Import events to Google Calendar

You can transfer your events from a different calendar application or Google Account to Google Calendar.

When you import an event, guests and conference data for that event are not imported.

Step 1: Export events

First, export your events as a file that you can import into Google. Choose one of these options:

Export from another calendar application

Most calendar applications, like Outlook Calendar or Apple Calendar, let you export your events.

  1. Open the calendar application where your events are currently stored. It's often easier to do this from a computer than a phone or tablet.
  2. Look for an option to Export.
  3. If you're given the option to choose from different file formats, choose CSV. If you're using an Apple device, choose vCard.

For more help, look in your calendar application's help center or try using the words export calendar in your search.

Your file will be saved on your computer where your downloads are usually saved, or the place you chose while saving. Now you can move on to the next section to import your calendar.

Export from a different Google Account
If you have more than one Google Account, you can export your calendars from one account and import them into another.
  1. On a computer, sign in to the Google Account that you want to export from. You can only export from a computer, not a phone or tablet.
  2. Follow the directions for exporting your calendar. You'll need to download an .ics file to your computer.
  3. Sign in to the Google Account where you want to import.
  4. To learn how to import, continue to the next step.
Tip: Imported events won't stay in sync between your two accounts. If you want your calendars to sync, you should share your calendar with the other account instead of exporting your events.

Step 2: Import events into Google Calendar

After you've exported your events, you can import them into Google Calendar. You can import ICS and CSV files on a computer. 

  1. Open Google Calendar.
  2. At the top right, click Settings Settings and then Settings.
  3. At the left, click Import & Export.
  4. Click Select file from your computer and select the file you exported. The file should end in ".ics" or ".csv."
  5.  Choose which calendar to add the imported events to. By default, events will be imported into your primary calendar.
  6. Click Import.

If you have a .zip file, find it on your computer and open it. You'll find .ics files for each of your calendars. Take the individual files out of the .zip file, and import each .ics file individually.

Repeating events might not show up that way if you import them from a .csv file, but they'll be on your calendar as a series of one-time events.

Advanced: Create or edit .csv or iCal files before you import

Create or edit a .csv file

You can import .csv (comma separated values) files into Google Calendar. If you get an error when you import a .csv file, you might be able to fix the formatting.

  1. Open an existing CSV file or create a new one using a spreadsheet editor like Google Sheets.
  2. The first row of your spreadsheet will include headers like Subject and Start Date. The headers must be in English. See the list below for the correct headers.
  3. Each row below the header row represents an event. For example:
    Subject Start date Start time
    Final exam 05/30/2020 10:00 AM
  4. When you're done, save the file as a .csv file. You can then import the file into Google Calendar using the directions above.

Format headers and events in .csv files

Only the first 2 headers in this list are required, the rest are optional.

Important: The headers must be in English as shown below. If any event details have commas (like the location example given), you can include them by using quotation marks around the text.

  • Subject
    The name of the event, required.
    Example: Final exam
  • Start Date
    The first day of the event, required.
    Example: 05/30/2020
  • Start Time
    The time the event begins.
    Example: 10:00 AM
  • End Date
    The last day of the event.
    Example: 05/30/2020
  • End Time
    The time the event ends.
    Example: 1:00 PM
  • All Day Event
    Whether the event is an all-day event. Enter True if it's an all-day event, and False if it isn't.
    Example: False
  • Description
    Description or notes about the event.
    Example: 50 multiple choice questions and two essay questions 
  • Location
    The location for the event.
    Example: "Columbia, Schermerhorn 614"
  • Private
    Whether the event should be marked private. Enter True if the event is private, and False if it isn't.
    Example: True

The examples above would create the event "Final exam" on May 30, 2020 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. The location would be "Columbia, Schermerhorn 614," the description would be "50 multiple choice questions and two essay questions," and it would be a private event.

Create or edit an iCalendar file

iCalendar files are a standard calendar format used to transfer calendar data. If you get an error when you import an iCalendar file (.ics), you might be able to fix the formatting.
  1. Open an .ics file or create a new one. You'll need to use a text editing application that can save .ics files.
  2. Format your file according to the guidelines below. You can export an .ics file from Google Calendar to use as an example.
  3. When you're done, save the file as an .ics file.

Format iCalendar files

The first line in an iCalendar file must always be the header BEGIN:VCALENDAR. This must be followed by other header information, including VERSION:2.0 and "PRODID:<[enter ID information here]>". The last line of the file must be the footer END:VCALENDAR. Between these lines is where all the events in the calendar are entered. Each event must be between BEGIN:VEVENT and END:VEVENT lines.

If you need to manually edit an iCalendar file, make sure that each file contains the header and footer. If you're not sure where your header ends, just copy and paste the text until one line above BEGIN:VEVENT, which is where your header ends and your event data starts.

Here's what an iCalendar file looks like. An iCalendar file can also have more information, but these are the required parts.

BEGIN:VCALENDAR

VERSION:2.0

PRODID:< [enter ID information here] >

(other header information goes here)

BEGIN:VEVENT

(event details)

END:VEVENT

BEGIN:VEVENT

(event details)

END:VEVENT

END:VCALENDAR

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