Google Calendar

1. Where can I find the Calendar desktop notification setting?

You can find your Calendar notifications in Settings>General>Event Settings.

2. How can I turn on Calendar notifications for myself or for other calendars I manage?

To receive calendar notifications in your Gmail inbox for calendars that you manage:

1. Navigate to Google Calendar (When accessing Google Support pages, please note that it opens in a new tab. To return to the Going Google Site, return to this tab.)

2. On the left hand side, select the ⋮ icon next to the calendar you'd like to receive notifications on

3. Select "Settings and Sharing"

4. Scroll down to "General Notifications"

5. Select the notification options that you'd like

3. I miss the “Reminders” windows that Outlook and Outlook Calendar have. Why doesn’t Google have a centralized “reminders” window?

Unlike in Outlook, there is no centralized summary of all recent Mail or Calendar activity, nor is there a summary of upcoming activities in Google. This is not something that can be turned on or modified in Google Workspace - it is simply a difference in features between Outlook and Gmail.

In order for you to receive updates about new emails or invitations sent to your inbox or calendar, Google Chrome must be open and Gmail notifications and Calendar notifications must be turned on.

Google Tasks, which integrates with both Gmail and Google Calendar for maximum visibility of your upcoming to-dos, offers another ‘reminders management’ option. For instructions on how to use Google Tasks in Gmail, click here. For instructions on how to access Tasks from Google Calendar, click here.

(When accessing Google Support pages, please note that it opens in a new tab. To return to the Going Google Site, return to this tab.)

1. I want to set my timezone to CST, but I only get EST on Google Calendar. How do I modify my time zone?

While the default timezone may be set to EST, employees who are in other timezones can override this according to their local preferences. For instructions on how to change your timezone in Google Calendar, click here.

2. Can we rename a calendar so the whole name is visible?

Yes! If you hover over that particular calendar's name and select the vertical ellipses, then click on "Settings." This will then bring you into a very limited Settings menu, but at the top will be your opportunity to rename the calendar. Luckily, renaming the calendar will give the other calendar your own nickname, and won't change the official calendar name! Nor will your calendar nickname be seen by others if you invite them to an event.

3. Can we sort the order of 'other' calendars?

Unfortunately, you can't organize your "Other Calendars" section much aside from "Hiding" calendars if your list gets too full! Hiding Calendars can be done by hovering over a calendar name and clicking the "x" that appears. This will temporarily remove that calendar from your Other Calendars list. To bring the calendar back, you can just search for it again in the "Add a coworker's calendar" bar and it will pop right back up.

4. Can we rename our colors though?

Unfortunately not - while you can edit the color of individual events, there is no way to "name" the colors (like you could with categories before). Instead, if you make certain events "red" and others "yellow", you'll have to remember your own work system. Sometimes, Googlers who invent their own color-coding will even create a post-it note to stick on their desktop computer that reminds them what each color means! Remember the only people who will see your colors are those with the permission level of Make Changes to Events and above. Those with view only access will not see your colors.

1. Do "Reminders" change your availability when others are looking at your calendar?

No. Reminders do not make you appear "busy".

2. When you are "busy" for the day, why does it not gray out your day?

You're right - marking an All Day event does not "gray out" your day. Instead it adds the event to the top of your calendar. However, if you make a large Busy Block (by clicking and dragging down the length of the day), then your day will be blocked off for others. Google does allow you to set an Out of Office event that will auto-decline all currently scheduled meetings or event invitations that occur during the Out of Office block.

3. Can you share calendar events with people outside the organization who are Outlook Users not Google Users?

You can "share" calendar events with others by inviting them to your events - you can invite non-Google Calendar users to any event and they'll see it on their (non-Google) Calendar.

4. Would I know if someone sent me a meeting request and Out of Office auto-declined it?

Yes. You will still receive the mail invite, but it will auto-decline. You can still go into the invite and accept. Need to check "show declined events".

5. How do I block my calendar when I am Out of Office in my Google Calendar?

Google Calendar’s Out of Office functions differently than the Out of Office in Outlook. When you create an Out of Office event in Calendar, it will automatically decline all currently schedule events during that time block and auto-decline any invites you receive for during that time. To learn more, click here.

You may also want to set up your email Vacation Responder. To learn how, click here. (When accessing Google Support pages, please note that it opens in a new tab. To return to the Going Google Site, return to this tab.)

6. When setting visibility to 'private' we would see a lock in Outlook. Do we see that in Google Calendar?

You will not see a lock when viewing the event. Also, it's important to know if you have given anyone the permission level of Edit events or Make changes and manage sharing because they will see private events.

7. How can I tell who has access to my calendar?

Open your calendar and click on the options to the right of your name which will open your settings. Scroll down to see who you have granted access to your calendar.

1. Do all guests receive another meeting invite when you add a new guest?

No. It just adds the guest and gives you the option to send a notification to the new guest.

2 . Is there a way to create an event from an email?

Yes. Open the email you wish to create an event from then use the vertical ellipses (the 3 vertical dots) at the top of that email and find the "create event" option. A calendar event tab will launch and the title and guests will auto-populate based on details from your email.

3. How do I book rooms/resources?

Some Rooms and Resources will be available to book from within Google Calendar on the Friday night of Go-Live (i.e. the night of Oct 26 for IT Phase).

For instructions on how to add rooms and resources to events, click here.

For instructions on how to add room and resource schedules to your calendar (so you can view their full availability), see the section on “Add a shared space calendar” here.

(When accessing Google Support pages, please note that it opens in a new tab. To return to the Going Google Site, return to this tab.)

4. What if a meeting is in my office, and I want to let folks know that? When I try to type that in, it gives me options of places around the country.

This is because Google Calendar is linked to Google Maps, just in case you're hoping to have a meeting at the local Starbucks or something ("Here's your closest Starbucks!"). However, you can also plow beyond its suggestions and just write in things like "My Office" or "My Desk" (don't select an address from the drop down). Then it won't be linked to places around the country.

5. When I create a meeting event, I see the option to Add Conferencing with Google Meet. What is Google Meet?

Google Meet is Google’s video conferencing tool.

6. How can I add notes to a Calendar invite?

Outlook Notes integration with Outlook Calendar was a popular feature with Office 365 - however, going forward, Outlook Notes will not be available to attach to Google Calendar Invitations. Instead, “notes” must be either written in or manually copy-and-pasted into the “Add description” box while creating an event, or typed notes (either in the form of a Word document or Google Docs) must be attached to the event as an Attachment.

For more information on attaching items in Google Calendar, click here. (When accessing Google Support pages, please note that it opens in a new tab. To return to the Going Google Site, return to this tab.)

How do I create and work with Team Calendars?

For instructions on how to export your Team Calendar from Outlook, click here.

For instructions on how to create a secondary calendar in Google Calendar, click here.

For instructions on how to import a Calendar to that secondary calendar in Google Calendar, click here.

For instructions on how to share a Google Calendar with others, click here.

For instructions on how to transfer ownership of a secondary Google Calendar after it’s been created (say, in case of the calendar owner changing roles or leaving the organization), click here.

(When accessing Google Support pages, please note that it opens in a new tab. To return to the Going Google Site, return to this tab.)

How do I cancel a calendar event?

There are 2 ways to cancel an event. You can single click and use the trash can icon at the top right of the box. You’ll then be asked, “Would you like to send cancellation emails to Google Calendar guests?” Google will also provide you with a space to add a note to attendees.

The second way is to double click on an event and and from the full edit screen select Delete from the More actions dropdown. The same “Would you like to send cancellation emails to Google Calendar guests?” and add a note to attendees box will pop up. For more information, click here.