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    Government & Civic
    Beginner
    4 min read 6 stepsJuly 8, 2026Verified July 2026

    How to Set Up a Google Family Group

    Link your Google account with your spouse, kids, or grandkids to share apps, a calendar, photos, and location safely.

    At a Glance

    Category
    Government & Civic
    Difficulty
    Beginner
    Read Time
    4 min read
    Steps
    6
    Topics covered
    google
    family
    sharing
    setup
    grandkids

    In this guide (6 steps):

    1. 1.Open Google's Family Group settings
    2. 2.Create the group and add a manager
    3. 3.Invite family members by email
    4. 4.Turn on Family Calendar if you want shared appointments
    5. 5.Turn on Location Sharing only if everyone agrees
    6. 6.Review who's in the group anytime
    1

    Open Google's Family Group settings

    ~15s
    On a phone or computer, go to families.google.com and sign in with your Google account (the same one you use for Gmail). If you already belong to a family group, you'll see it listed here. If not, you'll see a button to create one.
    2

    Create the group and add a manager

    ~28s
    Tap "Create a family group." You'll automatically become the family manager, which means you can add or remove members and manage a shared payment method for app purchases if you choose to set one up. You do not have to add a payment method to use the free sharing features.

    Quick Tip

    If your adult child usually helps you with tech, it often works better to make them the family manager instead of yourself — that way they can add new members later without needing your password.

    3

    Invite family members by email

    ~33s
    Select "Invite family members" and enter the Gmail address of each person, one at a time. You can add up to 5 people total. Each person will get an email invitation they must accept before they're added — nothing happens on their account until they say yes.

    Warning

    Only invite people using their real Gmail address. If you're not sure of someone's Gmail address, ask them directly rather than guessing — sending an invite to the wrong email does not put a stranger in your family group, since they still have to accept it, but it's better to get it right the first time.

    4

    Turn on Family Calendar if you want shared appointments

    ~21s
    Open the Google Calendar app, tap the menu, and look for "Family" under your list of calendars. Any event you add to the Family calendar (instead of your personal calendar) becomes visible to everyone in the group — useful for doctor appointments a family member is driving you to, or holiday gatherings everyone needs the date for.
    5

    Turn on Location Sharing only if everyone agrees

    ~31s
    In Google Maps, tap your profile picture, then "Location sharing," then "Share location." Choose how long to share (1 hour, until you turn it off, or a custom time) and pick which family members can see it. This is optional and can be turned off at any time from the same screen.

    Quick Tip

    Location sharing is popular for peace of mind — an adult child can see that mom or dad made it home from an errand — but it is entirely your choice whether to turn it on. And you can stop sharing instantly.

    6

    Review who's in the group anytime

    ~17s
    Go back to families.google.com whenever you want to see the current member list, remove someone, or leave the group yourself. Leaving a family group does not delete your Google account or any of your own photos, emails, or files. It only removes the shared calendar and location access.

    You Did It!

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    A Google Family Group links your Google account with up to five other family members so you can share things without sending files back and forth. Once a group is set up, everyone in it can share a single Google Calendar to see appointments at a glance, split the cost of a family photo storage plan, and — most useful for many older adults — see each other's location through Google Maps if everyone agrees to turn it on. It also lets you approve app downloads and screen time for a grandchild's device if you're the one managing it.

    Setting up the group takes about five minutes and only needs to be done once by whoever creates it. After that, family members accept an invite that shows up as an email or a notification on their phone. Nothing is shared automatically — every piece of sharing (calendar, location, photos) is a separate choice each person turns on individually, so joining a Family Group by itself does not expose anything private.

    This is especially useful for households where an adult child manages tech for an aging parent, or where grandparents want an easy way to see photos from the family without asking someone to text them one at a time. Source: support.google.com/families.

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    Official Resources

    USA.gov — Government ServicesSSA — Social SecurityBenefits.govIRS Free File

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