How to change the time of notification about all birthdays in Google Calendar?

Google Calendar’s Birthdays calendar uses a shared notification setting. This means every birthday event on the Birthdays calendar gets reminded using the same timing and type. You cannot set different reminder times per person when using the Birthdays calendar.

However, you have two solutions:

Path 1: Change the shared notification setting for all birthdays (simplest)

If you want a different reminder time for all birthdays at once, adjust the Birthdays calendar notification:

1. Open Google Calendar at calendar.google.com.

2. In the left sidebar under My calendars, find Birthdays.

3. Hover over the Birthdays calendar name and click the three-dot menu (…) that appears.

4. Select Notifications.

5. In the Notifications dialog, you can add multiple notifications or edit existing ones:

   • Click Add notification to add a new reminder type.
   • Choose the timing (day before, week before, on the day, etc.) and type (Notification for on-screen popup, Email for Gmail, or Mobile push on your phone).
   • Click Save.

Now all birthday reminders will use these settings. When a birthday arrives, you’ll get notified at the time you specified.

Path 2: Create manual yearly events for each person (for custom per-person control)

If you need different reminder times for different people, you can’t do this with the Birthdays calendar. Instead, create individual yearly recurring events:

1. Open Google Calendar and click Create (+ icon) in the top left.

2. Click More options to open the full event editor.

3. Enter the person’s name and their birthday date.

4. Click the Does not repeat dropdown and select Yearly.

5. In the Notifications section, set a custom reminder time for this specific person (e.g., a week before for VIP contacts, a day before for others).

6. Click Save.

Repeat this process for each person you want a custom reminder for. Now you have complete control: each person’s birthday can have its own reminder timing and type.

When to use which approach:

• Shared notification setting (Path 1): Best if you’re happy with the same reminder time for everyone. Simpler to manage.
• Manual yearly events (Path 2): Best if you have priority contacts (family, close friends, key clients) who deserve different reminder timing, or if you want reminders for a subset of your contacts instead of everyone.

Important note: Both approaches keep the birthday data in Google Contacts intact. Changing notification settings or using manual events does not delete contact information. You can always revert to the Birthdays calendar or adjust individual event settings later.