How to add calendar to Google Calendar?

Adding a calendar to Google Calendar typically refers to importing events from another calendar application (Apple Calendar, Outlook, Microsoft Exchange, etc.) into Google Calendar. This is a one-time bulk import, not an ongoing sync. Once imported, the events appear in the calendar you choose, but changes to the source calendar will not automatically update.

Important distinction:

This article covers one-time imports. If you want an ongoing sync where both calendars stay updated together, you would instead subscribe to a calendar using a shared URL, which is a different process.

How to import a calendar from another application:

Step 1: Export the calendar from your source application

1. Open the calendar application (Apple Calendar, Outlook, Evolution, etc.) on your computer.

2. Find the Export option (location varies by application):

   • In Apple Calendar (Mac): Select the calendar, then use File > Export.
   • In Outlook: Right-click the calendar folder and select Export.
   • In Microsoft Exchange: Use the calendar export option in your client.
   • In other applications: Look in File > Export or Calendars > Export.

3. The export will create a file in .ics (iCalendar) format or occasionally .csv (comma-separated values) format. If given a choice, select .ics as it preserves more event details.

4. Save the file to your computer.

Step 2: Open Google Calendar Settings

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

2. Click the Settings gear icon in the top-right corner.

Step 3: Navigate to Import & Export

3. In the left sidebar, click Import & export.

4. At the top of the page, you will see the Import section.

Step 4: Select your file

5. Click Select file from your computer.

6. Browse your computer’s file system and select the .ics or .csv file you exported in Step 1.

7. Click Open.

Step 5: Choose the destination calendar

8. A dialog appears asking: “Which calendar should these events be imported into?”

9. Click the dropdown and select the calendar where you want the events to appear:

   • My Calendar (your primary calendar)
   • Work Calendar (if you have one)
   • Any other custom calendar you have created

10. Click Import.

What happens after import:

• All events from the file are added to the calendar you selected.
• Each event appears on its specified date and time.
• If the .ics file contains reminders or recurring event patterns, those are generally preserved. CSV imports may lose some of these details.
• If duplicate events are imported by mistake, you will need to delete them manually.

Handling duplicates:

If you import the same file twice by mistake, Google Calendar will create duplicate events. Google Calendar does not automatically detect and skip duplicates. To fix this:

1. Find the duplicate events on your calendar.
2. Click each event and select Delete.
3. Confirm the deletion.

To avoid accidental duplicates, keep notes of which calendar files you have already imported.

Tips for successful import:

• Use .ics format when possible, especially if your events include recurring patterns, time zone information, or reminders.
• Test with a small file first to ensure the format is correct before importing a large number of events.
• Make sure the date format in your file matches what Google Calendar expects (for CSV files).
• If the import fails, check that the file is not corrupted and that all required columns are present (for CSV format).