Import or subscribe to a calendar in Outlook.com

There are two ways to add a calendar in Outlook.com:

  • Import a static calendar that doesn't update automatically (known as an ICS file).

  • Subscribe to a calendar online and receive automatic updates (known as an ICS subscription or an iCal subscription).

What’s the difference?

Importing an ICS file provides a snapshot of the events in the calendar at the time of import. Your calendar doesn't refresh the imported events automatically—even if the calendar's owner makes an update.

Subscribing to an iCal online calendar connects it to your calendar. Whenever the owner of the iCal makes change, those changes automatically appear in your calendar—so it's always up to date.

Importing a calendar

Importing a calendar is a good way to add events to your calendar that aren't going to change, like holidays, tide tables, or phases of the moon. You can import them into an existing calendar, or create a new one.

You can import calendars from websites or calendar programs that support the ICS file format, such as Apple iCal, Google Calendar, and Mozilla Lightning. You can also search for ICS calendars by searching the Internet.

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To import a calendar

  1. Locate the calendar you want to add, and save it to a folder on your computer as an ICS file.

  2. In Outlook.com, go to your calendar.

  3. Click Import.

  4. Choose either Import into a new calendar or Import into an existing calendar.

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To Import into a new calendar

  1. Browse to and select the ICS file that you saved.

  2. Enter a name for the calendar and choose a color.

  3. If you like, select a charm that will appear in every day that new events occur.

  4. Choose either Use the reminders that are already in your ICS file or Use default reminders for all your imported events. If you choose the latter, Calendar will give you a chance to review and/or change your reminders.

  5. Click Import.

Note

Note

  • Event reminders can't be bulk-changed once you’ve imported them. You’ll have to change them one at a time.

To Import into an existing calendar

  1. Browse to and select the ICS file that you saved.

  2. Select which calendar you want to import into.

  3. Under Prevent duplicates, choose Only keep the new events, or Only keep the original events.

  4. Click Import into an existing calendar.

  5. In the Select which calendar list, select the calendar that you want to use.

  6. Under Prevent duplicates, choose either Only keep the new events or Only keep the original events.

  7. Choose either Use the reminders that are already in your ICS file or Use default reminders for all your imported events. If you choose the latter, Calendar will give you a chance to review and/or change your reminders.

  8. Click Import.

Note

Note

  • Event reminders can't be bulk-changed once you’ve imported them. You’ll have to change them one at a time.

Subscribing to a calendar

Subscribing to an iCal is a good way to track events that change frequently, like movie times, or a school calendar. Whenever the owner of an iCal you've subscribed to makes changes to the events, Outlook.com automatically updates your 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 search lists of iCals at iCalShare.

Note

Note

  • It can take more than 24 hours for a calendar to update.

To subscribe to an online calendar

  1. Locate the iCal that you want to subscribe to.

  2. Copy or make a note of the URL (web address) of the iCal.

    iCal URLs typically start with webcal://, webcals://, http://, or https://, and end with .ics.

  3. In Outlook.com, go to your calendar.

  4. Click Import.

  5. Click Subscribe.

  6. In the Calendar URL box, type or copy-and-paste the web address of the iCal.

  7. Enter a name for the calendar and choose a color.

  8. If you like, select a charm that will appear in every day that new events occur.

  9. Click Subscribe.

Note

Note

  • Microsoft isn't responsible for the accuracy or content of any third-party calendars. We recommend you review the terms and conditions before importing or subscribing to any third-party calendars.

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