Guide

Google Calendar time blocking: block focus time on computer and phone

Short answer: to block focus or deep-work time, create a regular Event and keep it marked Busy. That occupies the time on that calendar. On a computer, click an empty time or click Create. In the Google Calendar app, tap Create, then Event. Eligible work or school accounts can also use Focus time or Out of office. Focus time can automatically decline meetings and mute Chat. Out of office automatically declines meetings. A regular Busy event does not. Focus time is created from Day or Week view on a computer. Help does not document creating it in the app. Setup for Focus time is in the focus time guide. Out of office is in the out of office guide.

A block stays on the calendar where you created it. Resync writes private Busy holds so a block on one Google calendar occupies time on your other Google calendars. It currently syncs Google calendars only.

How to block time on computer and phone

A regular Event marked Busy is the method that works on personal Gmail and on work or school accounts. Use it when you want the slot occupied without auto-declining meetings.

Computer

On your computer, open Google Calendar.
Click an empty time on the calendar, or in the top left click Create.
Add a title, such as Focus or Deep work.
Set the start and end time.
In the event details, confirm Busy. Google Calendar Help describes events as marked Busy or Free. It does not document a labeled Show as control. Some editors call it Show as.
Click Save.

Tip: to create a longer event, drag your mouse down the page while you select the time. You can also use Shift + C to create an event in any view. To get an alert before the block starts, add a notification on the event. How to set, change, or stop those is in Google Calendar reminders: set, change, or stop event notifications. Print that Day or Week from a computer. Save as PDF, font size, weekends, and the phone workaround are in How to print Google Calendar (Day, Week, Month, Schedule, and PDF).

Android

On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Calendar app.
Tap Create, then Event.
Add a title and set the start and end time.
Confirm Busy in the event details.
Tap Save.

You can also tap Menu, then Day, 3 Day, or Week, then tap an empty time. Drag the top or bottom circles to change the duration.

iPhone and iPad

On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google Calendar app.
Tap Create, then Event.
Add a title and set the start and end time.
Confirm Busy in the event details.
Tap Done, then tap Save.

The empty-time path matches Android: Menu, then Day, 3 Day, or Week, then an empty time.

All-day events typically start as Free. Appointment-schedule Help says no appointment times show on days where you have an all-day event set to Busy. If an all-day block should occupy the day, mark it Busy.

Google Calendar Help steps checked Nov 5, 2026. Cited from Create an event, the Android page, the iPhone and iPad page, and Check your availability across calendars.

Focus time vs Out of office vs a Busy event

These sit next to each other in Create. They do different jobs.

Type	Occupies time	Auto-declines meetings	Who can use it
Busy event	Yes, when the event is marked Busy. Free does not occupy the time.	No. Help does not document a regular Event as an auto-decline.	Any Google Calendar account. Create it on a computer or in the Google Calendar app.
Focus time	Yes. The event occupies that start-to-end slot.	Optional. By default it declines new and existing meetings. You can change that to Only new meeting invitations.	Eligible work or school accounts only. Create it from Day or Week view on a computer.
Out of office	Yes, for that time.	Yes. Help says Calendar automatically declines all meetings during that time. You can change decline settings and edit the decline message.	Work or school accounts. Create it on a computer or in the Google Calendar app.
Working hours	No. Hours are a weekly availability pattern. They do not create Busy events.	No. They warn invitees outside those hours. Help does not document them as an auto-decline.	Work or school accounts. You can only turn them on from a computer.

Busy event

Occupies time: Yes, when the event is marked Busy. Free does not occupy the time.
Auto-declines meetings: No. Help does not document a regular Event as an auto-decline.
Who can use it: Any Google Calendar account. Create it on a computer or in the Google Calendar app.

Focus time

Occupies time: Yes. The event occupies that start-to-end slot.
Auto-declines meetings: Optional. By default it declines new and existing meetings. You can change that to Only new meeting invitations.
Who can use it: Eligible work or school accounts only. Create it from Day or Week view on a computer.

Out of office

Occupies time: Yes, for that time.
Auto-declines meetings: Yes. Help says Calendar automatically declines all meetings during that time. You can change decline settings and edit the decline message.
Who can use it: Work or school accounts. Create it on a computer or in the Google Calendar app.

Working hours

Occupies time: No. Hours are a weekly availability pattern. They do not create Busy events.
Auto-declines meetings: No. They warn invitees outside those hours. Help does not document them as an auto-decline.
Who can use it: Work or school accounts. You can only turn them on from a computer.

