You can view your Apple Calendar events in Google Calendar, but the method depends on whether you want a one-time copy or live updates
Apple Calendar and Google Calendar do not sync automatically. If you use both, you have two main paths: export your Apple Calendar events as a file and import them into Google Calendar (a one-time action), or subscribe to your Apple Calendar in Google Calendar (which shows updates as they happen, though with a delay of a few minutes to a few hours). The subscription method works only if your Apple Calendar is shared publicly or with specific people — private calendars cannot be subscribed to from outside Apple's ecosystem.
Which method you choose depends on what you need. If you want to move events from Apple Calendar to Google Calendar once and never sync again, export and import is faster. If you want your Apple Calendar to stay visible in Google Calendar going forward, subscription is better — but it requires making your Apple Calendar accessible outside of Apple's system, which has privacy implications you should understand before you start.
Key Takeaways
- Exporting from Apple Calendar and importing into Google Calendar is a one-time action that copies all events at once but does not update automatically.
- Subscribing to an Apple Calendar in Google Calendar shows live updates but requires your Apple Calendar to be shared publicly or with specific people.
- Private Apple Calendars cannot be subscribed to in Google Calendar — you must use the export-and-import method instead.
- The export file from Apple Calendar is a .ics file, which Google Calendar reads natively without any conversion.
- If you subscribe to an Apple Calendar in Google Calendar, changes you make in Apple Calendar appear in Google Calendar within a few minutes to a few hours.
Export your Apple Calendar and import it into Google Calendar
This method copies all events from a specific Apple Calendar into Google Calendar as a single batch. It is the fastest way to move events if you do not need ongoing synchronization, and it works with private calendars.
On a Mac, open the Calendar app. Right-click or Control-click the calendar name in the left sidebar — not an individual event, but the calendar itself. Select Export. Choose a location to save the file (your Desktop is easiest to find later) and click Save. The file will be named something like "Calendar.ics".
On an iPhone or iPad, you cannot export directly from the Calendar app. Instead, open Settings, scroll to Calendar, tap Default Calendar, and note which calendar you want to export. Then use a Mac or a web browser to access iCloud.com, sign in with your Apple ID, open Calendar, right-click the calendar name, and select Export. Save the .ics file to your computer.
Once you have the .ics file, open Google Calendar in a web browser (calendar.google.com). On the left sidebar, find the section labeled "Other calendars" and click the plus sign next to it. Select Import and Subscribe. Click Select file from your computer, navigate to your .ics file, and open it. Google Calendar will show you a preview of the events and ask which calendar to import them into — choose an existing calendar or create a new one. Click Import. All events will appear in Google Calendar within a few seconds.
Subscribe to your Apple Calendar in Google Calendar for live updates
Subscribing shows your Apple Calendar events in Google Calendar and updates them automatically when you make changes in Apple Calendar. This method requires your Apple Calendar to be shared publicly or with specific people, which means anyone with the calendar link can view it.
First, make your Apple Calendar shareable. On a Mac, open Calendar, right-click the calendar name, and select Get Share Link. A dialog will appear with a link and options for who can view it. Choose Public Calendar if you want anyone with the link to see it, or Invited People if you want to share it only with specific email addresses. Copy the link that appears.
On an iPhone or iPad, open Settings, scroll to Calendar, tap the calendar name, and toggle on Share This Calendar. Tap Shared With to choose whether it is public or shared with specific people. Copy the shared link from the dialog that appears.
Now open Google Calendar in a web browser. On the left sidebar, find "Other calendars" and click the plus sign. Select Subscribe to calendar. Paste the Apple Calendar link into the field that appears and click Subscribe. Google Calendar will add your Apple Calendar to the sidebar. Events will appear within a few minutes, and updates will sync automatically — though there may be a delay of several minutes to a few hours before changes show up.
Understand what happens to events after you import or subscribe
When you import an Apple Calendar into Google Calendar, the events become part of Google Calendar. Changes you make to those events in Google Calendar do not affect the original Apple Calendar, and changes you make in Apple Calendar do not appear in Google Calendar. If you want to keep both calendars in sync after importing, you will need to make changes in both places, or switch to using only Google Calendar going forward.
When you subscribe to an Apple Calendar in Google Calendar, the events remain linked to the original calendar. Changes you make in Apple Calendar appear in Google Calendar automatically. However, you cannot edit events directly in Google Calendar — if you try to edit a subscribed event, Google Calendar will open it in read-only mode. To change an event, you must edit it in Apple Calendar, and the change will sync to Google Calendar.
If you delete a subscribed Apple Calendar from Google Calendar's sidebar, you are only removing it from your view — the calendar itself is not deleted, and you can re-subscribe to it later using the same link.
Troubleshoot if your Apple Calendar does not appear
If you exported and imported a calendar but the events do not show up, check that you imported the file into the correct calendar. Open Google Calendar, click on the calendar name in the left sidebar, and select Settings. Scroll down to see all events in that calendar — if the imported events are there but not visible on the main view, the calendar may be hidden. Click the three-dot menu next to the calendar name and select Show.
If you subscribed to an Apple Calendar but it is not updating, the calendar may have been made private after you subscribed. Ask the calendar owner to check their sharing settings and confirm the calendar is still set to public or shared with you. If the sharing settings are correct, try unsubscribing and re-subscribing using the same link.
If the import or subscription fails with an error message, the .ics file may be corrupted or the link may be invalid. Try exporting the calendar again from Apple Calendar, or ask the calendar owner to generate a new share link.
Keep both calendars separate or merge them into one
After you import or subscribe, you can keep your Apple Calendar and Google Calendar as separate tools — some people use Apple Calendar on their phone and Google Calendar on their computer, for example. Both will show the same events, and you can choose which one to edit depending on where you are.
Alternatively, you can stop using Apple Calendar and move entirely to Google Calendar. If you have already imported all your events, you can delete them from Apple Calendar to avoid confusion. If you are subscribing, you can keep Apple Calendar as a backup but make all new events in Google Calendar instead.
A third option is to use a third-party tool like Zapier or IFTTT to sync events between the two calendars automatically, though these services usually charge a fee and add complexity. For most people, importing once or subscribing is sufficient.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sync changes from Google Calendar back to Apple Calendar?
No. The import method is one-way only — changes in Google Calendar do not go back to Apple Calendar. The subscription method is also one-way: you can edit events in Apple Calendar and see the changes in Google Calendar, but not the reverse. If you need two-way sync, you will need to use a third-party service or choose one calendar as your primary tool.
What if I share my Apple Calendar with someone else — can they see it in Google Calendar?
Only if you give them the public or shared link and they subscribe to it in Google Calendar themselves. Sharing an Apple Calendar with someone in Apple's system does not automatically make it visible in their Google Calendar. They must follow the subscription steps above using the link you provide.
Will importing delete my events from Apple Calendar?
No. Importing copies events from Apple Calendar to Google Calendar but leaves the originals in Apple Calendar. You can delete them from Apple Calendar manually if you want, but the import process does not do it automatically.
How often does a subscribed Apple Calendar update in Google Calendar?
Google Calendar checks for updates to subscribed calendars every few minutes to a few hours. There is no way to force an when ready refresh, but changes usually appear within 15 minutes. If you need real-time updates, the import method with manual re-imports is not practical — you would need to export and import again each time.
Can I import multiple Apple Calendars into Google Calendar at once?
You must import each Apple Calendar separately. Export each one as its own .ics file, then import each file into Google Calendar one at a time. If you have many calendars, this takes longer, but it allows you to organize them however you want in Google Calendar.