OpenCal

Guide · October 8, 2026

How to share your Google Calendar as free/busy only

Google Calendar has a permission called “See only free/busy (hide details)”. You can grant it to one person or to the public. A free/busy share still shows each busy block. An OpenCal link shows only your open times.

How do I share only free/busy in Google Calendar?

In Google Calendar, share the calendar with the person and select “See only free/busy (hide details)”. On a computer, Google's steps are: next to the calendar, click More, then Settings and sharing. Click Shared with, click Add people and groups, add the email address, select the permission, then click Send. Google describes the permission as follows: “People can only find out when you're busy on your calendar. They can't find the names or details about events or tasks on your calendar.” Google Calendar Help: Share your calendar, fetched October 8, 2026.

How do I make my Google Calendar public with free/busy only?

In the calendar's settings, select “Make available to public” and select “See only free/busy (hide details)”. Google says: “You can only edit Google Calendar sharing settings from a computer, not the mobile app.” Google says that turning off public sharing “usually only takes a few minutes, but may take up to 4 hours to take effect.” Google warns that a public calendar on a searchable website can appear in search results. Google Calendar Help: Create and manage a public Google calendar, fetched October 8, 2026.

Can a work or school account share free/busy outside the organization?

An administrator decides whether a work or school calendar can be shared. Google says: “If your calendar is for your work or school, your administrator decides if you can share it.” For public calendars, Google says: “Your domain's administrator may restrict your sharing settings.” Google Calendar Help published this information on the two pages above, fetched October 8, 2026.

What does a free/busy share still show?

A free/busy share shows every busy block on the calendar, so the other person works out your free time. An OpenCal link shows only your open times and never shows busy blocks. OpenCal also leaves out time outside the working hours you set in Settings.

Does free/busy sharing include my other calendars?

Google shares one calendar at a time, and OpenCal combines several calendars on one link. Google's steps start from one calendar's Settings and sharing page. OpenCal checks every Google, Microsoft and iCloud calendar that you mark as busy in Settings. If OpenCal cannot read one of those calendars, the link shows no open times. Unchecked time never appears as free.

What does it cost?

OpenCal is free.

Get your OpenCal link

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