How to Sync iCloud Calendar with Google Calendar (2026 Guide)

You add a parent-teacher meeting to the Calendar app on your iPhone. Later that day someone sends you a Google Calendar invite for the same hour, because your Google Calendar showed you as free. Apple and Google keep separate calendars and neither copies events to the other, so each only sees half your week.

This guide covers every way to connect iCloud Calendar and Google Calendar in 2026, what each method can and can't do, and how to set up sync that keeps both accurate.

Short answer: adding your Google account to your iPhone or Mac lets you see both calendars in Apple Calendar, but it doesn't copy events between them. A published iCloud calendar can be subscribed to in Google Calendar, but it's read-only, public to anyone with the link, and slow to update. For events that actually appear on both calendars, use a sync service such as AllMyMeetings, which copies events between iCloud and Google in one or both directions, with an option to share only Busy blocks.

Why iCloud and Google Calendar don't sync on their own

Apple keeps iCloud Calendar in its own system, which outside apps reach through a standard called CalDAV. Google keeps Google Calendar in its own system, reached through the Google Calendar API. Neither company copies events into the other's service.

Availability checks only read one side. When a coworker uses Google Calendar's "find a time", or a booking tool connected to Google looks for open slots, it reads your Google calendar and nothing else. An iCloud event only counts if a copy of it exists on the Google side.

Method comparison

Method 1: Add your Google account to Apple Calendar

Apple Calendar on iPhone, iPad and Mac can show Google calendars alongside iCloud ones.

On iPhone:

1. Open Settings, then Apps, then Calendar (on older iOS versions, Settings, then Calendar).
2. Tap Calendar Accounts, then Add Account, then Google.
3. Sign in with your Google account and turn on Calendars.

On a Mac, open System Settings, then Internet Accounts, add your Google account and turn on Calendars.

What it does well: one app shows everything, and you can create events on either calendar from your phone.

What it doesn't do: it shows two calendars side by side. Nothing is copied, so your Google availability still ignores iCloud events and people can still book over them. It also only helps on Apple devices where you've added the account, not in Google Calendar on the web or on a work laptop.

Method 2: Subscribe to a published iCloud calendar in Google Calendar

iCloud can publish a calendar as a public link. Google Calendar can subscribe to it and show the events as a read-only calendar.

Publish the iCloud calendar:

1. On iPhone, open Calendar, tap Calendars, then the info button next to the calendar you want.
2. Turn on Public Calendar and tap Share Link to copy it. On a Mac, right-click the calendar in Apple Calendar, choose Share Calendar and select Public Calendar.

Subscribe in Google Calendar:

1. Open Google Calendar in a browser and click + next to Other calendars.
2. Choose From URL and paste the link. If Google won't accept a link starting with webcal://, change it to https://.
3. Select Add calendar.

What it does well: it's free and needs no extra tool.

What it doesn't do: it's one-way and read-only, and Google refreshes calendars added by URL on its own schedule, so changes can take many hours to appear. The events also sit in a separate subscribed calendar, which most availability checks skip.

The privacy catch: a public iCloud calendar can be read by anyone who has the link. You can't restrict it to Google. Don't publish a calendar that holds anything private, and turn Public Calendar off when you're done with it.

Method 3: Subscribe to Google Calendar in Apple Calendar

The same idea in the other direction, for when you want Google events on your iPhone without adding the whole Google account.

Get the link from Google Calendar:

1. In Google Calendar, hover over the calendar, click the three dots and choose Settings and sharing.
2. Under Integrate calendar, copy the Secret address in iCal format. Treat it like a password: anyone with it can read the calendar.

Subscribe in Apple Calendar:

1. On a Mac, open Calendar and choose File, then New Calendar Subscription.
2. Paste the link, choose iCloud as the location so it appears on your other Apple devices, and set Auto-refresh as often as you need.
3. On iPhone, go to Calendar Accounts, Add Account, Other, then Add Subscribed Calendar.

The result is read-only. Google Workspace administrators can turn off the secret address, so it may be missing on a work account.

Method 4: Export and import an .ics file (one-time move)

If you're moving from iCloud to Google for good, a one-time export is enough.

1. On a Mac, open Calendar, select the iCloud calendar and choose File, then Export, then Export. This saves an .ics file.
2. In Google Calendar, open Settings, then Import & export.
3. Choose the file, pick the Google calendar to add the events to, and select Import.

This is a snapshot. Anything you add or change in iCloud afterwards stays in iCloud, so it isn't a way to keep two calendars in step.

Method 5: Sync iCloud and Google Calendar with AllMyMeetings

A sync service copies events between the two calendars as real events, so they count everywhere: in Google Calendar availability, in "find a time", and in booking tools connected to either calendar. AllMyMeetings connects to iCloud through CalDAV with an app-specific password, and to Google through OAuth, so it never sees your Google password.

