How to Send a Google Calendar Invite

To send a Google Calendar invite, open the event, add the person's email under Guests, click Save, and click Send when Calendar asks if you want to email your guests. That last prompt is the part people miss: if you skip it, the guest is attached to the event but never gets the email. This guide covers how to send a Google Calendar invite from the web and the mobile app, how to add guests to an event you already created, how to control what guests can do, and how to forward an invite correctly instead of accidentally adding strangers to your event.

How to send a Google Calendar invite on the web

The desktop site (calendar.google.com) gives you the most control over guests and permissions.

1. Go to calendar.google.com and click Create in the top left (or click any empty time slot on the grid).
2. Add a title, then set the date and time.
3. In the event panel, find the Guests section on the right and click Add guests.
4. Start typing a name from your contacts, or type a full email address and press Enter. Repeat for each person.
5. Click Save at the top of the event.
6. Calendar asks "Would you like to send invitation emails to existing Google Calendar guests?" — click Send.

That final Send click is what actually delivers the invite. Guests get an email with Yes, No, and Maybe buttons, and the event lands on their own calendar once they respond Yes. For everyday invites you can add as many guests as you need; Google supports very large events (up to 100,000 guests per event for large-scale meetings).

If you only have the date and a one-line description, you don't even need the full form. Google's quick add feature lets you type something like "Lunch with Sam Friday 1pm" and it builds the event for you — though you'll still add guests manually afterward.

How to invite someone to Google Calendar from your phone

The steps for how to invite someone to Google Calendar differ slightly between iPhone and Android, but both send the email automatically when you save.

On iPhone and iPad:

1. Open the Google Calendar app and tap the + button, then Event.
2. Add a title, date, and time.
3. Tap Add people (older builds label this Add guests).
4. Type each guest's email or pick them from contacts.
5. Tap Save in the top right.

On Android:

1. Open the Google Calendar app and tap the + in the bottom right, then Event.
2. Fill in the title, date, and time.
3. Tap Add people and enter each guest's email.
4. Tap Save.

On mobile there's no separate "Send" confirmation — saving the event with guests attached triggers the invitation emails right away.

How to add guests to an existing event

Most "how do I send an invite" questions are really "I already made the event and forgot to invite people." Adding guests afterward works fine.

1. Click (web) or tap (mobile) the event on your calendar.
2. Choose Edit event (the pencil icon on desktop).
3. In the Guests section, click Add guests and enter the new email addresses.
4. Click or tap Save.
5. On the web, click Send when prompted so the new guests get notified.

New guests receive the same Yes/No/Maybe invitation as if you'd added them when you first built the event. Existing guests are not re-emailed unless you change the time or location.

Or skip the manual steps: highlight the event details anywhere in your browser — an email, a Slack message, a webpage — right-click, and the Text to Google Calendar extension creates the event for you with the date, time, and location filled in automatically. Then you just add your guests and hit Send. It's especially handy when the details are buried in a long email thread.

Set guest permissions: modify, invite others, and see guest list

When you open an event on the desktop site, the Guests section has a Guests can: block with three checkboxes. These control what every guest is allowed to do, so set them before you send.

• Modify event — lets guests change the date, time, title, or other guests. Leave this off for most invites; turn it on only for co-organizers you trust to edit the event.
• Invite others — lets guests add more people. On by default. Uncheck it if you want a fixed guest list and no surprise additions.
• See guest list — lets guests see who else was invited and how they responded. Uncheck it for privacy-sensitive invites (think one-on-one reviews or a list of clients who shouldn't see each other).

These permissions apply to all guests on the event, not per person. If you need different access for different people, you generally have to manage that through a shared calendar instead.

How to forward a Google Calendar invite

Forwarding is different from adding a guest, and mixing them up is the most common Google Calendar invite mistake. Adding a guest puts a new person on the official guest list and emails them an invite from you. Forwarding passes along a copy of an invite you received — useful when you want a colleague to attend in your place or just be aware of it, without you being the organizer.

Unlike Outlook, Google Calendar has no Forward button inside the event's three-dot (More options) menu. You forward an invitation from the invitation email in Gmail instead:

1. Open Gmail and find the invitation email for the event you were invited to.
2. Open the message and click Gmail's Forward button (or the three-dot menu in the message header, then Forward).
3. Enter the email address of the person you want to forward it to.
4. Click Send.

The recipient gets a copy of the invite and can RSVP. Note the catch: whether a forwarded recipient is officially added to the event depends on the organizer's See guest list and Invite others settings. If the organizer locked the guest list down, forwarding shares the details but may not register the new person as an official attendee.

If you're the organizer and you simply want someone else on the list, don't forward — open the event, use Add guests, and Send. Forwarding is for passing along invites you received; adding guests is for invites you're sending.

Quick checklist before you send

• Did you click Send (web) after Save? Without it, guests aren't emailed.
• Are the Guests can: permissions set the way you want — especially Invite others and See guest list?
• Double-check email spelling; a typo means a bounced invite and a guest who never shows.

For the reverse direction — turning an email into a calendar event — see creating a calendar event from an email in Gmail. And if your invites involve people on Outlook, you may also want to sync Outlook Calendar with Google Calendar so RSVPs line up across both.

Once you've sent a few invites manually, the bottleneck is always copying details out of messages by hand. The Text to Google Calendar extension removes that step — highlight any text with a date and time, right-click, and the event is built for you, ready for you to add guests and send. The first five events are free.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why didn't my Google Calendar guests get the invite?

The most common reason is skipping the final Send prompt. On the desktop site, after you click Save, Google asks whether to send invitation emails — you must click Send for guests to be notified. If you closed that prompt or saved on mobile with a connection issue, open the event, re-save, and confirm Send. Also check the guest's email address for typos, which cause silent bounces.

What's the difference between adding a guest and forwarding a Google Calendar invite?

Adding a guest puts a new person on the official guest list and emails them an invite from you as the organizer. Forwarding passes along a copy of an invite you received so someone else can see it or attend in your place. Use Add guests when you're the organizer; use Forward only for invites you received from someone else.

Can I stop guests from inviting other people to my event?

Yes. Open the event on the desktop site, find the Guests can: section, and uncheck Invite others. This keeps your guest list fixed so attendees can't add anyone new. You can also uncheck See guest list to hide who else was invited and Modify event to prevent guests from changing the details.

How do I send a Google Calendar invite from my phone?

Open the Google Calendar app, create or open an event, tap Add people (or Add guests), enter each email address, and tap Save. On mobile there's no separate Send confirmation — saving an event that has guests attached sends the invitation emails automatically.

How many people can I invite to a Google Calendar event?

For ordinary invites you can add as many guests as you need. Google supports very large events too — up to 100,000 guests on a single event for large-scale meetings. For audiences that large you'd typically invite via a group or shared calendar rather than adding individual addresses one by one.