Share and synchronize your Outlook and Google calendars

Since I started synchronizing my e-mail inboxes a few months ago, I rarely even open my Outlook mail client. I much prefer seeing the messages sent to my ISP's POP account and those sent to my Gmail account together in my Gmail inbox. But I still have to open Outlook to view my calendar, which I've been using for years, even though I now put many of my nonwork appointments in Google Calendar, which I can access from my iPhone or any Internet-connected PC.

I thought I found a free program that would let me synchronize the two calendars automatically. Synchronization Technologies' SyncMyCal claims to let you sync multiple Outlook calendars with your Google Calendar. I gave the program a try, but I while it let me transfer the entries on my Google Calendar to my Outlook equivalent, I couldn't get all my Outlook appointments to register on Google Calendar.

I'll keep troubleshooting the problem, though I hope I don't have to upgrade to the $25 SyncMyCal Pro version, which automates the calendar syncs, and lets you work with appointments in time chunks longer than the free version's limit of 7 days. Until then I'll stick with the manual approach to Outlook/Google Calendar integration.

Send your Google Calendar entries to Outlook 2003 and 2007
Start by logging into your Google account and opening your calendar. Click the Manage calendars link at the bottom of the left pane, and then click the name of the calendar to open the Calendar Details dialog box. Scroll to Private Address near the bottom of the window, and click ICAL.

Click ICAL next to Private Address in Google Calendar's Calendar Details dialog to generate the URL you'll use to import the calendar to Outlook.

Unfortunately, Outlook 2003 doesn't support the iCalendar format. I was able to add Google Calendar entries to my Outlook 2003 calendar one at a time by clicking the link in the popup window to download the entry, opening the file in Outlook, and clicking Save and Close. But this approach isn't any faster than adding the entries manually.

At least Outlook 2007 lets you import an iCalendar file directly: Copy the long URL in the Google Calendar's Private Address popup window, open your Outlook calendar, and click File>Import and Export. Choose Import an iCalendar (.ics) or vCalendar file (.vcs), and click Next. Paste the URL you copied from the popup into the File name field at the bottom of the Browse dialog box, and click Open. Click Import, and your Google Calendar entries are added to your Outlook calendar.

Import your Google Calendar as an iCalendar file (.ics) to add its entries to your Outlook 2007 calendar.

Transfer your Outlook calendar to Google Calendar
To move your Outlook schedule to your Google Calendar, Open Outlook 2003 or 2007 and click File>Import and Export>Export to a file>Next. Choose Comma Separated Values (Windows) and click Next again. Navigate to and select your Calendar folder (it should be highlighted by default), and click Next yet again. In Outlook 2003, verify the location of the saved .csv file (change it if you want to place it elsewhere), and click Next once more. In Outlook 2007, select a location for the file, give it a name, and click OK and then Next. Click Finish, set the date range for the calendar entries to be exported, and click OK.

Now open your Google Calendar, click the small down arrow next to Add in the left pane, and choose Import Calendar. Select the Browse button, navigate to and select the .csv file you just created, and click Open. Choose the calendar you want to import it to (it will likely be selected by default), and click Import.

Select the .csv file you exported from Outlook to import it to your Google Calendar.

Tomorrow: What to do when Windows craps out.

[cuzisurf]

try gSyncit http://www.daveswebsite.com/software/gsync/ . searched far & wide for an outlook-gmail calendar synchronization tool and this is the best i found. the $9 is worth it to get rid of the splash screen.

[OggSyncPro]

Another Outlook Sync program is http://oggsync.com. There are versions for Outlook 2003, Outlook 2007, Windows Mobile 2003, Windows Mobile 5, Windows Mobile 6.

[babydinosaur]

I use the paid-for version of SyncMyCal, and have found it to be great, with syncing being successful in both directions. Not sure why you were having problems...?
Only issue I had before was the occasional All Day entry in Outlook appearing as a 0:00 Day 1-0:00 Day 2 entry in GCal, but that hasn't happened for a while yet (don't know if the recent update resolved this?).

