How to make Google Calendar events private

When to make an event private

If colleagues can see your calendar, or you sync it with a work account, they may see more than you want. A doctor's appointment or a job interview is nobody else's business, but the time still needs to show as taken.

Method 1: Set events as "Private" in Google Calendar

Google Calendar has a privacy setting on each event:

1. Create or edit an event in Google Calendar.
2. Click "More options" to open the full event details.
3. Find "Default visibility" and change it to "Private".
4. Save the event.

People you share the calendar with then see "Busy" instead of the event details.

Limitations

• You have to set it on each event by hand.
• It doesn't block the time in your other calendars. Your work calendar still shows you as free.
• People who can make changes to events on the calendar still see private event details.

Method 2: Use Caltsu to add Busy blocks

Caltsu adds Busy blocks to your other calendars instead of copying events:

1. Connect your Google account to Caltsu.
2. Connect your work account. It can be Google or Microsoft.
3. Put both calendars in one sync group. Sync is two-way.

How it works

For each event, Caltsu:

• Creates a block on your other calendar at the same start and end time
• Titles it "Busy" by default, which you can change
• Adds the description "Blocked time from" followed by the source calendar name
• Never copies the event's title, attendees, location, notes or meeting link
• Updates the block when the original event changes

Method 3: Keep a separate availability calendar

You can also keep two calendars:

1. A personal calendar with all the details.
2. An availability calendar that you share, with only free and busy times on it.

This works, but you have to copy every event by hand.

Calendar privacy checklist

• Review who you share each calendar with every few months.
• Mark sensitive appointments as private.
• Share your main calendar as "See only free/busy" unless someone really needs the details.
• Remember that "Private" hides details from people who can only view the calendar, not from people who can edit it.
• Check old iCal links and subscriptions. Anyone with a secret address can read the whole calendar.

Protecting specific event types

Medical appointments

Mark them private. A generic title like "Appointment" helps too, in case the calendar is ever shared with more detail than you meant.

Job interviews

Use private events and vague titles. If you can, book them during lunch or outside working hours.

Personal events

Family events, dates and personal time should be private, or reach your work calendar only as Busy blocks.

For more on what Caltsu stores and where, see the security page.