You can view your Google Calendar events inside Apple Calendar on Mac, iPhone, and iPad

Apple Calendar can display Google Calendar events alongside your other calendars. The process is straightforward: you add your Google account to your Apple device's settings, then turn on calendar syncing. Once you do this, any events you create in Google Calendar appear in Apple Calendar within minutes, and changes sync both ways.

The exact steps depend on which Apple device you're using, but the underlying method is the same across all of them. You're not importing a file or copying events one by one — you're connecting the two services so they stay in sync automatically.

Key Takeaways

  • On Mac, iPhone, and iPad, you add your Google account through Settings, then toggle Calendar on to sync events automatically.
  • Apple Calendar will show all Google Calendar events, and changes you make in either app update in both places within minutes.
  • You may need to use an app-specific password instead of your regular Google password if you have two-factor authentication turned on.
  • If events don't appear after setup, check that Calendar is toggled on in your account settings and that your Google account is actually connected.

Adding Google Calendar on iPhone or iPad

Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad. Scroll down and tap Mail, then tap Accounts. At the bottom, tap Add Account and select Google.

Enter your full Google email address and tap Next. You'll be taken to Google's login page. Enter your password. If you have two-factor authentication enabled on your Google account, Google will ask you to verify your identity — you might get a prompt on another device, or Google might send you a code to enter.

After you log in, Apple will ask which services to sync. You'll see toggles for Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Notes. Make sure Calendar is turned on (the toggle should be green). Tap Save in the top right. Your Google Calendar events should appear in Apple Calendar within a few minutes.

Adding Google Calendar on Mac

Click the Apple menu in the top left corner and select System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions). Click Mail in the sidebar, then click Accounts. At the bottom left, click the plus sign to add a new account.

Select Google from the account type list. Enter your Google email address and click Continue. You'll be taken to Google's login page. Enter your password and complete any two-factor authentication steps Google asks for.

On the next screen, you'll see checkboxes for Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Notes. Make sure Calendar is checked. Click Save. Your Google Calendar will sync to Apple Calendar within a few minutes.

What to do if you have two-factor authentication enabled

If your Google account uses two-factor authentication (which is a good security practice), you cannot use your regular Google password when adding the account to Apple Calendar. Instead, you need to create an app-specific password — a separate, temporary password that works only with Apple Calendar.

Go to myaccount.google.com in a web browser and sign in. Click Security in the left sidebar. Scroll down to App passwords (you may need to scroll past a section called "Your devices"). Select Mail and Mac (or iPhone, depending on your device). Google will generate a 16-character password. Copy this password and use it instead of your regular password when adding your Google account to Apple Calendar.

Checking that Calendar is actually syncing

After you add your Google account, open Apple Calendar. Look at the left sidebar — you should see a new calendar listed under your Google account name. If you don't see it, go back to Settings (or System Settings on Mac) and check that Calendar is toggled on for your Google account.

Create a test event in Google Calendar on the web or in the Google Calendar app. Wait a few minutes, then refresh Apple Calendar (on Mac, press Command+R; on iPhone or iPad, close and reopen the app). The event should appear. If it doesn't, try signing out of your Google account in Apple's settings and signing back in.

Events you create in Apple Calendar will also appear in Google Calendar

Once your Google Calendar is synced to Apple Calendar, you can create events in either app and they'll show up in both places. If you create an event in Apple Calendar and assign it to your Google Calendar, it will appear in Google Calendar within minutes. The same works in reverse — events created in Google Calendar appear in Apple Calendar automatically.

Be careful about which calendar you're adding the event to. If you have multiple calendars in Apple Calendar, make sure you're adding the event to your Google Calendar specifically, not to a local Apple Calendar. You can see which calendar an event belongs to by tapping or clicking the event and looking at the calendar name.

Removing your Google Calendar from Apple Calendar

If you want to stop syncing your Google Calendar, go to Settings (or System Settings on Mac), find your Google account in the Accounts section, and toggle Calendar off. This removes the calendar from Apple Calendar but does not delete any events from Google Calendar itself.

If you want to remove the Google account entirely, go to the same Accounts section, select your Google account, and look for a delete or remove option. On iPhone and iPad, swipe left on the account name and tap Delete. On Mac, click the minus sign at the bottom left.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why aren't my Google Calendar events showing up in Apple Calendar?

First, check that Calendar is toggled on for your Google account in Settings. Second, make sure you're looking at the right calendar in Apple Calendar — your Google Calendar should be listed separately in the sidebar. If it's still not working, try removing the account and adding it again. Make sure you're using an app-specific password if you have two-factor authentication enabled.

Can I edit Google Calendar events from Apple Calendar?

Yes. Any changes you make to an event in Apple Calendar will sync back to Google Calendar within a few minutes. This includes changing the time, title, location, or description. If you delete an event in Apple Calendar, it will also be deleted from Google Calendar.

Do I need to keep Google Calendar open for the sync to work?

No. Once you've added your Google account to Apple Calendar, the sync happens automatically in the background. You don't need to have Google Calendar open or even installed on your device. Apple Calendar will check for updates periodically throughout the day.

What happens if I create the same event in both Google Calendar and Apple Calendar by mistake?

You'll end up with two separate events. Apple Calendar won't automatically merge them. You'll need to delete one of them manually. To avoid this, create all events in whichever app you use most often, and let the sync handle the rest.

Can I sync multiple Google Calendars to Apple Calendar?

Yes. When you add your Google account to Apple Calendar, all calendars associated with that Google account will sync automatically. If you have multiple Google accounts, you can add each one separately to Apple Calendar, and all their calendars will appear in the sidebar.