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2 min fix 3 min read Recently reviewedBeginner

By , IT support technician

Quick Answer

Open Google Calendar on the web, click the blank space at the very top of a day column (above the time slots), select Working location, and choose 'Office' or 'Home'.

How to Set Up a "Working Location" in Google Calendar ​

Estimated Time to Fix: 2 minutes

Applies to: Google Calendar (Web)
Article Type: How-To
Last Updated: 2026-07-20

Summary ​

In a hybrid work environment, it is incredibly helpful for your coworkers to know whether you are physically in the office or working from home on any given day. Google Calendar has a built-in "Working Location" feature that adds a small icon next to your name, letting others know where to find you before they schedule a meeting.

Prerequisites ​

  • Your company must be using Google Workspace (this feature is not available for free personal @gmail.com accounts).
  • You need to log into Google Calendar on a web browser.

Instructions ​

1. Set Your Location for the Day ​

You can quickly set your location for the current day from your main calendar view.

  1. Open Google Calendar in your web browser.
  2. Look at the grid for today's date. below the date number at the top of the column, you will see a small, empty gray bar.
  3. Click the gray bar.
  4. A small menu will pop up. Select Office, Home, Unspecified, or Somewhere else.
  5. Your choice will now be visible to anyone in your company who looks at your calendar.

2. Set a Recurring Weekly Schedule ​

If you always work from home on Mondays and Fridays, and go into the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, you can automate this.

  1. Click the Settings gear icon in the top right corner of Google Calendar.
  2. Select Settings from the dropdown menu.
  3. On the left-hand sidebar, scroll down and click Working hours & location.
  4. Check the box next to Enable working location.
  5. Below that, you will see a list of the days of the week.
  6. Click the dropdown next to each day and select your default location (e.g., Home, Office).
  7. Google will automatically save your changes as you make them. Click the back arrow in the top left to return to your calendar.

3. Change Your Location for a Specific Meeting ​

If you are working from home, but you are dialing into a meeting from a coffee shop, you can specify your location for that single meeting.

  1. Create a new event or click on an existing event you created.
  2. Click the pencil icon to Edit the event.
  3. Next to the "Join with Google Meet" button, click the Add location box.
  4. Type in the specific location (like "Starbucks on 5th Ave") and save the event.

Troubleshooting ​

TIP

If you select "Office" as your location, a secondary dropdown might appear asking you to specify exactly which office building or desk you are at. This is only applicable if your IT department has loaded building maps into Google Workspace.

Symptom / ErrorPotential CauseSolution
I don't see the "Working hours & location" optionFeature disabledYour Google Workspace administrator has disabled this feature for your organization. You cannot turn it on yourself.
I set my location to "Home", but my boss says it still shows "Office"Page needs refreshingGoogle Calendar sometimes caches old data. Ask your boss to refresh their browser page (Ctrl + R).