Connect your iCloud account:

1. Make sure your Apple Account has two-factor authentication turned on.
2. Go to account.apple.com, open Sign-In and Security, then App-Specific Passwords, and create one named "AllMyMeetings".
3. In AllMyMeetings, open Calendar Accounts, choose iCloud, and enter your Apple Account email and the app-specific password.
4. Turn on the iCloud calendars you want to sync.

Connect Google:

1. In Calendar Accounts, choose Google and sign in.
2. Turn on the calendar you want to sync.

Create the sync:

1. Open Sync Pairs and choose Create Pair.
2. Pick your iCloud calendar and your Google calendar.
3. Choose a direction. One-way copies source events to the destination. Bidirectional copies both ways.
4. Choose a mode. Full Details copies titles, locations and notes. Free/Busy copies only a "Busy" block. Private blocks the time and marks the copy private.
5. Select Create Sync Pair. The first sync starts right away.

What to expect: Apple doesn't send change notifications to outside apps, so AllMyMeetings checks iCloud every five minutes. Google notifies AllMyMeetings when something changes, so Google-side edits usually arrive within seconds. Attendees are never copied, so copies never send invitations. Each copy carries a hidden marker naming its source event, so a copy is never mistaken for a new event and copied back. If you delete a synced copy, it stays deleted. By default AllMyMeetings syncs events from 30 days back to 180 days ahead.

The free plan includes one one-way sync in Free/Busy mode, which covers the most common need: personal iCloud events blocking time on a Google calendar. Two-way sync, Full Details and Private modes are on Pro ($5 a month or $50 a year).

About the app-specific password: it signs in to iCloud Mail, Contacts and Calendars, not only your calendar, so keep it somewhere safe. You can revoke it at any time at account.apple.com, and disconnecting the account in AllMyMeetings removes the copies it created and deletes its stored data.

Troubleshooting iCloud and Google Calendar sync

iCloud stopped syncing after you changed your Apple Account password. Changing your Apple password revokes every app-specific password. Create a new one and reconnect the iCloud account. AllMyMeetings emails you when an account keeps failing.

AllMyMeetings won't accept your iCloud sign-in. Use an app-specific password, not your normal Apple Account password, and the email address of your Apple Account. Passwords are case-sensitive and the dashes are part of them.

A subscribed calendar in Google shows old events. That's Google's refresh schedule for calendars added by URL. It can be many hours before Google checks the link again.

Google won't add the iCloud link. Check that Public Calendar is still on, and try changing webcal:// to https:// at the start of the link.

Events appear twice. You probably have two paths for the same calendar, for example a subscription plus a sync service, or Google added to your iPhone and also synced into iCloud. Keep one.

Times are an hour off. Check that the time zone matches in Apple Calendar and in Google Calendar settings. Subscribed calendars are the most likely to show this.

Which method should you choose?

• You only want to see both calendars on your iPhone or Mac. Add your Google account to Apple Calendar (Method 1).
• You want iCloud events visible in Google and can live with a delay of hours. Subscribe to a published iCloud calendar (Method 2), as long as nothing on it is private.
• You're leaving iCloud for Google. Export and import once (Method 4).
• You need people booking through Google to see you as busy. Use a sync service (Method 5). Free/Busy mode keeps your personal event details private.
• You edit events in both calendars. Use two-way sync on Pro (Method 5).

If you also use Outlook, see our guides to syncing iCloud with Outlook and syncing Google Calendar with Outlook.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sync iCloud Calendar with Google Calendar directly?

Not in both directions. Apple and Google don't offer a built-in sync between their calendars. You can view both in Apple Calendar by adding your Google account, or subscribe to a published calendar as a read-only copy. To copy events as real events, in one or both directions, you need a sync service.

Does adding my Google account to my iPhone sync the calendars?

No. It shows your Google calendars next to your iCloud calendars in the Calendar app, but nothing is copied between them. Anyone checking your Google Calendar availability still won't see your iCloud events.

How often does a subscribed iCloud calendar update in Google Calendar?

Google refreshes calendars added by URL on its own schedule, and changes can take many hours to appear. There's no button to force a refresh, so a subscription is a poor fit for a calendar that changes often.

Is it safe to make my iCloud calendar public?

A public iCloud calendar can be read by anyone who has the link, and you can't limit it to Google. Only publish a calendar that contains nothing private, and turn Public Calendar off when you no longer need it.

What can an app-specific password access?

An app-specific password signs in to iCloud Mail, Contacts and Calendars, not just your calendar. You can revoke it at any time at account.apple.com, and changing your Apple Account password revokes all of them.

How often does AllMyMeetings check iCloud?

Every five minutes. Apple doesn't send change notifications to outside apps, so iCloud has to be checked on a schedule. Google notifies AllMyMeetings when something changes, so changes on the Google side usually arrive within seconds.

Can I sync iCloud and Google Calendar for free?

The AllMyMeetings free plan includes one one-way sync in Free/Busy mode, for example iCloud events showing as Busy blocks on Google Calendar. Two-way sync and Full Details mode need the Pro plan at $5 a month.

Start with AllMyMeetings for free and have your iCloud events block time on Google Calendar within minutes.

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