How to Sync Google Calendar with Apple Calendar (2026)
The Apple Calendar app can pull in all your Google events so you see everything in one place across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Once you add your Google account, events sync both ways — anything you create in Apple Calendar lands on Google, and vice versa.
This guide covers adding the account on every Apple device, a sync settings page most people miss, and how to fix the common “events aren’t showing up” problem.
1. Add Google Calendar on iPhone or iPad
iPhone / iPad (iOS 18 and later):
- Open the Settings app
- Tap Apps → Calendar → Calendar Accounts (on older iOS, go to Settings → Calendar → Accounts)
- Tap Add Account → Google
- Sign in with your Google email and password, and approve any verification
- On the next screen, make sure Calendars is toggled on (you can also enable Mail, Contacts, Notes)
- Tap Save
Open the Calendar app and your Google events appear, color-coded under the Google account.
2. Add Google Calendar on Mac
Mac (macOS):
- Open the Calendar app
- From the menu bar, click Calendar → Settings (or Preferences)
- Go to the Accounts tab
- Click the + button at the bottom-left
- Choose Google and click Continue
- Sign in to your Google account in the pop-up and grant access
- Make sure Calendars is checked, then close the window
Your Google calendars now appear in the sidebar under the Google account heading.
3. Choose Which Google Calendars Sync
If you have multiple Google calendars (work, personal, a shared family calendar) but only some show up on your Apple devices, you likely need Google’s sync settings page. iOS in particular only syncs your primary calendar by default until you enable the others.
- On the device, open a browser and go to calendar.google.com/calendar/syncselect
- Sign in if prompted
- Check the box next to every calendar you want available in Apple Calendar
- Click Save
Within a few minutes, the newly enabled calendars appear in the Apple Calendar app. You can then show or hide each one from the app’s sidebar (Mac) or the Calendars button (iPhone).
4. Set How Often Apple Calendar Refreshes
Google accounts use “fetch” rather than instant push on Apple devices, so you may want to tighten the refresh interval.
iPhone / iPad:
- Go to Settings → Apps → Calendar → Calendar Accounts
- Tap Fetch New Data
- Set a schedule (Every 15 Minutes is the most frequent), or tap the Google account and choose Fetch
Mac:
- Open Calendar → Settings → General
- Set Refresh Calendars to your preferred interval (e.g., Every 5 minutes)
5. Confirm Two-Way Sync
Test that edits travel in both directions:
- Create a test event in Apple Calendar on the Google account (not “On My Mac” or iCloud)
- Open calendar.google.com — the event should appear there
- Edit the event on Google and confirm the change shows back in Apple Calendar after a refresh
If you create an event under the wrong account (iCloud or “On My Mac”), it won’t sync to Google — set the Google calendar as the default in Apple Calendar’s settings to avoid this.
Quick Reference
| Device | Where to add Google | Sync extra calendars |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone / iPad | Settings → Apps → Calendar → Add Account → Google | calendar.google.com/calendar/syncselect |
| Mac | Calendar → Settings → Accounts → + → Google | calendar.google.com/calendar/syncselect |
| Set refresh (iOS) | Settings → Calendar → Fetch New Data | — |
| Set refresh (Mac) | Calendar → Settings → General → Refresh Calendars | — |
Troubleshooting
Google events aren’t showing up in Apple Calendar at all.
Confirm Calendars is toggled on for the Google account under Settings → Apps → Calendar → Calendar Accounts (iPhone) or the Accounts tab (Mac). Then check that the calendar is visible in the app’s calendar list — it may simply be unchecked.
Some Google calendars sync but others don’t.
iOS only syncs your primary Google calendar by default. Visit calendar.google.com/calendar/syncselect on the device, enable the missing calendars, and click Save.
Events I create on my iPhone don’t appear on Google.
They were probably saved to the wrong account. Open the event, change its calendar to a Google calendar, and set the Google calendar as your default in Settings → Calendar → Default Calendar.
Sync is slow or delayed.
Google accounts fetch on a schedule rather than pushing instantly. Shorten the interval under Fetch New Data (iPhone) or Refresh Calendars (Mac), or pull down to refresh the Calendar app manually.
My account stopped syncing after a password or 2FA change.
Re-authenticate: remove the Google account from Settings → Apps → Calendar → Calendar Accounts (or the Mac Accounts tab) and add it back, signing in with your updated credentials.
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More on Google Calendar: How to sync Google Calendar with Outlook · How to add Google Calendar to iPhone · How to add Google Calendar to Mac desktop · How to manage multiple Google Calendars · How to add time zones in Google Calendar · How to share your Google Calendar
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