Coordinating schedules is a cornerstone of modern collaboration, whether you're planning a team meeting, a family gathering, or a project deadline. Google Calendar is an incredibly powerful tool for this, largely due to its robust sharing features. But a common point of confusion arises when you need to take the next step: not just viewing someone else's calendar, but actively adding an event to it. The process is straightforward once you understand the permissions and the few simple steps involved.
The ability to create an event on a shared Google calendar hinges entirely on the access level you've been granted. When someone shares their calendar with you, they have three main permission options: See only free/busy, See all event details, and Make changes to events. To add new events, you must have been given the "Make changes to events" permission. If you only see a calendar in your list but cannot interact with it, you likely have a view-only level of access and will need to request greater permissions from the calendar's owner.
Assuming you have the correct permissions, adding an event is very similar to creating one on your own calendar. First, ensure the shared calendar is visible in your calendar list on the left-hand side of the desktop website or in the app. The checkbox next to its name should be selected, giving it a color. To create the event, you can either click on the desired date and time directly on that calendar's grid or click the universal "Create" button. The crucial step comes in the event creation pop-up. Look for the calendar name, typically displayed just below the event title field. Click on it, and a dropdown menu will appear listing all your calendars and the shared calendars you can edit. Select the shared calendar from this list. Now, when you fill in the event title, details, time, and save it, the event will be placed directly onto that shared calendar, visible to everyone who has access to it.
It's important to remember that when you create an event on a shared calendar, you are acting as an editor for that space. Your name will typically be attached to the event as the creator, providing transparency. This is excellent for team accountability—it’s clear who scheduled the quarterly review or the client check-in. Always be considerate and follow any established norms for the calendar. For a family calendar, that might mean adding details like "Soccer practice - bring cleats." For a work team calendar, it could involve following a specific naming convention or ensuring mandatory attendees are invited.
I recall helping a volunteer committee coordinate a community clean-up day. We had a shared Google Calendar for all related events. Initially, only the chairperson was adding items, which became a bottleneck. Once she adjusted the settings to grant "Make changes" permissions to the core team, everything smoothed out. The logistics lead could block time for supply pickup, the communications person could schedule social media reminders, and the site coordinator could add the walk-through meetings. This shared, editable calendar became our single source of truth, eliminating the endless "Did you send the invite?" emails. The key was that initial, intentional setup of permissions.
What if you need to invite someone to an event that's on a shared calendar? The process integrates seamlessly. When creating or editing the event on the shared calendar, simply add the person's email address to the "Guests" field. They will receive a standard Google Calendar invitation from you, and their response (Yes, No, Maybe) will be tracked within the event on the shared calendar. This is perfect for meetings where most attendees are internal team members who already see the shared calendar, but you also need to include an external client or a guest speaker.
For those who manage multiple shared calendars, organization is key. Color-coding is your best friend. You can assign a distinct color to each shared calendar (like green for the "Marketing Team" calendar and orange for "Office Reservations") to quickly distinguish events at a glance. This visual cue helps prevent scheduling conflicts and mental fatigue when looking at a composite view of all your calendars.
Mobile users can perform all these actions with ease through the Google Calendar app. The interface is slightly condensed, but the principles are identical. Tap the plus (+) sign to create an event, tap the calendar name at the top of the event details screen, and select the appropriate shared calendar from the list before saving. The ability to manage schedules on-the-go makes collaborative planning truly dynamic.
In essence, adding events to someone else's Google Calendar is less about a technical workaround and more about proper digital courtesy and setup. It requires the calendar owner to extend trust through editing permissions. Once that gateway is open, you become a collaborative steward of that shared schedule. By clearly understanding the permission levels, deliberately selecting the target calendar during event creation, and communicating clearly within the event details, you can help make any shared calendar—be it for work, family, or clubs—a powerful engine for coordination rather than a source of confusion.