Focus time

Use focus time in Google Calendar Help says you need an eligible work or school account: Google Workspace for Business Standard and Plus, Enterprise Standard and Plus, Education, and Nonprofits. Personal Gmail is not on that list.

Important: you can only create Focus time events from Day and Week views. The event must have a specific start and end time. On a computer, click the time you want, click Focus time at the top of the event, set Do not disturb and Automatically decline meetings if you want them, and click Save. By default, Focus time declines new and existing meetings. You can change that to Only new meeting invitations. Focus time events are marked with headphones.

Help does not document creating Focus time in the Google Calendar app. Those pages say: to edit or delete a Focus time event from your mobile device, you must first create the event on a computer. After that, open the app, tap the Focus time event, then Edit or Delete.

A regular event titled Focus time is not this event type. It will not use Focus time decline or Chat settings. Full Focus time setup is in the Google Calendar focus time: set up & fixes.

Out of office

Set your working hours Help says when you indicate that you are out of office, your calendar automatically declines all meetings during that time. On a computer, click Create, then Out of office, choose dates, optionally edit the decline message, and save. In the Google Calendar app, tap Create, then Out of office. If you are only out for part of the day, turn off All day. Setup and fixes are in the out of office guide.

Working hours

Working hours warn invitees outside those times. They do not block time or create Busy events. You can only turn them on from a computer. That difference is in the working hours guide.

Google Calendar Help steps checked Nov 5, 2026. Cited from Use focus time in Google Calendar, Set your working hours, and Create an event.

Show as Busy vs Free

Busy occupies the time. Free does not. That is not Default, Public, or Private, and it is not See only free/busy. Busy does not hide the title. Free does not hide a title you can already see.

Google Calendar Help describes events as marked Busy or Free. It does not document a labeled Show as control or a separate click path on computer, Android, or iPhone. Confirm the Busy or Free control in your own event editor. Some editors call it Show as.

Timed events typically start as Busy. All-day events typically start as Free. Help does not document those defaults.
Appointment-schedule Help hides booking slots for events set to Busy on calendars reviewed for conflicts. It does not hide slots for Free.
Other people only see the block if they can access that calendar. Share your calendar first.

Full diagnosis is in the busy vs free guide.

Google Calendar Help steps checked Nov 5, 2026. Cited from Check your availability across calendars, Change event & task visibility, and Calendar sharing permissions.

Color coding time blocks

Create an event Help says when you create an event, you can choose the color that event will show as in your calendars. People will not be able to see the color you set unless you have given them permission to make changes on your calendar.

Computer: right-click an existing event, then pick a color. You can also choose a color while you create the event.
Android or iPhone: tap the event, tap Edit, scroll, select a color, then tap Save.
Focus time: click the event, click Edit, click Color, select a color, then click Save. Help says your color selection is saved for future Focus time events.

Color is for your view. It does not change Busy or Free, and it does not hide details. More color steps are in the color coding guide.

Google Calendar Help steps checked Nov 5, 2026. Cited from Create an event, the Android page, the iPhone and iPad page, and Use focus time in Google Calendar.

Recurring blocks

Create a recurring event Help says when you create an event, you can make it repeat on certain days. Repeating events have a limit of 730 occurrences.

Computer

On your computer, open Google Calendar.
Create a new event, or click an existing event, then Edit.
Next to Does not repeat, click the Down arrow.
Choose how often the event should repeat, and when the repeating event should end.
Click Save.

Android and iPhone

In the Android app or the iPhone and iPad app, open the event, tap Edit, then use the repeat control next to Does not repeat. Choose a frequency and save.

To repeat Focus time: click the Focus time event on a computer, click Edit, next to Does not repeat click the Down arrow, choose a frequency, and click Save. Recurring Focus time stays Does not repeat until you choose a frequency.

Out of office can also repeat. In the app, below the day and time, tap Does not repeat and choose a frequency. Edit and delete rules for a series are in the recurring events guide.

Google Calendar Help steps checked Nov 5, 2026. Cited from Create a recurring event, the Android page, the iPhone and iPad page, and Use focus time in Google Calendar.

Time-blocking troubleshooting

Use this table when a block is not busy to others, overlapping invites still arrive, or Focus time is missing.

