How to Get Your Google Calendar ICS / Subscription URL
When someone asks for your Google Calendar’s subscription URL — or you want to add your calendar to another app — you need to find the ICS link from Google Calendar’s settings. Here’s exactly where it is.
The Two Types of Google Calendar URLs
Google Calendar gives you two kinds of subscription links:
Public URL — For calendars you’ve made publicly visible. Anyone can subscribe without signing in. Use this for shared team calendars, event schedules you want people to follow, or any calendar you’re intentionally making open.
Secret address (private URL) — A private link that lets someone subscribe to your calendar without you having to share it publicly. The URL is long and unguessable. Use this to share a specific calendar with individuals without making it fully public.
How to Get Your Calendar’s ICS URL (Desktop)
- Open Google Calendar on desktop
- In the left sidebar, hover over the calendar you want to share
- Click the three-dot menu (⋮) that appears
- Select Settings and sharing
- Scroll down to the Integrate calendar section
You’ll see two URLs here:
- Calendar ID — the internal identifier (looks like an email address or a long string ending in
@group.calendar.google.com) - Public URL to this calendar — the
.icslink for public subscriptions - Secret address in iCal format — a private
.icsURL you can share selectively
Copy whichever one you need.
What the URL Looks Like
A Google Calendar ICS URL follows this format:
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/[CALENDAR_ID]/public/basic.icsFor your primary calendar, the Calendar ID is your Gmail address (URL-encoded). For other calendars, it’s the long ID shown in the settings.
The secret address looks similar but contains a private token:
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/[CALENDAR_ID]/private-[TOKEN]/basic.icsMaking Your Calendar Public First
If you want to share the public URL, the calendar needs to be made public first. In the same Settings and sharing page:
- Under Access permissions, check Make available to public
- Choose whether to show all event details or just free/busy
Once public, the Public URL to this calendar in the Integrate calendar section becomes active.
Note: Making a calendar public means anyone with the URL (or who searches for it) can see the event details you’ve made visible. For personal calendars, the secret address is usually the better choice.
Sharing With Specific People vs. Public Subscribe
If you just want to share with specific people, you don’t need the ICS URL at all — use the Share with specific people option in the same Settings page. They’ll get a calendar invite and can view it directly in their Google Calendar without needing a URL.
The ICS URL is most useful for:
- Sharing with people on non-Google calendar apps (Outlook, Apple Calendar)
- Embedding in a website or app
- Adding to tools that accept calendar subscriptions
Using the ICS URL
Once someone has your calendar’s ICS URL, they can subscribe to it in:
- Google Calendar: Other calendars → + → From URL
- Outlook: Add calendar → Subscribe from web
- Apple Calendar: File → New Calendar Subscription
- Any app that supports ICS/iCal feeds
Events from your calendar will appear in theirs and update automatically (with a delay — see Google Calendar ICS refresh rate).
Related: How to subscribe to a Google Calendar from URL · How to share your Google Calendar · Google Calendar ICS refresh rate
Ready to automate your busywork?
Carly schedules, researches, and briefs you—so you can focus on what matters.
Get Carly Today →Or try our Free Group Scheduling Tool
