Sync Google Calendar with Outlook 2010 and 2013

google calendar and outlook

This article explains how to sync your Google Calendar with Outlook 2010 and 2013, it also provides an overview of free tools and services to help you choose the approach best suited for your needs.

Most likely by now all of you are aware that the good old Google Calendar Sync is not supported any longer. It was succeeded by Google Apps Sync that works only for paid accounts. And you don't need to have the third eye to comprehend at least one reason why they discontinued Calendar Sync. Microsoft and Google are the biggest competitors fighting for the leadership and market share, and all's fair in love and war... It's not only clear why we, users, should suffer.

Anyway, apart from Google's Calendar Sync, there exist a number of ways and free tools to sync Outlook and Google calendars and hopefully this article will help you choose the best approach.

1. How to synch Google Calendar with Outlook 2010 and 2013 (read-only)
2. Free tools and services to sync Google Calendar with Outlook
3. Google Calendar Sync / Apps Sync for Outlook
4. Import / export calendars between Outlook and Google

1. How to synch Google Calendar with Outlook 2010 and 2013 (read-only)

Using this method you can set up one way syncing from Google Calendar to Outlook. Outlook will periodically check the Google Calendar for updates, and if any new or modified events are found, they will be downloaded and displayed alongside with your Outlook appointments.

Copy Google Calendar's URL

1. Log into your Google account and click Calendar on the Google bar.

If you are logged into your Gmail account, then you will need two clicks instead of one. As you probably know, about two months ago Google rolled out the new update and all of a sudden theCalendar button disappeared from the G-mail page's task bar. Anyway, click on the Apps launcher icon  and select Calendar from the list of apps.

2. Hover over the needed calendar in the calendar list at the left-hand part of the screen, click the drop-down arrow that appears to the right of the calendar name, and then click Calendar settings.

This will open the Calendar details page.

3. If your google calendar is public, then click the green ICAL icon next to Calendar Address. If it is private, click the ICAL button next to the calendar's Private Address.

4. Copy the calendar's URL. Now you can paste this URL into any other application that supports the iCal format (.ics) and access your Google calendar from there.

a. Synchronizing with Outlook 2010 and 2013

Method 1:

1. Open your Outlook and switch to Calendar > Manage Calendars ribbon group.

2. Click Open Calendar button and choose "From Internet..." from the drop down list.

2. Paste your Google calendar's URL and click OK.

b. 1. On the File tab, select Account Settings twice.

2. Switch to the Internet Calendars tab and click the New... button.

3. Press Ctrl + V to past the Google calendar's URL, and then click the Add button.

4. Click Close to close the Accounting Settings dialog.

5. In the Subscriptions Option dialog box, type the folder name for the imported calendar and make sure the Update Limit checkbox is selected. If you want to transfer the attachments within your Google Calendar events, select the corresponding option too and then click OK.

That's it! Your Google calendar has been added to Outlook and you can see it under "Other Calendars".

Note! Remember that the Google Calendar imported in this way is read-only, the lock icon  is displayed in the lower right hand corner of all imported Google Calendar's events, meaning they are locked for editing. Changes made in Outlook are not synced with your Google Calendar. If you want to send the changes back to Google Calendar, you need to export your Outlook Calendar.

2. Free tools and services to sync Google Calendar with Outlook

In this section we are going to look into some free tools and services and see what additional benefits they provide.

gSyncit - free add-in to sync Outlook calendars, contacts, notes and tasks with Google

gSyncit is an add-in for Microsoft Outlook purposed for syncing calendars (as well as contacts, notes and tasks) between Outlook and Google. It also supports synchronization with Evernote, Dropbox and some other accounts.

An advantage of this tool compared with the sync method that we've just discussed is that you are free to edit Google calendar events imported in the Outlook calendar.

The gSyncit tool has a free and paid version. Both versions allow 1-way and 2-way syncing of calendars, tasks, contacts and notes. The main limitation of the free version is that it allows syncing with only one calendar and displays a pop-up window on Outlook start making you wait for 15 seconds. Apart from that, this is a nice tool, intuitive and easy to configure.

How to configure Outlook and Google calendar syncing with gSyncit

1. You start by clicking the Settings button on the gSyncit tab on the Outlook ribbon.

2. In the Settings window, choose what items to sync on the left pane and then click the New button.

3. After that you create a new mapping by specifying 3 essential things:

• Click the Verify Account button to enter your credentials and verify your Google account.
• Click Select Calendar... under Google Calendar section to get the calendar URL.
• And finally, click Select Calendar... under Outlook Calendar section to choose the Outlook calendar you want to sync with.

4. For additional options, switch to the Sync Options tab and check the options you want. For the 2-way syncing, select both "Sync Outlook to Google" and "Sync Google to Outlook":

Of course, there are a handful of additional options on other tabs, but in most cases the settings on theSync Options tab absolutely suffice.

