Setup guide
How to connect Apple Calendar (iCloud)
Keep your iCloud calendar, the one on your iPhone, iPad and Mac, in step with Google Calendar and Outlook. Apple connects with an app-specific password instead of a sign-in button, and this guide walks you through it from start to finish.
What you need
- An Apple Account with two-factor authentication turned on. Any Apple Account email works, and it doesn't have to be an @icloud.com address.
- A CalendarSync account. Start a free trial if you don't have one yet.
- About 3 minutes, on a computer, iPhone or iPad.
Step 1: Create an app-specific password
An app-specific password is a separate password you create in your Apple Account for one app. Apple doesn't offer one-click sign-in for calendars, so this is how CalendarSync reaches your iCloud calendar. Your regular Apple Account password won't work here, and we never ask for it.
- Go to account.apple.com and sign in with your Apple Account. Apple may ask for a code from your iPhone, iPad or Mac.
- Select Sign-In & Security, then App-Specific Passwords.
- Select Generate an app-specific password.
- Name it CalendarSync so you can recognise it later, then select Create. If Apple asks you to confirm, enter your Apple Account password on Apple's page.
- Apple shows the password. It looks like
xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx. Copy it now. If you lose it, create a new one.
On iPhone or iPad?
Open Safari, go to account.apple.com and follow the same steps. Then come back to CalendarSync to paste the password.No App-Specific Passwords option?
Apple only offers it when two-factor authentication is on. On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > [your name] > Sign-In & Security and select Turn on two-factor authentication. On a Mac, go to System Settings > [your name] > Sign-In & Security. Read Apple's two-factor guidePrefer Apple's own instructions? Read Apple's guide to app-specific passwords
Step 2: Connect in CalendarSync
- Open Calendars in CalendarSync and select Apple Calendar.
- Under Apple Account email, enter the email you sign in to Apple with.
- Paste the password into App-specific password.
- Select Connect Apple Calendar.
The form repeats the steps from Step 1, and its links open in a new tab so a half-filled form is never lost. It stays valid for 30 minutes.
Your password stays yours
The app-specific password is stored encrypted and used only to sync this calendar. You can revoke it at any time at account.apple.com. To stop syncing, disconnect in CalendarSync first.Step 3: Choose your calendar
If your Apple Account has more than one calendar, CalendarSync asks which one to sync. Pick it and select Use this calendar. With only one calendar, it connects straight away.
- One calendar per Apple Account. Connecting the same Apple Account again updates that connection instead of adding a second one.
- Change it later. Select Change next to the calendar name on the Calendars page. You can switch until a sync or a booking page uses the calendar. After that, disconnect and connect again to choose another.
- Reminders stay out. Reminders lists aren't offered, because they hold tasks rather than events.
Next: under Create Sync Rules on the same page, pair Apple with your Google or Outlook calendar and choose how they sync.
How often Apple syncs
Google Calendar and Outlook notify CalendarSync as soon as something changes, so on Pro and during the trial their changes usually sync within seconds.
Apple doesn't send those notifications to other apps, so CalendarSync checks your Apple calendar on a schedule: every minute on Pro, every 10 minutes during the free trial and every 15 minutes on the Free plan.
| Plan | Apple Calendar | Google Calendar and Outlook |
|---|---|---|
| Pro | Checked every minute | Pushed as changes happen |
| Free trial (7 days) | Checked every 10 minutes | Pushed as changes happen |
| Free plan | Checked every 15 minutes | Checked every 15 minutes |
Troubleshooting
These are the exact messages CalendarSync shows, what each one means and how to fix it.
“Apple didn't accept that email and app-specific password.”“Use an app-specific password, not your usual Apple Account password, and the email of that same Apple Account.”
Why: iCloud turned the sign-in down. Usually the regular Apple Account password was used instead of an app-specific one, the email belongs to a different Apple Account from the one that created the password, or the password has since been revoked.
Fix: Create a new app-specific password and paste it, rather than typing it, with the email of the same Apple Account.
“We couldn't reach iCloud just now. Your details may be fine, so please try again in a minute.”
Why: iCloud didn't answer in time or had a short outage. Your email and password were not rejected.
Fix: Wait a minute, select Apple Calendar on the Calendars page again and paste the same password.
“That form expired. Click Apple Calendar to reopen it and paste the same app-specific password.”
Why: The connect form stays valid for 30 minutes, and opening it in a second tab replaces the first one.
Fix: Select Apple Calendar on the Calendars page again and paste the same password. If you no longer have it, create a new one.
“We couldn't find any calendars on that Apple Account. If iCloud Calendar is on, iCloud may be busy, so try again in a minute.”
Why: iCloud sent back no calendars. Either that Apple Account has none stored in iCloud (calendars kept only on a device, and Google or Exchange accounts added to the Apple Calendar app, are not in iCloud), or iCloud was busy and answered with an empty list.
Fix: Check that you can see the calendar at icloud.com/calendar, wait a minute, then connect again. Connect Google or Outlook calendars with their own buttons.
“We couldn't save that Apple calendar. The problem is on our side, not your password. Please try again in a few minutes.”
Why: iCloud accepted your details, but CalendarSync couldn't save the connection.
Fix: Try again in a few minutes with the same password.
“You've reached the 2-calendar limit on the free plan.”
Why: The Free plan connects up to 2 calendars. Pro connects as many as you need.
Fix: Upgrade to Pro, or disconnect a calendar you no longer use. Replacing the password on an Apple Account you already connected works at any time, even at the limit.
Changed or reset your Apple Account password?
Apple revokes every app-specific password when you change or reset your Apple Account password, so your Apple calendar stops syncing. When a sync next checks Apple, CalendarSync shows a reconnect notice in your dashboard and emails you. To get going again:
- Create a new app-specific password.
- On the Calendars page, select Apple Calendar and connect with the same Apple Account email. Your calendar choice and syncs are kept.
- If a sync card offers Resume sync, select it.
Good to know
- iCloud calendars only. A Google or Exchange account you added to the Calendar app on your Mac or iPhone isn't stored in iCloud. Connect it with the Google Calendar or Outlook button instead.
- Invited connections are Google and Outlook only. People you invite to connect their calendar to your account need a Google or Outlook calendar. Your own Apple calendar works in syncs and booking pages.
- Up to 25 app-specific passwords. Apple allows 25 active app-specific passwords per Apple Account. Revoke the ones you no longer use at account.apple.com.
Stop syncing and revoke access
Disconnect in CalendarSync before you revoke the password at Apple. Once Apple stops accepting it, CalendarSync can no longer reach your Apple calendar to remove the copies it put there.
- On the Calendars page, select the trash icon on your Apple connection and confirm. Any syncs that use it are removed.
- At account.apple.com, open Sign-In & Security, then App-Specific Passwords, and revoke the one named CalendarSync.
Already revoked the password, or changed your Apple Account password?
Once a sync finds that Apple no longer accepts the password, your Apple connection is no longer listed on the Calendars page, so there is no trash icon to select. Instead, under Create Sync Rules on the same page, select the trash icon on each sync that uses your Apple calendar and confirm. CalendarSync can no longer reach your Apple calendar, so delete any copies left there in the Calendar app. The reconnect notice at the top of your dashboard stays until Apple is reconnected: to clear it, reconnect with a new app-specific password, then follow the two steps above.
Bring Apple Calendar into sync
7-day free trial, no card needed. Already have an account? Head straight to Calendars.