What you see	Likely cause	Fix
Block is not showing busy to others	The event is marked Free, the calendar is not shared, or they are looking at a different account.	Open the event and confirm Busy. Share the calendar. Default, Public, and Private change details, not whether the time is occupied. Full Busy vs Free steps are in the busy-vs-free guide.
Overlapping invites still arrive	A regular Busy event occupies the time. It does not automatically decline meetings. Focus time only declines when Automatically decline meetings is on. Out of office declines meetings during that time.	Use Out of office, or Focus time with Automatically decline meetings, if you want a No sent for you. A Busy event still hides appointment-schedule slots on calendars reviewed for conflicts.
No Focus time on personal Gmail	Google Calendar Help lists Focus time for eligible work or school accounts only. Personal Gmail is not on that list.	Block the time with a regular Event marked Busy. That works on personal Gmail. Create Focus time only on an eligible work or school account, from Day or Week view on a computer.
Cannot add Focus time in the Calendar app	Google Calendar Help for Android and for iPhone and iPad does not include steps to create Focus time in the app.	Create Focus time on a computer in Day or Week view. After that, the app can edit or delete the Focus time event marked with headphones. A regular Event still works in the app.
Recurring block did not repeat	The event is still Does not repeat, or the series reached the 730-occurrence limit.	Edit the event, open the menu next to Does not repeat, choose a frequency, and save. For Focus time, do that on a computer.
Color is missing for other people	Create-event Help says people cannot see the color you set unless they can make changes on your calendar.	That is expected. Color is for your view. Other people see Busy or event details based on sharing, not your color.
Other Google calendar still looks free	A block stays on the calendar where you created it. It does not write a hold onto another Google account.	Use Resync to write private Busy holds between your own Google calendars. Focus time, Out of office, and a Busy event on one account do not do that by themselves.

Block is not showing busy to others

Likely cause: The event is marked Free, the calendar is not shared, or they are looking at a different account.
Fix: Open the event and confirm Busy. Share the calendar. Default, Public, and Private change details, not whether the time is occupied. Full Busy vs Free steps are in the busy-vs-free guide.

Overlapping invites still arrive

Likely cause: A regular Busy event occupies the time. It does not automatically decline meetings. Focus time only declines when Automatically decline meetings is on. Out of office declines meetings during that time.
Fix: Use Out of office, or Focus time with Automatically decline meetings, if you want a No sent for you. A Busy event still hides appointment-schedule slots on calendars reviewed for conflicts.

No Focus time on personal Gmail

Likely cause: Google Calendar Help lists Focus time for eligible work or school accounts only. Personal Gmail is not on that list.
Fix: Block the time with a regular Event marked Busy. That works on personal Gmail. Create Focus time only on an eligible work or school account, from Day or Week view on a computer.

Cannot add Focus time in the Calendar app

Likely cause: Google Calendar Help for Android and for iPhone and iPad does not include steps to create Focus time in the app.
Fix: Create Focus time on a computer in Day or Week view. After that, the app can edit or delete the Focus time event marked with headphones. A regular Event still works in the app.

Recurring block did not repeat

Likely cause: The event is still Does not repeat, or the series reached the 730-occurrence limit.
Fix: Edit the event, open the menu next to Does not repeat, choose a frequency, and save. For Focus time, do that on a computer.

Color is missing for other people

Likely cause: Create-event Help says people cannot see the color you set unless they can make changes on your calendar.
Fix: That is expected. Color is for your view. Other people see Busy or event details based on sharing, not your color.

Other Google calendar still looks free

Likely cause: A block stays on the calendar where you created it. It does not write a hold onto another Google account.
Fix: Use Resync to write private Busy holds between your own Google calendars. Focus time, Out of office, and a Busy event on one account do not do that by themselves.

Google Calendar Help steps checked Nov 5, 2026.

When Resync helps

Use a Busy event, Focus time, or Out of office when this calendar should occupy the time. Resync does not create those events. It does not sync Outlook, Apple Calendar, or iCloud.

Use Resync when another of your Google calendars should stay blocked too. Resync writes private Busy holds so a block on one Google calendar occupies time on your other Google calendars. It currently syncs Google calendars only. $1.50/month or $9/year after a 30-day free trial, no credit card required.

