Manage Google Calendar

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

• Configure Calendar sharing settings.
  
• Enable access to Calendar resources.
  
• Explain Calendar user controls.
  

Explore Google Calendar Management Features

Set Calendar Sharing Settings

The company wants to restrict external sharing of calendars but also allow internal sharing to be managed by each user. Drilling into the business needs, you determine users need to be able to:

• Only share free/busy information publicly.
  
• Share all information internally.
  

Let’s get to it.

1. If you are not already signed in, sign in to your domain as the administrator at admin.google.com.
   
2. Navigate to the Calendar service via the Apps icon | Google Workspace icon | Calendar.
   
3. Click the Sharing settings card. This is where you set sharing options for primary calendars.
   
4. Confirm that External sharing options for primary calendars is set to Only free/busy information (hide event details). This represents the highest level of sharing allowed.
   
5. Confirm that Internal sharing options for primary calendars is set to Share all information. This represents the default setting for new users. Users can still change this setting.
   
6. Return to the Calendar settings page, scroll down and click the General settings card. This is where you set sharing options for secondary calendars.
   
7. Copy the settings from steps 4 and 5.
   

The sharing settings you set above determine the highest level of sharing that a user is allowed to make for their calendars. In the future, remember that if you lower the highest level of sharing setting, people may lose access to calendars they could see previously.

Enable Access to Calendar Resources

In Google Workspace Administration, you created two calendar resources: Conference room and Boardroom.

You have received a request from Alex, IT manager asking you to allow anyone in the organization to be able to book the Conference room. But he also wants you to restrict booking access for the Boardroom to Ellie Gray only. As executive assistant, Ellie should also be able to manage the Boardroom resource.

Consider it done!

In Google Workspace, the administrators own calendar resources. Calendar resource settings are managed from your own calendar.

1. Sign in as the administrator and open your Google Calendar from the Apps launcher or by visiting calendar.google.com.
   
   Calendar resources will automatically appear in the administrator’s My calendars list. This can take some time however so if necessary, you can use another technique to make them display sooner. If you cannot see the two resources you created earlier under My calendars:
   
   1. Click the + sign to the right of Other Calendars.
      
   2. Then, click Browse resources. You should see the two resources listed.
      
   3. Hover over the Boardroom and tick the check box to the right of the resource.
      
   4. Repeat this for the Conference room.
      
   5. Go back to your calendar. Both resources should now be listed under My calendars.
      
2. Let’s make the Conference room available for all users. Hover over the Conference room in your My calendars list and click the ellipses (three vertical dots) next to the calendar name.
   
3. Then, click Settings and sharing.
   
4. In the Access permissions for events section, ensure Make available for yourdomain is selected.
   
5. Return to your calendar.
   
6. Hover over the Boardroom in your My calendars list and click the ellipses (three vertical dots) next to the calendar name.
   
7. Then, click Settings and sharing.
   
8. Adjust the sharing settings as follows.
   
   1. In the Access permissions for events section, ensure that Make available to public and Make available for yourdomain are both deselected.
      
   2. In the Share with specific people section, click Add people and add Ellie Gray.
      
   3. Set her Permissions to Make changes and manage sharing and click Send.
      
9. Verify that the Boardroom is available to Ellie and not available to other users. For more information, see Test scheduling resources.
   
   1. Sign in as Ellie and open Google Calendar. You should see the Boardroom listed under My Calendars. You won’t see the Conference room listed because you do not manage this calendar.
      
   2. Create an event. You should see both rooms listed on the Rooms tab. Note: You manage the Boardroom but you can also see the Conference room because this is available to all users.
      
   3. Sign out and sign in again, this time as Jon Baird and open Google Calendar.
      
   4. Create an event and look at the Rooms tab. You should see the Conference room only. You do not have access to book the Boardroom so it will not be listed.
      
   5. Optionally, try to subscribe to the Boardroom as Jon by browsing to the resource and checking the box to the right of the resource name in the Resources list. You cannot subscribe because you do not have access to the resource.
      

On to Google Drive!

Resource

• Google Workspace Admin Help: Set Calendar sharing options