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Syncing your Outlook calendar: how to keep all your appointments aligned

Syncing your Outlook calendar: how to keep all your appointments aligned

Coach managing her calendar on her iPhone

Want to sync your Outlook calendar with Google Calendar, your iPhone or a second Outlook account? You can do this in three ways: you import a copy, you subscribe to a link, or you connect the whole account. Only the last option truly works in both directions. In this article you'll read, for each situation, which method fits, which steps to take, and what to do if appointments still don't show up. We write it from the practice of coaches: anyone who schedules sessions with clients can't afford double bookings or vanished appointments.

Exantur
Keep coaching sessions in sync
Exantur syncs calendars in both directions with Google Calendar and Outlook, so appointments align with your coaching practice.

In short

  • Importing makes a standalone copy. Later changes won't carry over.
  • Subscribing via a link (an ICS or iCal address) keeps a calendar visible and is updated now and then, but you can only view it.
  • Connecting an account (for example Outlook.com or Exchange on your iPhone) lets you view and edit appointments.
  • Calendar not syncing? First check that your account isn't set up as POP or IMAP. Those types of accounts only fetch email.
  • Do you schedule coaching sessions in separate software? Then choose a connection that works in both directions, so your availability is correct everywhere.

Table of contents

Three ways to connect calendars

Many calendar problems arise because people think they're syncing, when in fact they only have a copy or a readable link. It helps to keep the three methods clearly apart.

Importing. You put appointments from a file into another calendar. Microsoft explains that this is how you make a snapshot of your Google Calendar in Outlook. Whatever you change afterwards in Google Calendar won't show up in Outlook, unless you import again or subscribe.

Subscribing via a link. One calendar publishes an address (an ICS link, also called an iCal link). The other calendar fetches the latest version through that address each time. Google describes how such an iCal address is meant for viewing a calendar in another app. You do the editing in the original calendar.

Connecting an account. You add the whole account to an app, for example your Outlook.com account to the Calendar app on your iPhone. Depending on the app, you can then also edit appointments. This is the only method that truly works in both directions.

There's a fourth concept to add: sharing. Sharing gives another person access to your calendar. That's different from a link that shows your calendar in another app.

Method What happens Editing possible Stays current
Importing You make a standalone copy Yes, but only in the copy No
Subscribing via ICS link The other calendar reads your calendar No, view only Yes, with a delay
Connecting an account The app talks directly to your account Yes, if the app supports it Yes
Sharing with a person Someone else gets access Depends on the permissions you grant Yes

Making your Outlook calendar visible in Google Calendar

Do you work in Outlook, but mostly check Google Calendar on your phone? Then you publish your Outlook calendar as a link and subscribe Google Calendar to it. Microsoft confirms that sharing with Gmail produces an ICS link, and that the receiving calendar determines how often that link is updated.

Here's how to do it:

  1. Open Outlook on the web and go to Calendar.
  2. Open Settings (the gear) and choose Calendar > Shared calendars.
  3. Under Publish a calendar, choose the calendar you want to show.
  4. Choose how much detail is visible. For a work calendar with client appointments, "availability only" is often the safest choice.
  5. Click Publish and copy the ICS link. Don't use the HTML link: that one is for the browser, not for another calendar.
  6. Open Google Calendar on a computer. Next to Other calendars on the left, click the plus sign and choose From URL.
  7. Paste the ICS link and click Add calendar.

The Outlook calendar now appears as an extra calendar in your Google Calendar. You can give it its own color, so you can immediately see which appointments come from Outlook.

Note: anyone who has the ICS link can view it. So treat the link like a password. Don't share it in an email or chat, and republish the calendar if the link ever ends up with the wrong person.

Viewing your Google Calendar in Outlook

If you want to do it the other way around, you start in Google Calendar. Google calls this the secret address in iCal format.

  1. Open Google Calendar on a computer and go to Settings.
  2. Under Settings for my calendars, choose the calendar you want to show.
  3. Go to Integrate calendar and copy the secret address in iCal format.
  4. In Outlook, go to your calendar and choose Add calendar. Then choose the option to subscribe from the web and paste the link.
  5. Give the calendar a recognizable name and save.

Here too: you're viewing, but you can't edit anything. To move an appointment, you do it in Google Calendar itself.

Do you work in an organization with Google Workspace and Google's own connection between Outlook and Google? Then you may sometimes see differences. Google describes exceptions with appointments between Outlook and Google, for example with recurring appointments, forwarded invitations and time zones. So double-check such appointments.

Outlook calendar on your iPhone

On an iPhone you almost always choose to connect your account. That way you can also create and change appointments on your phone.

For a personal Outlook.com account, Microsoft describes these steps to connect Outlook and your iPhone calendar:

  1. Open Settings > Apps > Calendar > Calendar Accounts.
  2. Choose Add Account and then Outlook.com.
  3. Sign in and turn on Calendar.
  4. Open the Calendar app and check that your Outlook calendar is there.

For a work account via Microsoft Exchange (often the case if you use Outlook through an employer or a Microsoft 365 subscription), Apple describes setting up Exchange on your iPhone: go to Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts > Add Account > Microsoft Exchange, sign in and turn on Calendars.

Do you prefer to use the Outlook app itself on your iPhone? Then your calendar is automatically there once you're signed in. If you also want to see those appointments in Apple's Calendar app, choose one of the two methods above.

Merging multiple calendars or placing them side by side

Many coaches have more than one calendar: a personal one, one for the practice, and sometimes one from a client. Microsoft makes an important distinction here between merging and showing side by side.

  • Merging means you export appointments from one calendar and import them into the other. Afterwards you have one calendar, but the copy is no longer updated.
  • Showing side by side (Microsoft calls this an overlay) keeps each calendar separate, but you see them together in one view.

