Delete a calendar by swiping left on its name

Open the Calendar app and tap Calendars at the bottom of the screen. Find the calendar you want to remove in the list. Swipe left across its name with your finger, and a red Delete button appears. Tap it once to remove the calendar from your iPhone.

This works for calendars you created yourself, calendars shared with you by other people, and calendars you subscribed to from outside sources. The calendar disappears from your device when ready, though the original calendar (if it exists on iCloud or another service) stays intact on that service.

If you cannot swipe, your iPhone may be in edit mode. Tap Edit in the top left corner first, then swipe left on the calendar name.

Key Takeaways

  • Swipe left on a calendar name in the Calendars tab and tap Delete to remove it from your iPhone.
  • Deleting a calendar from your iPhone does not delete it from iCloud, Google Calendar, or other services where it actually lives.
  • You cannot delete the default local calendar on your iPhone, only calendars you added or subscribed to.
  • If you delete a shared calendar by mistake, the person who shared it can send you the link again.

What happens to events when you delete a calendar

All events on that calendar disappear from your iPhone when you delete it. If the calendar is synced to iCloud or another service, the events still exist there — they just stop showing on your phone. You can add the calendar back later and see all those events again.

If the calendar is local to your iPhone only (not synced anywhere), deleting it removes those events permanently from that device. Before you delete a local calendar, check whether you need to back up those events or move them to another calendar first.

Deleting a calendar is different from hiding it

If you want to keep a calendar but stop seeing it on your screen, you do not need to delete it. Instead, tap the circle next to the calendar name in the Calendars list. The circle turns empty, and the calendar hides from view. Tap it again to show the calendar again.

Hiding is useful when you have many calendars and want to focus on a few. Deleting is the right choice when you no longer need the calendar at all.

Removing calendars synced from iCloud or Google

When you delete a calendar that syncs with iCloud, it removes the calendar from your iPhone but leaves it on iCloud.com and your other Apple devices. If you want to delete it everywhere, go to iCloud.com on a computer or another device, find the calendar in Settings, and delete it there.

For Google Calendar, deleting it from your iPhone only removes it from that device. The calendar stays in your Google account. To delete a Google Calendar permanently, open Google Calendar on a computer, right-click the calendar name, and choose Delete.

Shared calendars work the same way. Deleting a shared calendar from your iPhone removes it from your view, but the person who owns it can still see it and share it with others.

Recovering a deleted calendar

If you deleted a calendar by mistake and it was synced to iCloud, you may be able to recover it. Check your other Apple devices — the calendar might still appear there. If it does, you can add it back to your iPhone by going to Settings, tapping your name, selecting iCloud, and turning the Calendars toggle back on.

For calendars synced from Google or another service, the calendar still exists in that service. You can re-add it to your iPhone by opening the Calendar app, tapping Calendars, scrolling to the bottom, and tapping Add Calendar. Then search for or log into the service where the calendar lives.

If the calendar was local to your iPhone only and you did not back it up, recovery is not possible. This is why hiding a calendar (rather than deleting it) is often the safer choice if you are unsure.

Why you cannot delete the default calendar

Your iPhone comes with a local calendar called Calendar (or sometimes Local Calendar). This is where events go when you create them without choosing a specific calendar. You cannot delete this default calendar because your iPhone needs somewhere to store local events.

If you do not want to use the local calendar, you can hide it by tapping the circle next to its name. Any events already on it stay there, but you will not see them unless you unhide the calendar later.

Deleting calendars on a shared or family device

If your iPhone is part of a Family Sharing group, other family members may have shared calendars with you. You can delete these from your view without affecting anyone else. The calendar stays in their account and on their devices.

If you are the owner of a calendar and want to remove it from a family member's device, you need to delete it from your own iPhone or iCloud account. That removes it from everyone's view.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does deleting a calendar from my iPhone delete it everywhere?

No. Deleting a calendar from your iPhone removes it only from that device. If the calendar syncs with iCloud, Google, or another service, it still exists there. To delete it everywhere, you must delete it from the service itself — usually on a computer or through the service's website.

Can I undo a calendar deletion?

If the calendar was synced to iCloud or another service, you can add it back to your iPhone. If it was local to your iPhone only, you cannot recover it unless you backed it up beforehand. Always check whether a calendar syncs before you delete it.

What if I delete a calendar someone shared with me?

Deleting a shared calendar removes it from your iPhone only. The person who shared it still has it, and they can send you the link again if you want to re-add it. Deleting does not affect their calendar or anyone else's view of it.

Why does a calendar I deleted keep showing up?

This usually means the calendar is synced to another device or service. Check your other Apple devices, iCloud.com, or Google Calendar to see if the calendar still exists there. If it does, delete it from that location to remove it completely.

Can I delete multiple calendars at once?

No. You must delete calendars one at a time by swiping left on each name and tapping Delete. There is no bulk delete option in the Calendar app.