Adding events to your Google Calendar can help you stay organized and on top of your schedule. But manually entering events into your calendar can be time-consuming. Fortunately, there are several ways to automatically add events to your Google Calendar to save you time.
Use Google Calendar’s integration with Gmail
One of the easiest ways to automatically add events to your Google Calendar is to use the integration with Gmail. Google Calendar can scan your incoming Gmail messages for dates, times, and other event details and add any events it finds to your calendar.
To enable this integration:
- Open Google Calendar on the web.
- In the top right, click on the Settings gear icon.
- Select “Settings.”
- Scroll down to the “Events from Gmail” section.
- Check the box next to “Automatically add events from Gmail to my calendar.”
Once enabled, Google Calendar will scan new incoming email messages in Gmail and look for details related to events like dates, times, locations, and event titles. If details about an event are found, Calendar will automatically create a new event on the appropriate date and time.
For example, if you receive an email that says “Lunch meeting with Sarah at 1 PM on Tuesday at the cafe,” Google Calendar would automatically create a new “Lunch meeting with Sarah” event on your calendar for 1 PM on the upcoming Tuesday.
You can adjust the settings for automatic event creation from Gmail, like which types of emails trigger event creation and what event details are pulled into your calendar.
Import events from Facebook
If you use Facebook Events, you can easily import your Facebook events into your Google Calendar:
- On the computer, go to facebook.com and log into your account.
- Click on the Events tab.
- On the left sidebar, click on the Import button.
- Select Google Calendar and click Import.
This will open a new tab showing all your Facebook Events. Click the blue Import All button to add the events to your Google Calendar.
Going forward, any new Facebook Events you create or are invited to will automatically be added to your Google Calendar as well. You’ll get notifications as the event dates approach, helping you stay on top of your Facebook events without having to check both platforms.
Connect third-party calendars
If you use other calendar platforms beside Google Calendar, you can connect these third-party calendars to automatically import events into your Google Calendar.
Google Calendar supports two-way syncing with compatible calendars like Apple iCloud, Microsoft Outlook, and Yahoo. This allows you to see all your events in one place on Google Calendar, no matter which platform you originally set them up in.
To connect a third-party calendar:
- Open Google Calendar settings.
- Click Add Other Calendars.
- Select the type of calendar you want to connect.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to sign in to your other calendar account and enable the sync to Google Calendar.
Once connected, events will automatically be transferred between the two calendars. Adding an event on Google Calendar will add it to the connected third-party calendar, and vice versa.
Import events from CSV or ICS files
If you have events saved in a CSV or ICS file, you can import them into Google Calendar in just a few clicks.
CSV (comma separated values) files contain event data in a table format with columns for details like date, time, title, etc. ICS (iCalendar) files use a common calendar format to store event data.
Both file types can be easily imported to Google Calendar:
- In Google Calendar, click the Import button in the left sidebar.
- Select the CSV or ICS file you want to import.
- Review the list of events to be imported.
- Click Import to add the events to your Google Calendar.
This bulk import can save you a lot of time compared to manually adding each event individually.
Use Google Calendar’s email invite feature
Google Calendar allows you to create calendar invites right from Gmail without leaving your inbox.
When composing a new email, click the calendar icon in the bottom right of the compose window. This will open a new event details window where you can add the event name, date/time, guests, and other details.
Once you send the email, the event will be automatically added to all the guests’ Google Calendars (if they have enabled event creating from Gmail).
No more long email chains trying to coordinate schedules. With calendar invites, you can schedule events and get them added to attendees’ calendars right from your email.
Connect Google Calendar to other apps
Google Calendar integrates with many popular apps and services to help automatically create events.
For example, connecting Google Calendar to Uber allows you to automatically track your upcoming rides on your calendar. Connecting it to Spotify lets you easily see upcoming concerts and music events.
Some apps that work with Google Calendar include:
- Uber
- Spotify
- TripIt
- Doodle Polls
- Booking.com
- StubHub
- Meetup
Visit the Google Calendar integrations page to browse apps by category and find ones relevant to your needs. Connecting services related to your travel, entertainment, social, or other activities can help automatically populate your calendar with upcoming events.
Use Google Assistant voice commands
If you use Google Assistant, you can use voice commands to quickly add events to your Google Calendar on the fly:
- “Hey Google, add doctor’s appointment to my calendar for next Thursday at 2pm.”
- “Hey Google, schedule lunch with Alice next Wednesday at noon.”
- “Hey Google, create calendar event for haircut on Friday at 10am.”
Google Assistant will interpret your spoken instructions and automatically create a new calendar event with the appropriate details.
This lets you easily add events hands-free, like when you’re driving. It’s perfect for those times when you need to schedule something quickly on the go.
Use Google Calendar extensions for your browser
Google Chrome and other browsers offer extensions that integrate with Google Calendar to make event creation even faster.
Some popular Google Calendar extensions include:
- Schedule – Lets you instantly create events from any webpage with a click.
- Google Calendar Appointments – Adds a small Google Calendar sidebar for easy event creation.
- Google Calendar Button – Adds a calendar button to Chrome for one-click event creation.
These extensions put quick Google Calendar access right in your browser toolbar. Instead of having to open the full calendar, you can instantly create events as you browse the web.
Use Zapier to connect Google Calendar to apps
Zapier is an automation tool that can connect Google Calendar with over 3000 other apps and services.
For example, you could create a Zap to automatically log exercise events to your calendar every time you track a workout on your fitness app. Or have sales calls automatically added from your CRM.
Some popular Google Calendar integrations on Zapier include:
- Gmail – Create events from incoming emails.
- Outlook – Sync calendar events between Outlook and Google.
- Excel – Log events in Google Calendar when a spreadsheet is updated.
- WhatsApp – Create events based on messages in WhatsApp groups.
- Slack – Add events to your calendar from Slack conversations.
Check out the Zapier website or app to explore the full range of options. Automating your most frequent event creation tasks between apps and Google Calendar can save you dozens of hours.
Use IFTTT for automating calendar tasks
IFTTT is another popular automation platform that works with Google Calendar.
IFTTT lets you create “applets” that connect triggers from one app/service to actions in another. For Google Calendar, popular applets include:
- Create calendar events for new Twitter tweets you’re mentioned in.
- Add birthday events from your Facebook friends list.
- Log your Foursquare check-ins to your calendar.
- Add events when you save links to Pocket.
Browse the IFTTT applets directory to find existing ways of integrating Google Calendar into your favorite apps and services. Or create your own customized applets to fit your specific workflow.
Conclusion
Automatically adding events to your Google Calendar can save you tons of time and effort. The key options for automating event creation include:
- Using Gmail integration to add events from emails
- Importing events from Facebook, CSV, ICS
- Connecting third-party calendars
- Sending invite emails
- Integrating with other apps via Zapier or IFTTT
- Using Google Assistant voice commands
- Installing Google Calendar browser extensions
Take advantage of these timesaving features and you’ll spend a lot less time manually entering events. Your calendar will always be up to date with your latest plans and obligations without you lifting a finger. And you’ll never forget an important event again!