For most people, showing side by side is the better choice. You keep an overview, and changes in each calendar keep coming in as usual. Do you have access to a colleague's calendar or a shared practice calendar? Then add it in Outlook on the web via Add calendar and find the person or calendar by their email address.

How quickly do changes come through?

This is the question that causes the most frustration. You move a session in Outlook, but in Google Calendar it's still at the old time. That's usually not an error, but a matter of waiting.

  • With a subscription via an ICS link, the receiving calendar decides when it fetches the link again. You have little control over that yourself. If a change needs to be visible immediately, you can remove the calendar and add the link again.
  • With a shared Microsoft 365 calendar within the same organization, changes can, according to Microsoft, be visible immediately. Between different organizations this happens roughly every three hours.
  • With a connected account, changes usually come through quickly, because the app talks directly to your account.

Want to be sure a shared calendar works properly? Microsoft mentions a simple check: if the shared calendar also appears on your phone, the new way of sharing is active.

When syncing doesn't work

Do you see your email, but no appointments? Or do new appointments not appear on your other devices? Then work through these steps in order. Microsoft describes them in the help article about calendar and contacts that won't sync.

  1. Check the account type. Is your account set up as POP or IMAP? Those types of accounts only sync email, not calendar and not contacts. You need an account that supports calendars, such as Exchange (via Exchange ActiveSync) or Outlook.com.
  2. Check whether the calendar is turned on. In Outlook you can check and uncheck calendars. An unchecked calendar looks empty.
  3. Reset the account. In the Outlook app, go to Settings > Accounts, choose the account and tap Reset Account.
  4. Remove the account and add it again. If resetting doesn't help, remove the account from your phone or tablet and set it up again.
  5. Only POP or IMAP available? Then contact your email provider or the administrator of your work account. They can tell you whether your account supports calendars.

Is it about a subscription via a link? Then check that you used the ICS link and not the HTML link. And check whether the calendar is still published in Outlook. Anyone who stops the publication makes the old link unusable.

What this means for your coaching practice

For a coach, a calendar is more than a list of times. Behind every appointment there's a client, a program, and often some preparation. A few practical choices make the difference.

Choose a main calendar. Put all your appointments in a calendar where you actually plan, for example Outlook. Let other calendars read along. That way you always know where the correct version is.

Show as few details as possible. If you publish a work calendar as a link, choose availability only. The name of a client or the subject of a session doesn't belong in a link that gets passed around. That also fits with the GDPR, the European privacy law that governs how you handle personal data.

Make fixed moments visible. Do you work with fixed blocks, such as office hours or set call moments between sessions? Then put them as a recurring appointment in your main calendar, so they appear in every connected calendar. Teachers do the same with their lesson times. Examples of how to announce such moments clearly can be found in these templates for fixed office hours.

What this means for your coaching practice

Watch out for double bookings. If you let clients book a session online, the booking tool needs to know when you're already busy. A connection that only reads isn't enough then. You need a connection that works in both directions: appointments from your calendar block time, and new bookings land in your calendar.

Our perspective

With coaches, we often see the same picture. The calendar is in Outlook, the notes in a document, the appointments with the client in an email and the check-ins in a chat app. The calendar is then the only thing holding it all together, and it's exactly that which has to be perfectly accurate.

That's why we built Exantur around the coaching relationship itself. For us, a session isn't just a time slot. It belongs to a client, a program, goals and action points. The calendar is where that becomes visible, not where it begins.

Our connection with Google Calendar and Outlook works in both directions. Clients book online, automatically receive a reminder, and the session appears in your own calendar. With the Zoom connection you no longer need a separate link. You keep working in the calendar you know, and we make sure the coaching around it is in one place.

We also believe privacy matters here. With us, client data is stored on servers in Frankfurt, with extra security at login and a data processing agreement. That doesn't automatically make a practice fully GDPR-proof, but it does help you handle it consciously.

Martijn

Appointments and coaching in one place

Do you want to keep not only your calendar aligned, but also everything that belongs to a session? Exantur is software for coaches who want to manage their practice in one workspace. You schedule sessions with online booking and automatic reminders, with a two-way connection to Google Calendar and Outlook. In addition, you record session notes as observations, insights, breakthroughs and action points, and you track goals and check-ins between sessions. Your invoices run through your own Stripe account, with no commission for us. You can read more about the whole thing on the page about software for your coaching practice. The Mini package costs €19 per month or €190 per year; you'll find all packages on the Exantur pricing page.

Do you mainly want more grip on your clients and what they do between sessions? Then also take a look at client management for coaches and accountability between sessions. By accountability we mean that your client keeps the commitments they've made to themselves, and that you can see where that works and where it doesn't.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sync Outlook and Google Calendar in both directions?

Not with an ICS link: that only lets you view. If you want to be able to edit in both calendars, you need to connect an account in an app that supports both accounts. On an iPhone, for example, you can add both your Outlook and Google account to the Calendar app and manage them together there.

Why isn't my new appointment in Google Calendar yet?

With a subscription via an ICS link, Google Calendar fetches the link itself, and that doesn't happen instantly. Wait a moment or remove the calendar and add the link again. Also check that the appointment is in the right Outlook calendar, the one you published.

Why do I see mail on my phone, but no calendar?

Often the account is set up as POP or IMAP. Those types of accounts only fetch email, not appointments. Remove the account and add it again as Outlook.com or Microsoft Exchange.

Anyone with the link can view it, so only share it with apps or people you trust. When publishing, choose availability only if it contains client appointments. If the link does end up in the wrong place, stop the publication and create a new link.

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