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How do I import or subscribe to a calendar?

Windows Live ID Help & How-to

There are two ways to add a calendar in Windows Live Hotmail:

Import a static calendar that doesn't update automatically (known as an ICS file).
Subscribe to a calendar online and receive automatic updates.

For more information about how importing and subscribing to a calendar are different, see What's the difference between importing and subscribing to a calendar?

Note

Calendars that you import from ICS files aren't updated after you've imported them, so even if the calendar owner makes changes, you won't see them in your calendar unless you import a new version of the ICS file. If the ICS file is published online, you can subscribe to it and get updates automatically.

Importing calendars

Importing a calendar is a good way to add events that aren't going to change, like holidays, tide tables, or lunar cycles, to your calendar. You can import calendars from websites or calendar programs that support the ICS file format, such as Apple iCal, Google Calendar, Mozilla Sunbird, and Mozilla Lightning. You can also locate calendars that use ICS files by searching the Internet.

To import a calendar

Locate the calendar you want to add, and save it to a folder on your computer as an ICS file.
Go to your calendar You might need to sign in with your Windows Live ID.
On the toolbar, click Subscribe.
Select Import from an ICS file, and then click Browse.
Browse to and select the ICS file that you saved.
Click Open, and then do one of the following:
Import the ICS file into a new calendar
1. Click Import into a new calendar.
2. In the Calendar name box, type a name for the calendar.
3. Next to Color, select a color for the calendar.
4. In the Charm list, click the icon you want to associate with events for this calendar.
  
  Note
  
  You don't have to select a charm. If you do, that charm appears on each day in your calendar when an event for the calendar you've imported occurs.
Import the ICS file into an existing calendar
1. Click Import into an existing calendar.
2. In the Select which calendar list, select the calendar that you want to use.
3. Next to Prevent duplicates, click one of the following:
  - Only keep the new events: Events previously imported from the same calendar will be replaced with newer versions of the same events.
  - Only keep the original events: Events previously imported from the same calendar are kept, and only new events will be imported.
Click Import calendar, and then click Done.

Subscribing to calendars

If the owner of a calendar has published the ICS file online, you can subscribe to the online calendar, known as an iCal. Whenever the owner of an iCal that you're subscribed to makes changes to it, those changes automatically appear in your calendar too, so that it's always up to date.

Subscribing to an online calendar is a good way to track events that change frequently, like a list of movie times, or a school calendar. Websites for theatres, sports teams, and schools often have an Add to Calendar link that you can use to download an iCal. You can also find lists of iCals at iCalShare or CalendarData.com.

To subscribe to a calendar online

Locate the iCal that you want to subscribe to.

Note

You'll need to copy or make a note of the web address of the iCal. iCal web addresses typically start with webcal:// or http://, and end with .ics. You can also use Calendar to subscribe to iCals whose web addresses begin with https:// or webcals://.
Go to your calendar. You might need to sign in with your Windows Live ID.
On the toolbar, click Subscribe.
Select Subscribe to a public calendar, and then, in the Calendar URL box, type or paste the web address of the iCal that you want to subscribe to.
In the Calendar name box, type a name for the calendar.
Next to Color, select a color for the calendar.
In the Charm list, click the icon you want to associate with events for this calendar.

Note

You don't have to select a charm. If you do, that charm appears on each day in your calendar when an event for the calendar you've subscribed to occurs.
Click Subscribe to calendar, and then click Done.

Note

Microsoft is not responsible for the accuracy or content of any third-party calendars. You should review the terms and conditions before importing or subscribing to any third-party calendars.

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How do I import or subscribe to a calendar?

Note

Importing calendars

To import a calendar

Import the ICS file into a new calendar

Note

Import the ICS file into an existing calendar

Subscribing to calendars

To subscribe to a calendar online

Note

Note

Note

Other resources