Whether you want to share an online calendar with others or just a physical calendar that you can print and use in the office, you have three options for creating a calendar in Google Sheets. Let’s start.
Use a Google Sheets calendar template
Google Sheets offers an updated annual calendar template for the current year. If you see templates at the top of your main Google Sheet page, select “Templates Gallery”.
If you don’t see any recent models, click the plus sign in the lower right and select “Choose a model”.
Go to the Personal section of templates and select “Yearly Calendar”.
The template opens in your workbook with the entire year on the first tab and each individual month on the remaining tabs. This gives you a nice snapshot of the whole year, but with the ability to see each month separately
You can check the Customize your calendar tab if you want to change the theme.
Use a third-party template
You can search for “Google Sheets Calendar Templates” using your favorite search engine or check out the sites below. These each offer more than one model option, so be sure to check them out!
Vertex42: You will see a variety of free templates for Microsoft Excel. So look for the Google Sheets (GS) symbol in the description to indicate that your app is supported. Select a calendar to see full details and use it with Google Sheets.
Spreadsheet Class: You’ll find normal and lined calendar templates for free. Click the link for the calendar you want, then follow the process to use the template.
Smartsheet: You can take advantage of free Google Sheets calendar templates without signing up for a Smartsheet account. Choose between portrait or landscape or opt for a specific type of calendar like a weekly planner or a marketing calendar.
Create a calendar from scratch
Depending on whether you want a monthly, yearly or even weekly calendar, the steps will obviously vary. For the most common type, here’s how to create a monthly calendar.
Open a blank workbook in Google Sheets and give it a name. Next, select the first cell on the sheet, A1, and enter the month.
Select the next cell, A2, and enter the day of the week you want to start, which is usually Sunday or Monday depending on your preference. We will use Sunday for our example.
Use the fill handle to drag the first day of the week to the cells on the right until the last day. For our example, it is Saturday. This fulfills every day for you.
Enter the number 1 for the first day of the month in the correct column for the day of the week. Since we are using January 2022, it is a Saturday.
Skip a line to format the calendar later. Insert at least two numbers for the first two days of the week (we use 2 and 3), then drag to the right using the fill handle to fill in the rest of the numbers for that week. Follow the same process for the remaining weeks of the month.
Then you’ll use those empty rows to create larger cells, like you see with a monthly wall calendar. Select each blank row by holding down Ctrl on Windows or Command on Mac while you click each one.
Drag one of the rows down until you see the size you want the cells to be and release. All blank lines will adjust to this exact size.
Personalize your calendar
You can now customize your calendar to make it look great. While you can do as you see fit, here are the changes we’ll be making.
Merge and center the month: Select the cell containing the month, drag the cells to the end of the calendar on the right, then click the Merge button on the toolbar to select “Merge Horizontally”. Then use the Alignment button in the toolbar to choose the center option.
Center the days of the week: Select the cells containing the days of the week and use the Alignment button in the toolbar to choose the center option.
Fill rows with numbers: Select the cells containing the numbers and use the Fill Color button on the toolbar to apply a color.
Format month and day font: Select the cell containing the month and change the font size, color and style using the toolbar buttons. Then do the same for the days of the week. This brings out the month and days.
When you’re done creating your calendar, you can add events, birthdays, holidays, or whatever you want by inserting text into the square for that day. You can even insert an image into a cell.
RELATED: How to insert an image into a cell in Google Sheets
Add remaining months
Create a copy of the sheet by clicking the arrow on this tab and selecting “Duplicate”.
Next, go to the Duplicate tab and update the calendar for the next month, changing the name of the month and the location of the dates on the days of the week. Do the same for the remaining months of the year.
You can also change the sheet names to months for quick access to the desired month. Simply double-click the sheet name, add a new one, and hit enter or return.
Now is the time to share your calendar with one of your collaborators. Or, if you plan to have a physical calendar to use on the wall or on your desk, print the spreadsheet.
RELATED: How to Print a Spreadsheet or Workbook in Google Sheets