[jacobshm]

Hey Dennis,
Why are you using Outlook? Continue convincing me about the possibilities of switching to Linux!
If you use Mozilla Thunderbird, install the Lightening Calendar add-on (also by Mozilla). Then you can install the add-on "Provider for Google Calendar", an awesome add-on that does exactly what you want. Follow the directions at the download page and read the links the author gives. Its really idiot proof.

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/
http://www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/4631

I like your blog. Keep it up!
Is there any way I can contact about about specific questions about Ubuntu?

[doreilly]

Sure thing: doreilly-at-gmail.com. I spent most of yesterday morning trying to get Flash and Quicktime to work in Ubuntu 7.10. When I mentioned this to one of my Linux-using buddies, he just smiled and said "good luck!" I'll keep at it, and on Friday I'll report on my progress.

[doreilly]

I use Thunderbird more often than Outlook for e-mail, but I haven't yet made the switch to Lightning, though integration with Google Calendar is a primo reason to do so. I think I'll give it a try; thanks for the suggestion.

[debo602]

i personally use plaxo to sync both my google calendar and my outlook calendar. it takes a little setup, but after that it works seemleessly.

[redkardinal1]

Try using oggsync pro. I have been using it now for a month and it will sync both ways or will sync directly from gcal to my phone. Wellworth the money spent.

[ecarnell]

I think this might be because of the 7 day limit in the trial version. I have been using SyncMyCal for quite sometime now and it is working quite well. Perhaps, you should get in touch with their Tech Support by writing an email to [e-mail] or by going to http://syncmycal.helpserve.com. They are good at that and maybe you can soon be a happy SyncMyCal user.

- Elizabeth

[doreilly]

I was only synchronizing five days' worth of appointments, but the problem may have been related to slow page refreshes in Google Calendar. I've been tweaking my calendar this morning, and it appears some appointments I make in Outlook's calendar take a few minutes to appear in my Google Calendar. After refreshing the page a couple of times, the new appointments do appear. Thanks for your help with this matter.

Dennis

[SyncMyCal]

Hi Dennis

We are really concerned about you facing this problem since this problem is a little uncommon and we have not heard of any such problems in the recent past.

We would, therefore like to request you to let us know a few parametres like the date range you chose while synchronizing events, the type of operation and the details of the events which did not get synchronized. An Email to us at [e-mail] might just help us to anaylze the problem.

We will try our best to look into the issue and resolve it for you.

Happy Synchronization
SyncMyCal Tech Support

[doreilly]

Thanks for your offer of assistance with SyncMyCal. I spent some time this morning tweaking my Outlook and Google calendars, and it seems that some appointments I make in Outlook take a few minutes to appear in my Google Calendar. After I refresh the page a couple of times, they pop up. The "problem" may have simply been my impatience. I'll mention this in a future Worker's Edge post.

Thanks again,
Dennis

[kahrs]

I think syncmycal free only works 3 days forward and back. Maybe that's why it didn't upload to your GCal?

[Pank2008]

another way to share and synch Outlook calendars (and contacts and tasks and mail) is using http://www.hyperoffice.com. you dont need exchange, need a sign up to get started (its web based) and its near instantaneous. im not sure if they work woth gmail calendars tho, i simply use my hyperoffice account.

[JIMMYAUSTIN]

Any serious business user that has tried to use Google Calendar and/or GMail know that they simply don't compare to Microsoft Outlook. Google Calendar may be decent, but GMail is simply a joke when compared to Outlook. Thus, Google Calendar, on its own, is worthless IMHO.

If calendar sharing or web access are issues, and you don't have Exchange Server, then there are great 3rd party applications out there at a reasonable price that give you these features without having resort to clunky ad-driven applications like GMail and Google Calendar that simply don't work for business users. A good example is the Outlook addin OfficeCalendar (www.officecalendar.com), but there are many more like it. The combination of Outlook clients and products like OfficeCalendar provide unsurpassed functionality and ease-of-use for a good value to business users.