected device.

If you need assistance configuring shared calendars for your organisation, Open a Ticket and our Brisbane support team will help you get started.

Still Having Issues?