Excerpt #

A comprehensive guide for users transitioning to Google Workspace, explaining how to migrate calendar data from Apple Calendar to Google Calendar, and the benefits of using Google Calendar as the primary system.

Content #

When moving to Google Workspace, centralising your calendar data in Google Calendar is a crucial step for seamless integration, collaboration, and leveraging powerful features. This guide will walk you through exporting your existing events from Apple Calendar (on your Mac) and importing them into your new Google Calendar.

Step 1: Export Your Calendar from Apple Calendar (macOS) #

This process will save your calendar events from Apple Calendar into a standard .ICS (iCalendar) file.

1. Open the Calendar Application:
   • Launch the “Calendar” application on your Mac. You can find it in your Applications folder or by using Spotlight search.
2. Select the Calendar to Export:
   • In the left sidebar of the Calendar application, you will see a list of your calendars (e.g., “Work,” “Personal,” or calendars synced from other accounts).
   • Click once on the specific calendar you wish to export to select it. If you have multiple calendars you want to migrate, you will need to repeat this process for each individual calendar.
3. Initiate the Export Process:
   • Go to the top menu bar (next to the Apple logo).
   • Click on File.
   • Hover over Export.
   • Then, click Export....
   • Important: Ensure you choose “Export…” and not “Export Calendars Archive,” which creates a different file type not suitable for direct import into Google Calendar.
4. Name and Save Your File:
   • A dialogue box will appear, prompting you to save the file.
   • Give your calendar export file a clear name (e.g., MyWorkCalendar_Export.ics, PersonalCalendar_2025.ics).
   • Choose a location on your computer where you want to save the .ics file (e.g., your “Downloads” folder or Desktop).
   • Click Export (or Save).

Your calendar data will now be saved as an .ICS file on your computer, ready for the next step.

Step 2: Import Your Calendar into Google Calendar #

Once you have your calendar data as an .ICS file, you can import it directly into your Google Calendar.

1. Open Google Calendar in Your Web Browser:
   • Go to calendar.google.com.
   • Ensure you are logged into your Google Workspace account (e.g., yourname@yourorganisation.co.uk) where you want the calendar events to be imported.
2. Access Calendar Settings:
   • In the top right corner, click the Settings menu (looks like a gear icon ⚙️).
   • From the dropdown, select Settings.
3. Go to Import & Export:
   • In the left-hand navigation panel of the Settings page, click on Import & export.
4. Select Your .ICS File:
   • Under the “Import” section, click Select file from your computer.
   • Navigate to the location where you saved your .ics file (from Step 1).
   • Select the .ics file and click Open.
5. Choose Destination Calendar:
   • From the dropdown menu labelled “Add to calendar,” select the Google Calendar you want to import these events into. This will usually be your primary calendar (which has your name), but you can select or create a different calendar if you prefer.
6. Start Import:
   • Click the Import button.
   • Google Calendar will process the file. A notification will appear once the import is complete, indicating how many events were successfully imported.

Your historical calendar events from Apple Calendar should now appear in your Google Calendar.

Why Use Google Calendar as Your Primary System with Google Workspace? #

Transitioning to Google Calendar offers numerous benefits that streamline your daily operations and enhance collaboration within a Google Workspace environment:

1. Seamless Integration with Workspace Apps:
   • Google Meet: When you create an event in Google Calendar and invite participants, a Google Meet video conferencing link is automatically added. This makes virtual meetings effortless.
   • Gmail: You can easily create calendar events directly from emails, and email invitations are automatically reflected in your calendar. Email reminders are integrated.
   • Drive: Attach relevant documents from Google Drive directly to your calendar events, making meeting prep and follow-up more efficient.
   • Chat: Integrate with Google Chat for quick pre-meeting discussions or post-meeting follow-ups.
2. Enhanced Collaboration & Scheduling:
   • Shared Calendars: Easily share your calendar with colleagues, allowing them to see your availability (or full event details, depending on permissions) for easier internal scheduling.
   • Find a Time: Google Calendar’s “Find a Time” feature helps you quickly identify mutual free slots when scheduling meetings with multiple attendees within your organisation.
   • Appointment Schedules: Offer professional, customisable booking pages to clients and external partners, allowing them to book time directly on your calendar based on your availability, removing the back-and-forth of traditional scheduling.
3. AI Assistance with Gemini:
   • Automated Meeting Notes: With Gemini for Google Workspace, your Google Meet calls can generate summaries and identify action items directly from transcripts, which are then linked to the calendar event.
   • Smart Scheduling: Gemini can assist with scheduling events based on natural language prompts and context from your emails and documents.
4. Accessibility and Syncing:
   • Cross-Device Access: Access your Google Calendar from any web browser, the dedicated Google Calendar mobile app (highly recommended for iOS and Android), or other compatible calendar applications (like Apple Calendar or Outlook if configured to sync with your Google account). All changes sync automatically across all devices.
   • Reliable Syncing: Google Calendar ensures consistent and real-time synchronisation of your schedule across all your devices and with all your collaborators.

By making Google Calendar your primary calendaring system, you centralise your schedule, automate routine tasks, and unlock powerful collaborative features that are integral to an efficient Google Workspace environment.