How to show your events as busy in your other calendars (Google, Outlook, iCloud), without sharing details

Which built-in method to use, and what the other side sees

One limit applies to all of them: a shared or subscribed calendar is shown to you next to your own. It doesn't add Busy events to the other calendar, so a colleague who books you through that calendar may not see them.

Google Calendar: share free/busy only with your other account

From Google Calendar Help: Share your calendar with someone, on a computer:

1. "On the left side of Calendar, click My calendars."
2. "To the right of the calendar, click More" › "Settings and sharing."
3. "On the left, click Shared with."
4. "Under “Shared with,” click Add people and groups."
5. "Add the email address of the person or Google group." Use your other account's address.
6. Choose See only free/busy (hide details), then "To give others access, click Send."

What the other account sees, in Google's words: "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."

• Check your public setting. "Broader calendar permissions take priority if there is a conflict in permission settings." A public calendar with full details stays fully visible.
• Work accounts: "If your calendar is for your work or school, your administrator decides if you can share it." An admin can limit outside sharing to "Only free/busy information (hide event details)" (Google Workspace Admin Help).

Outlook: share "Can view when I'm busy"

From Microsoft Support: Share an Outlook calendar as view-only with others, in new Outlook, Outlook on the web, and Outlook.com:

1. "On the Home tab, select Share calendar", and pick the calendar.
2. Enter the other address.
3. "Select Can view when I'm busy to give them permission to see only when you are busy, but not the details of items on your calendar."
4. Select Share.

In classic Outlook: "From your Calendar folder, on the Home tab, select Share Calendar." Sharing to a Gmail address has a catch: "they'll only be able to accept the invitation using a Microsoft 365 or an Outlook.com account." For Gmail, publish an .ics link instead (next section).

Outlook to Google: publish an .ics link, subscribe from Google

1. Publish the calendar in Outlook

1. "From the ribbon, select the View tab Calendar settings > Calendar > Shared calendars." On Outlook.com: Settings › Calendar › Shared calendars.
2. "Under the section Publish a calendar, select the calendar you want to publish from the dropdown and select the permissions you want to grant." Pick the level that shows the least detail.
3. "Select Publish. HTML and ICS links will appear below." Copy the ICS link.

Microsoft's notes: "HTML and ICS calendars are read-only", "How often your ICS calendar syncs depends on the recipient's email provider", and "Published calendars are viewable by anyone with the link to the calendar." (Share your calendar in Outlook.com, Introduction to publishing internet calendars)

2. Add it in Google Calendar

From Google Calendar Help: Use a link to add a public calendar. "To subscribe to a new calendar, you must use a computer web browser."

1. "On the left, next to "Other calendars," click Add other calendars" › "From URL."
2. "Enter the URL of the published calendar." Paste the ICS link.
3. "Click Add calendar."

Google's help page gives no refresh time for calendars added this way. Plan for changes to show up late, not instantly.

Google to Outlook: Google's iCal address, subscribe from Outlook

1. Get a busy-only address from Google

Google gives every calendar 2 iCal addresses. Only one of them can be busy-only.

• Public address, busy-only: in Settings, under "Settings for my calendars", click the calendar. "Under "Access permissions for events," check the box next to "Make available to public."" and choose See only free/busy (hide details). Then "Click Integrate calendar" and copy the link in "Public address in iCal format." Anyone with the address can see when you're busy. (Create & manage a public Google calendar)
• Secret address, all details: "Click Integrate calendar." › "In the "Secret address in iCal format" section, copy the link." It carries every event's title and notes, and Google warns: "Only you should know the Secret Address for your calendar." (Sync your calendar with computer programs)

On a work or school account, your admin may block public calendars.

2. Subscribe in Outlook

From Import or subscribe to a calendar in Outlook.com or Outlook on the web:

1. Select Add calendar.
2. "Select Subscribe from web."
3. "Enter the URL for the calendar."
4. "Select Import."

How long changes take, in Microsoft's words:

• Outlook.com: "This update can take more than 24 hours, although updates should happen approximately every 3 hours."
• Outlook on the web for work or school: "This update can take more than 24 hours, although updates should happen approximately every 6 hours."

iCloud: public calendars show everything

On iPhone, Apple's steps are "Turn on Public Calendar, then tap Share Link to copy or send the URL for your calendar." (Apple: Share iCloud calendars on iPhone). Apple's Mac guide: "People who subscribe to your public calendar can view it, but can’t change it." (Apple: Share calendars on Mac) Apple's help describes no busy-only level for a public calendar, and private sharing offers only Read-Only or Allow editing.

To show iCloud events as busy elsewhere, make a busy-only copy first (next section). To subscribe to a calendar on iPhone, Apple's step is "Tap Add Subscription Calendar, enter the URL of the .ics file you want to subscribe to […], then tap Find." On a Mac: "Choose File > New Calendar Subscription", then use the "Auto-refresh" pop-up menu to "choose how often to update the calendar." (iPhone, Mac)

Make a busy-only copy of any calendar with the free Busy Calendar tool

When a calendar has no busy-only setting, or you don't want to publish a link, remove the details yourself. The Busy Calendar tool turns an .ics file into a copy that keeps the times and shows only Busy.

1. Export the calendar as .ics. In Google Calendar on a computer: point to the calendar under "My calendars", click More › Settings and sharing, then "Under "Calendar settings," click Export calendar." (Google: Export events)
2. Open blink-brief.com/busy-calendar/ and add the .ics file.
3. Download the busy-only copy.
4. Import it into the other calendar. Google: Settings › Import & Export › "Select file from your computer", choose the calendar, then Import (Google: Import events). Outlook.com: Add calendar › "Upload from file" (Microsoft).

An imported file is a snapshot. Microsoft: "Your calendar doesn't refresh the imported events automatically -- even if the calendar's owner makes an update." Repeat the steps when your schedule changes. Unlike a shared or subscribed calendar, imported Busy events are real events in the other calendar, so people who book you there see them.

Tools that copy Busy events automatically

Sync tools copy each event into your other calendars as a Busy event, most within 15 minutes of a change by their own figures. SYNCDATE has a free plan for 2 calendars, and paid tools start at $2.99 a month. Calendar sync tools compared lists 8 of them side by side. Prices checked on 1 November 2026.