5. Now you only need to click OK to save a new mapping that will link your Outlook and Google calendars together.

Once a new mapping is created, you simply click the appropriate button on the ribbon and your Google calendar will get synced with Outlook straight away.

If you'd rather have automatic syncing, head over to the Applications Setting tab > Sync Options and configure your preferred synchronization intervals. You can also enable automatic syncing when Outlook starts or exists:

If you want advanced options, the following ones may come in handy:

• Synchronize all appointments or within a specified time range only (Sync Range tab).
• Sync Outlook appointments from certain categories only (Categories tab).
• Remove duplicate appointments (Sync Options tab).

Summing up, if you are an active user of both calendars, gSyncit is definitely worth your attention as a tool to automate Outlook and Google calendar syncing.

Note. In July 2014, the Fieldston Software company posted a note that recommends the current users to temporary uninstall the latest version 4 of gSyncit and install v.3 until they fix issues in the latest version.

3. SynqYa - free web service to synchronize calendars and files

You may consider using this free service as an alternative way to handle your Google and Outlook calendar synchronization. A really nice feature is that it allows two-way syncing, i.e. from Google to Outlook and in the reverse direction. Synchronizing between Google and iPhone is also supported, which adds one more argument in favor of SynqYa.

The sync process is pretty straightforward and requires just two steps:

• Sign up for a free synqYa account.
• Authorize access to your Google calendar.

Wrapping up, this service seems to be a decent alternative if you don't have the admin rights on your computer, or if you are reluctant to install any Outlook add-ins, or if your company has a strict policy with regard to installing third-party software in general and free tools in particular.

Calendar Sync for Outlook and Google Calendar is one more free tool that may work a treat.

4. Calendar Sync / Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook

At the end of the last year Google officially announced "Google Sync End of Life", including the Google Calendar Sync, which caused great agitation and confusion to Gmail users. The gist of it is that starting from January 2013, no new devices can be set up using Google Sync (a little piece of good news is that existing users can continue to use it to sync with Outlook Calendar).

So, the Google Calendar Sync download link was removed and Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook plug-in took its place. This new sync app adds support for Office 2013, automatically syncs e-mail, contacts and calendars between Outlook and Google apps servers and simultaneously copies data from a company's Exchange servers.

A fly in the ointment is that Google Apps Sync is available only for paid accounts as well as for Google Apps for Business, Education, and Government users. If you are one of those lucky customers, you may find the following resources helpful:

Download Google Apps Sync for Outlook - on this page you can find the latest version of Google Apps Sync and watch an introductory video that will help you quickly get started with this plug-in.

Work with your Google Calendar in Outlook - detailed guidance on how to set up and use Google Apps Sync with Outlook 2013 - 2003.

How to get the good old Google Calendar Sync to work for you

If you don't have any of the above mentioned Google Apps accounts, don't be upset, you still can make the officially discontinued Google Calendar Sync work for you and have your Outlook and Google Gmail calendars synced in both directions. Yes, it's true, no kidding 

Here's what you do:

1. Use this backup link to download and install Google Calendar Sync.

Though Google does not support this utility any longer the above mentioned download is still working for Windows 7 and 8 with Outlook 2010, 2007 and 2003.

2. Run through installation by simply clicking Next, Next, Next...

3. After installation is completed, Google Calendar Sync will ask you to specify three basic things:

• Your Gmail address and password
• Sync options (choose 2-way for full synchronization)
• Set the sync interval to every __ minutes

3. Click Save, and you are done!

If you need to change the settings later, simply double click the Google Calendar Sync icon  on the system tray.

The Google Calendar Sync installed and ran without a hitch on my Win7 / Outlook 2010 machine. However, some users of reported that Calendar Sync was bringing up error -2147319779, especially after installing a trial of Outlook 2013. If you have run into this hurdle too, try a workaround published on this forum (you can go directly to the last post in the thread).

Note! The below fix is purposed for IT persons and advanced users only, because it makes changes in the Windows Registry. If you are not in that category, I would strongly advise you never attempt to edit the registry unless you absolutely understand what exactly you are doing, otherwise you may damage your system. Anyways, please do create a system restore point first, to be on the safe side.

In a nutshell, here's what you do.

1. Click the Start button, type regedit in the "Search programs and files" field and click on regedit.exe.

2. The Registry Editor will open and you navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\TypeLib\{00062FFF-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\

2. Check how many folders are there. If you see 2 or more folders, e.g. 9.3, 9.4 and 9.5, rename the folders corresponding to the versions of Outlook you are NOT using - 9.3 is used for Outlook 2007, 9.4 for Outlook 2010 or 9.5 for Outlook 2013. For example, if you are using Outlook 2010, you should leave the folder 9.4. unchanged. Please note that in any case, one of the folders should always remain intact! If you see just one folder, do not make any changes at all.

3. Close Outlook and Google Calendar Sync.

4. Restart Outlook and Calendar Sync.

If this workaround worked for you, you may want to say thank you to the author of this fix on the above mentioned forum 

Note: Google Calendar Sync only works with your default calendars in both Google and Outlook.