Resync writes private Busy holds so a block on one Google calendar occupies time on your other Google calendars. A Busy event, Focus time, or Out of office on a source still gets a hold if it occupies time.
Holds are titled Busy. Description, location, attendees, and conference data are left empty, so source meeting details stay on the source calendar.
Each hold occupies the time. Resync does not copy the source title, and it does not copy Focus time or Out of office onto the hold.
If a source event moves, Resync updates the hold. If the event is cancelled, marked free, declined, or is a working-location event, Resync does not keep a hold.
Resync looks 90 days ahead when it reads source events. It watches source calendars with Google push notifications and updates holds when those events change. A polling fallback also runs about every 5 minutes. Read-only calendars cannot be mirrors. Resync currently syncs Google calendars only.
If you delete or edit a hold, Resync records that and does not recreate it for the same source event on that mirror.
If the source event is Private, the hold is Private. Otherwise the hold uses default visibility.

Set up Resync

Sign in with GoogleOpen Resync and sign in with the Google account you want as your primary account. You land on setup.
Connect another Google accountChoose Connect another Google account and finish Google's permission screen. Resync needs at least two Google accounts before you can start.
Start syncingWhen a second account is connected, setup shows bidirectional mirroring as the intended default: real events on either side become private busy blocks on the other. Choose Start syncing to open the dashboard.
Mark sources and mirrorsIn Sync configuration, turn on Source to read busy time from a calendar and Mirror to receive Busy holds. A calendar can be both. Read-only calendars cannot be mirrors because Resync needs write access to create holds. A Busy event, Focus time, or Out of office on a source gets a hold if it occupies time.

FAQ

How do I block time in Google Calendar?

On a computer, open Google Calendar and click an empty time, or click Create. Add a title, set the start and end, confirm the event is marked Busy, and click Save. That regular event occupies the time on that calendar. Eligible work or school accounts can also click Focus time at the top of a new event in Day or Week view, or click Create, then Out of office. Focus time and Out of office can automatically decline meetings. A regular Busy event does not.

How do I block time on Google Calendar Android or iPhone?

Open the Google Calendar app, tap Create, then Event. Add a title and times, confirm Busy, and tap Save (Done, then Save on iPhone). You can also tap an empty time in Day, 3 Day, or Week view. Out of office can be created in the app: tap Create, then Out of office. Google Calendar Help does not document creating Focus time in the app. Create Focus time on a computer, then edit or delete it on your phone.

What is the difference between Focus time, Out of office, and a Busy event?

A regular Event marked Busy occupies the time. It works on personal Gmail and work or school accounts. It does not automatically decline meetings. Focus time is a work or school event type created from Day or Week view on a computer. It can automatically decline meetings and mute Chat. Out of office automatically declines meetings during that time and can be created on a computer or in the app. Working hours warn invitees outside those hours. They do not create Busy events.

Why is my Google Calendar time block not showing as busy?

The event may be marked Free, which does not occupy the time. The calendar may not be shared, or the other person is looking at a different account. Appointment-schedule Help hides booking slots for Busy events on calendars reviewed for conflicts, not for Free events. A block on one Google account does not occupy another account by itself. Default, Public, and Private hide or show details. They do not replace Busy or Free.

How do I make a recurring time block in Google Calendar?

Create or open the event, then next to Does not repeat, click or tap the menu and choose how often it repeats and when it ends. Repeating events have a limit of 730 occurrences. To repeat Focus time, create it on a computer first, click Edit, then use the menu next to Does not repeat. Help does not document creating Focus time in the Calendar app.

Does Resync copy Google Calendar time blocks to another calendar?

Yes, when the source event occupies time. Resync writes private Busy holds so a block on one Google calendar occupies time on your other Google calendars. Holds are titled Busy. Description, location, attendees, and conference data stay empty. Resync skips Free, declined, cancelled, and working-location events. Focus time and Out of office still get a hold if they occupy time. Resync does not create Focus time or Out of office events. $1.50/month or $9/year after a 30-day free trial, no credit card required.

Google Calendar out of office: set up & fixes

Google Calendar busy vs free: what it means and why others see it wrong

Google Calendar working hours: set up & fixes

Google Calendar appointment schedule: set up & fixes

Google Calendar availability: show yours and check someone else's

Google Calendar recurring events: set up & fixes

Google Calendar color coding: event colors, calendar colors, and ideas

How to print Google Calendar (Day, Week, Month, Schedule, and PDF)

Google Calendar reminders: set, change, or stop event notifications

Connect the Google calendars you want to keep aligned, then mark sources and mirrors on the dashboard.

Resync will ask Google for permission to:see your list of calendars; see events on the calendars you choose as Sources, to know when you're busy; and create, update and delete events titled "Busy" on calendars you choose as Mirrors. We never store event titles, attendees or locations. Privacy policy