Calendar FAQ
Setting up your Calendar
How do I set the time zone for my calendar?
Click the gear icon at the top right and select Settings.
On the General page, in the Language section, select a language.
In the Country and Your current time zone sections, select the appropriate options.
In the Date format section, select an option.
In the Time format section, select an option.
Click Save at the bottom of the page.
Does Google Calendar have event notifications?
Yes, by default, Google Calendar displays a pop-up notification 10 minutes before an event. To change the notification time, just click the gear icon, select Settings, click the Calendarstab, and select Edit notifications for your calendar.
I set up notifications but still don't see them. Why not?
To receive event notifications, make sure your Calendar window is open.
Can I show more than one time zone on my calendar?
Yes, you can simultaneously view two time zones in Google Calendar. To add another time zone to your calendar view, click Settings. On the General tab, under Your current time zone, select another time zone in the Additional time zone list.
Scheduling Meetings
Can I book rooms and resources using Google Calendar?
Yes, if they've been set up by your Google Apps administrator. In your invitation, click Rooms, etc. in the Add section. You can search for a resource or browse the list of resources.
Can I book multiple rooms at once?
Yes, you can book more than one room or resource for your event invitation. Just keep selecting from the list of resources under Rooms, etc. in the Add section.
Can I invite a mailing list from our corporate directory to a meeting?
Yes, you can invite any mailing list (group) in your corporate directory to a meeting. Each member of the group will receive an email invitation. Note, however, that the email invitation won't show all the members of the group. Also, the group members appear in the invitation on each attendee's calendar only if you have permission to view the group's member list.
Can I invite attendees from outside of my organization's domain?
Yes, you can send meeting invitations to any email address.
Will I get a notification if an attendee accepts my meeting invitation?
By default, notifications are turned off. But you can turn notifications on, and choose whether to receive a pop-up notification or an email notification:
Access Google Calendar.
In the upper-right corner of the page, click the gear icon and select Settings.
Click the Calendars tab.
Under My Calendars, click the Edit notifications link for your calendar.
Choose the settings you want.
Click Save.
Can I see a list of attendees who have accepted my invitation?
Yes, open the event details to see who has accepted your invitation.
What's the maximum number of invitees for a meeting?
An event can have a maximum of 500 invitees. However, an invitee can be either an individual or a Google group. You can therefore invite up to 500 groups, allowing for a virtually unlimited number of attendees.
Can I set up a recurring meeting?
Yes, Google Calendar fully supports recurring meetings. To set one up in your meeting invitation, select the Repeat... check box.
Can I invite an optional attendee to a meeting?
Yes. After adding your guests, click the icon next to the guests you want to mark as optional attendees.
Can I create "live" links in my event description?
Yes, but only if you don't let attendees edit the invitation (don't select the Guests can modify event check box). Note that, as the host, you always can edit the invitation, so the links won't appear as "live" on your own calendar. However, you'll see the live links in the event confirmation message you receive.
To create a link to a website in the event description, simply type the URL, such as http://www.google.com.
You can also create linked text by using HTML tags. For example, to create the link Product Info, use HTML code in the format <a href="www.some-url.com">Product Info</a>. If the HTML code is valid, Google Calendar hides the HTML when you save the event (but shows the text "Product Info"). It then creates the link in the invitation that attendees receive.
Can I edit just one instance of a meeting in a recurring meeting?
Yes. Open the instance that you want to edit, make your changes, and click Save. Google Calendar then asks you whether you want to apply your changes to just the selected meeting, all meetings, or all meetings moving forward.
Can I make a meeting private?
Yes, Google Calendar has visibility settings. In the event details, select Private so only others with Make changes to events privileges (or higher) for your calendar can see the event and its details.
File Attachments in Calendar
Can I attach files to a meeting invitation?
Yes. The best way to do this is by enabling the Event attachments lab in your Calendar Settings. After that, an Add attachment link becomes available. Click the link to either attach a Google Doc or upload any other type of file from your computer or network (such as a Microsoft Office document, PDF, and so on). Note that you'll have to share any Google Doc you attach with guests for them to view the attachment.
Will I get attachments from meetings scheduled in Microsoft Outlook or IBM Notes?
Yes. If someone using Outlook or Notes sends you a meeting invitation that includes an attachment, you'll get the attachment in the email invitation. However, the attachment won't appear in the event on your calendar.
Calendar Sharing
What level of access do others have to my calendar? Is my calendar public?
By default, your calendar is shared with everyone in your domain, and they can only see when you're free or busy, not all the event details. However, you can allow them to also see event details or turn off calendar sharing completely.
You can also share your calendar with specific people and give them one of the following levels of access:
See free/busy information only
See all event details
Make changes to your calendar
Make changes and share your calendar with others
Does my manager have to give me permission to access their calendar?
Yes. If you want to access another employee's calendar, that person must give you permission by editing the settings for the calendar.
If someone shares their calendar with me, can I get emailed when people accept that person's invitations?
Yes, you can set up notifications for a shared calendar. However, by default, notifications are turned off. To turn them on:
Access Google Calendar.
In the upper-right corner of the page, click the gear icon and select Settings.
Click the Calendars tab.
On the Calendars tab, click the Edit notifications link for the calendar.
Choose the settings you want.
Click Save.
If someone shares their calendar with me, can I hide the calendar?
Yes, just click it in your list of calendars on the left of your calendar view.
Meeting Invitations
If I'm invited to a meeting, can I propose a new time for it?
Yes, if the host has selected the option for guests to “modify event.” If the host hasn’t selected this option, there's an easy workaround. First, open the invitation and, under Going?, selectMaybe. Then do one of the following:
To propose a new time to the host only, enter your proposal in the Add a Note field.
To propose a new time to all the attendees, click the Email link next to your "Guests" list to send your new proposal in an email message to one or more attendees.
Can I forward an invitation to another employee?
Yes, if the meeting host selected the option to allow guests to invite others. If so, in your meeting invitation, click Add guests, type the address to which you want to forward the invitation, and then click Save. Google Calendar asks you if you want to send an invitation to the new guest. The new guest will then receive updates to the meeting from the host. Note that the meeting host is notified by email that you invited another attendee.
Can I accept invitations on Google Calendar that are sent from another calendar program?
Yes. If someone outside your domain sends you an invitation from another type of calendar, you can typically accept the invitation from Google Calendar. If possible, Google Calendar inserts an Add to Calendar link in the invitation. Simply click the link, and the invitation is added to your Google calendar. Otherwise, if the invitation is in the standard .ics format (such as Microsoft Outlook and IBM Notes invitations), you can download the .ics file and upload it to Google Calendar.