Calendar event (.ics) maker. One file, every calendar.

How to use the Calendar Event (.ics) maker

This tool builds a calendar invite file in the iCalendar format (RFC 5545) that Apple Calendar, Outlook, Google Calendar and most other calendar apps can import. You fill in the event, the file is assembled in your browser, and you download it, copy it, or open the same event in Google Calendar. Use it to attach an invite to an email, put a download link on a web page, or add a single event without signing in to anything.

Step by step

1. 1
   Name the event

   Type the Event title. It starts as Project kickoff call and also becomes the file name, so this one saves as project-kickoff-call.ics. Add a Location, an Organizer email and a Description if you want them in the invite. All three are optional.

2. 2
   Set the time

   Starts and Ends default to the next full hour and one hour after it, in your device's time zone. If you leave Ends empty or set it before the start, the event is made one hour long.

3. 3
   Or make it an all-day event

   Tick All-day event to swap the time fields for Start date and # of days. One day is the default. A value of 3 starting on a Monday covers Monday to Wednesday.

4. 4
   Add a reminder and a repeat

   Pick a Reminder of 15 minutes before, 1 hour before or 1 day before, or leave it at None. Pick Repeat to make the event recur Daily, Weekly, Monthly or Yearly, or leave it at Does not repeat.

5. 5
   Check the preview

   The preview card on the right shows the title, date and time, location, repeat, reminder and description as you type. Open View raw .ics to see the exact file text that will be saved.

6. 6
   Save or send it

   Press Download .ics to save the file, or Copy .ics to put the file text on your clipboard. Press Add to Google Calendar to open a prefilled event on calendar.google.com in a new tab, where you press Save.

Reading the result

• The raw file starts with BEGIN:VCALENDAR and holds one event. DTSTART and DTEND are the times, SUMMARY is the title, RRULE is the repeat rule and the VALARM block is the reminder.
• Timed events are written as local clock time without a time zone code, and a line such as Time zone: America/New_York is added to the description. Most apps show this kind of time at the same clock time in the viewer's own zone, so the note is there to tell people which zone you meant.
• For an all-day event the end date in the file is the day after the last day. That is how the format marks the end, and calendar apps display it correctly.
• A red message such as Pick a start date & time means a required date is empty, and nothing is saved or copied until you fill it in. Add to Google Calendar shows Pick a date first in the same case.

Tips and common mistakes

• If people in other time zones will receive the invite, use Add to Google Calendar, which converts the times to UTC, or tell guests the zone in the title.
• A repeat has no end date, so the event recurs forever. Import it, then set an end in your calendar app if you need one.
• The Google Calendar link carries the title, times, description, location and repeat, but not the reminder or the organizer email. Set the reminder in Google Calendar after it opens.
• Each page load gets one unique event ID, so files you save during one visit share it. Many calendar apps treat a second import with the same ID as an update to the first event. Reload the page before making an unrelated event.
• The Organizer email is written into the file but no invitation is emailed. Attach the downloaded file to your own message to share it.

Privacy and limits

The file is built in your browser and nothing you type is sent to any server or saved. The only exception is Add to Google Calendar: when you press it, the title, times, description, location and repeat travel to calendar.google.com in the link it opens.

Back to the tool

Every field a calendar invite actually needs.

• Download a .ics file that imports into Apple Calendar, Outlook, Google Calendar, Fantastical, and any RFC 5545 app.
• Add to Google Calendar instantly with a one-click prefilled link, no manual copying.
• Set reminders at 15 minutes, 1 hour, or 1 day before the event, embedded as a proper VALARM.
• Create all-day events spanning any number of days, or timed events with exact start and end times.
• Add recurrence rules for daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly repeating events.
• Include location and organizer email, watch a live preview, and inspect or copy the raw .ics before you share it.

Frequently asked questions.

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