Estimated Time to Fix: 15 minutes

Summary

If you use Outlook for work and Google Calendar for your personal life, switching back and forth is a recipe for double-booking yourself. Fortunately, you can subscribe to your Google Calendar inside Outlook, allowing you to view your entire schedule overlaid in a single window.

Before You Start

• You must have access to both your Google account and your Microsoft 365 account via a web browser.

Instructions

1. Get the secret link from Google Calendar

First, you need to generate a private link that allows Outlook to "read" your Google Calendar.

1. Open a web browser and go to calendar.google.com. Log in with your Google account.
2. Click the Settings gear icon in the top right corner, then click Settings.
3. On the left navigation pane, look under the "Settings for my calendars" section and click the name of the calendar you want to share (usually your name).
4. Scroll down the main page until you find the Integrate calendar section.
5. Look for the field labeled Secret address in iCal format. (Warning: Do not use the Public address unless your calendar is intentionally public).
6. Click the Copy icon next to that link.

2. Add the link to Outlook

Now you need to paste that link into Microsoft 365. It is easiest to do this on the web version of Outlook.

1. Open a new browser tab and go to outlook.office.com. Log in with your Microsoft 365 work account.
2. Click the Calendar icon on the far left navigation bar.
3. In the left pane, click Add calendar.
4. In the menu that pops up, select Subscribe from web.
5. Paste the secret Google Calendar link you copied earlier into the URL box.
6. Give the calendar a name (e.g., "Personal Google Calendar") and assign it a color.
7. Click Import.

3. View the combined calendar

Your Google Calendar is now attached to your Microsoft account.

1. If you use the Outlook desktop app, close it and reopen it to force a sync.
2. Go to the Calendar tab in Outlook.
3. Look in the left pane under "Other Calendars". Check the box next to your newly imported Google Calendar.
4. The events will appear side-by-side. To merge them into a single view, click the small left-pointing arrow on the tab of the Google Calendar to overlay it on top of your work calendar.

Troubleshooting

WARNING

The sync from Google to Outlook is a one-way, read-only subscription. You cannot create, edit, or delete Google events from within Outlook. You also cannot sync your Outlook calendar into Google using this exact method (you would have to repeat the steps in reverse).

Symptom / Error	Potential Cause	Solution
New events aren't showing up right away	Normal sync delay	Microsoft only pulls updates from Google every 3-4 hours. Do not panic if an event you added to your phone moments ago doesn't appear in Outlook instantly.
I'm getting an error when pasting the link into Outlook	Used the HTML link	Go back to Google and ensure you copied the link labeled "Secret address in iCal format", which ends in .ics. The HTML link will not work.

Related Articles

• Understanding Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace for a One-Person Business

• How to Set Up a "Working Location" in Google Calendar

• How to Set Up Google Calendar Appointment Slots

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