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Calendars, routines and shared records

What shared calendars can reveal about a schedule

Google Calendar illustrates how calendar permissions, event privacy, public links, private feeds and exported files create different views of a schedule.

Sources checked .

Conceptual illustration

Calendar access has several permission levels

Google's sharing guide distinguishes free/busy access, event details and several editing or sharing levels. Detail access can include names, times, places and descriptions, subject to event visibility. A person able to manage sharing has broader powers than someone checking availability. Work or school administrators can also have special access. Google: calendar audiences, permissions and administrator roles

Private does not mean invisible to every role

The event-visibility guide says some higher editing roles can still see private event details. Guests, or people viewing a booked room's calendar, may also see limited details such as start, end or creator. Review the event and calendar permissions together. Google: individual event visibility and exceptions

A public calendar can reach beyond direct invitations

Google says a public calendar can appear on a website, be subscribed to and be used in other apps. If the website is searchable, the calendar can be found through search results. Public sharing can expose either details or availability, depending on the chosen access and event settings. Google: public calendar access and stopping public sharing

A private calendar feed is its own access route

Google documents a Secret Address in iCal format for a read-only view in another calendar application. It says this address should not be shared with other people. That feed is a different route from inviting a named person or signing another application into a Google Account. Google: private iCal addresses and reset scope

An export creates a separate file

Google's export help describes calendar copies in .ics files, with a ZIP download when exporting calendars together. Computer export requires the documented sharing-management permission and can be restricted by an organization. Consider existing exported files when reviewing where schedule information has gone. Google: calendar copies and export permissions

Hiding a calendar changes a view

The deletion and unsubscribe guide distinguishes hiding or removing a calendar from a list, unsubscribing as a non-owner, and deleting an owned secondary calendar. These actions have different scopes. Deleting a shared secondary calendar removes that calendar for everyone, while hiding is a temporary display choice. Google: hiding, unsubscribing and calendar ownership

Questions and answers

Can every calendar editor necessarily see private event details?

Google's visibility table distinguishes editing with private events shown as free/busy from higher roles that see the details. Google: individual event visibility and exceptions

Is a Secret Address intended as a public sharing link?

Google says it should not be given to other people. Google: private iCal addresses and reset scope

Does an exported calendar remain only inside Google Calendar?

The export help describes downloadable files that can be imported into other apps. Google: calendar copies and export permissions

Sources and scope

Public Google Calendar documents checked 10-24-2026. Permissions, event visibility, account role, organizational policy and other apps affect the actual audience. These examples do not describe every calendar provider.

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