Calendar how-tos
What Is an ICS File? How to Open One in Any Calendar
An .ics file is a plain text file that holds calendar events in the iCalendar format, a shared standard that Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar and almost every other calendar app can read. Open it and your calendar app offers to add the events.
Step by step
- On a computer, double-click the file: your default calendar app offers to add it.
- For Google Calendar, use Import & export.
- For Outlook, use Upload from file.
- On an iPhone, tap the file and then Add All.
Good to know
- Importing copies the events once. Subscribing to a link keeps following changes.
- An .ics file can hold one event or thousands of them.
- The format is plain text, so you can open one in a text editor to see what is in it.
- Want one to try? Each country in our public holidays list has a file.
Source
This guide follows the iCalendar standard, RFC 5545. Menus change now and then, so check there if a button has moved.
Plan around your calendar
Any iCal calendar can show in your week as read-only blocks. How to link one to Cutline.
Questions
Is an .ics file safe?
The format holds calendar data, not programs. But events can contain links, so treat a file from a stranger the way you would treat their email.
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Keep reading
Calendar how-tosExport Google CalendarExport every Google Calendar you own as .ics files, or just one, to back it up or move to another app.Calendar how-tosImport an .ics file to Google CalendarImport an .ics or .csv file into Google Calendar: where the button is, which calendar the events land in, and when subscribing is the better choice.Calendar how-tosPublish an Outlook calendarPublish an Outlook calendar and get an HTML link to view it in a browser, or an ICS link to subscribe to it in another calendar app.Calendar how-tosShare an iPhone calendar by linkMake an iCloud calendar public and send the link: anyone can read it without an Apple account, and nobody can edit it.