Google Calendar Sync - End of Life

Updated on 9-Jul-2014.

As you know Google announced the coming "Google Sync End of Life" at the end of 2013. And now we know the exact date when the good old Google Calendar Sync will stop functioning altogether - 1 August 2014.

All current users have already received an official notification from Google with the following contents:

"Almost two years ago, we announced that we had ended support for Google Calendar Sync. Starting on 1 August 2014, this app will no longer sync events between your Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook Calendar.

You can continue to access all of your Google Calendar events at calendar.google.com or on your mobile devices. Follow these instructions to uninstall Google Calendar Sync from your computer."

This email has raised a storm of emotions (you can look though the comments at the end of this post, staring from 124). But honestly, this wasn't a big surprise. As you remember, Google launched the Google Apps Sync for paid accounts a while ago and naturally they want to charge for syncing calendars and other items now.

So, what shall we do now? Look for alternatives! Of course, Google Calendar Sync has been the best solution for syncing the Outlook calendar with Google, but not the only one. Currently we have at least two other free choices - gSyncit and SynqYa - that allow 1-way and 2-way syncing of Outlook and Google calendars.

I believe a lot of other 3^rd party syncing tools will emerge in the near future, unless Google or Microsoft "closes this door" at the programming level and puts an end to any free syncing at all. Anyway, we will be keeping a finger on the pulse and update you as soon as we have any news on this.

Import / export calendars between Outlook and Google

Using this method you can transfer a copy of your calendars in the iCalendar format from Outlook to Google and in vice versa. However, the imported calendar snapshots are not updatable and you need to get a new snapshot every time the calendar gets updated. This does not seem to be the best approach if you are actively using both calendars, though it may work if e.g. you plan to get your Outlook calendar into Gmail and then stop using Outlook.

Importing a calendar from Google into Outlook

1. Copy the Google Calendar's URL as described above (Steps 1 -3).

2. Click the calendar's URL that shows up.

3. When the basic.ics file is downloaded, click on it to import the calendar into Outlook.

The imported Google calendar will open side-by-side with your Outlook Calendar and will be available under Other Calendars.

Note: The imported calendar is static and it won't update. To get the latest version of your Google Calendar, you should repeat the steps described above. Alternatively, you can subscribe to your Google Calendar and have it updated automatically.

Exporting Outlook calendar to Google

1. In Outlook Calendar, select the calendar you want to export to Google to make it the active calendar in the view.

2. Switch to the File tab and click Save Calendar.

3. Type a name for the iCal file in the File Name field.

4. Click the More Options button to specify the date range and detail level.

Tip: Click the Advanced button for two more options: 1) whether to export private items and 2) whether to export attachments within your Outlook calendar items. If you choose the latter, be aware that this might significantly increase the size of the iCalendar file.

5. Click OK to close the More Options dialog and then click Save.

That's it! You have performed all needed steps in Outlook and now let's finish the process on Google Calendar's side.

6. Log onto your Google Calendar account.

7. Click the little black arrow next to My calendars and choose Settings.

8. Under Calendar, click the Import Calendar link.

9. Click the "Choose File" button and browse for the .ics file you have created earlier and click Open.

10. In the drop down box next to Calendar, choose the Google Calendar where you want to import your Outlook appointments.

11. Click the Import button to finish the process.

Note. Similar to Importing a calendar from Google into Outlook, the transferred calendar is static and won't update along with the changes you make in Outlook. To get the recent version of your Outlook calendar, you need to repeat this procedure.

Well, in this article we've covered several tools and techniques that will hopefully help you sync your Google calendar with Outlook. If none of them meets you requirements in full, you can check out various paid services, such as OggSync, Outlook Dav, Sync2, CompanionLink, GooOut and many others.

Important Note! Please be sure to use only one syncing method described in this tutorial at a time, or else you may end up having duplicate calendar items in Outlook and Google.

How to streamline your email communication in Outlook

Though this section does not relate directly to synching Outlook and Google, it may be useful for those who actively use Outlook in daily work. I just want to take this opportunity and introduce you 5 smart plug-ins for Outlook 2013 - 2003. Created initially for internal use inside our company by our best Outlook developers, these small plug-ins might be of great help. They will automate the following tasks for you:

• Send BCC /CC copies automatically
• Send silent BCC copies
• Reply to emails with a template (all members of our support team use this Template Phrases plug-in and it's hard to say how much time it has actually saved us!)
• Check outgoing emails before sending
• Find and manage Outlook contacts
• See a sender's local time when opening an email

You can find more details about the tools and download their trials by clicking the links above. Just give them a try, and these plug-ins will speed up and improve your Outlook experience in so many ways!

You can buy any of the tools separately or as part of Plug-ins Collection. And don't forget to grab a special coupon code that we created especially for our blog readers. Use it on the order form and get the 15% discount on any products: AB14-BlogSpoAnd this seems to be all for today, thank you for reading!

source: Ablebits.com