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How can I synchronise my desktop Outlook calendar with my Google Calendar (Outlook -> Google)?

I saw the question Free tool for Synchronizing Google Contacts and Calendar with Outlook, but the solution that was suggested there is no longer available - Google Sync End of Life.

There are tools that required a payment, like SyncMyCal, gSyncit and OggSync, but I am looking for a free / open source solution.

One can download Google sync, but when trying to use it there's an error:

Enter image description here

For now, I use OggSync to synchronise, but as a freeware it allows to synchronise manually only, not automatically, so I have to remember to synchronise after every change.

I checked Mozilla Sunbird, but I couldn't find any relative posts on how to synchronise Outlook -> Google using it.

Just to be clear: I'm not looking for software; I am looking for a solution. What can I do if sometimes software is a solution?

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  • Your unlikely going to get additional answers to your question since you already accepted and answer and at this point your asking for suggestions for free products. Sometimes the solution is that what you want doesn't exist and needs to be created. Of course my research also indicates that Oggsync is automatic. There is also a simple solution. Migrate to the Business suite of Google Apps.
    – Ramhound
    Mar 7, 2013 at 11:42
  • I've accepted it since it was the only answer and the question was closed. If you have a better answer, i will accept yours..
    – Kuf
    Mar 7, 2013 at 11:55
  • I don't do product suggestions since they are not on topic. There might be a few exceptions where I do suggest a tool, I only do that because, the tool unique enough its worth to make an exception ( i.e. CCLeaner, SpinRite, ect ).
    – Ramhound
    Mar 7, 2013 at 11:59
  • I'm not looking for a product per say, I'm looking for a solution. I'm a developer and I don't mind working to achieve this. The thing is , I tried googling with no luck, so I hoped that i will find here someone who managed to find a solution.
    – Kuf
    Mar 7, 2013 at 12:06
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    I'm looking for syncing the other way (Outlook -> Google) but anyhow, i gave up on the hope of getting serious answer on this forum. Very simple question, many that can gain from it, but i spend all this time just to ask the same in a manner that please everyone. never mind than. Will continue doing it manually.
    – Kuf
    Mar 7, 2013 at 13:14

9 Answers 9

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The synchronisation is sort of no longer needed. You can simply open your Google calendar in Outlook and overlay it. To do this, go to the calendar settings in Google and click on the ICAL button. Copy the URL.

Then go to Outlook and select the "Open Calendar" button from the Ribbon, then "From Internet". Enter the URL you copied above. It now displays your Google calendar next to your Outlook calendar. Click the little arrow next to the Google Calendar name to overlay it.

Google seems to be deliberately not providing these instructions next to the instructions for other OSes and applications. They must have fallen out with Microsoft, very childish!

I am not sure how to make it work in reverse though (add the Outlet calendar to Google) - I expect this is possible if you know the URL of your calendar on the Exchange server.

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    Mark- I will try this. Do you know if you can still edit the calendar in Outlook? Or will it be read-only mode?
    – Kevin Rettig
    May 6, 2013 at 12:39
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    this method is read-only. with this method, you cannot modify your google calendar from within outlook.
    – Felipe Alvarez
    Jul 9, 2013 at 5:40
  • Thansk Mark, I used the 'private' calendar sync. I got the ics url from the google account settings. 'Calendar details'\ICAL button. On the Outlook 2013 side I had to change the https://... .ics to webcal://... .ics I'm just flabergasted that I'm unable to sync Outlook 2013 application with the Outlook Office 365 web application, and I have to use gmail calendar as an intermediate! No wonder microsoft is going down hill.
    – Sentient
    Jul 30, 2013 at 16:20
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    I am looking for the other sync direction, that is Outlook -> Google. I don't mind it if it will be read only, just that it will work!
    – Kuf
    Dec 17, 2013 at 8:31
  • @Sentient At the time of writing, it's read-only, even after changing prefix to webcal://
    – Deleted
    Jun 13, 2014 at 3:39
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If you're still looking, I recently found an open source project to do this on CodePlex, OutlookGoogleSync. I haven't tried it yet though.

A small tool to keep the Google calendar in sync with the Outlook calendar (one way: Outlook -> Google). Doesn't need admin rights and works behind a proxy. Works with Outlook 2003 and newer.

For future reference, this seems to a a fork with a lot of recent activity, however it is still Alpha at this time: outlookgooglesyncbidirectional

An even more active project (at this time): Outlook Google Calendar Sync which moved, after the closing of codeplex, to here (github).

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  • 3
    This works really good for me. Absolutely recommended
    – Juancentro
    Jul 31, 2014 at 15:12
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    This is an old reference that isn't updated anymore. But doing a quick search for "outlook google calendar" on CodePlex renders an up to date project which worked flawlessly for Outlook 2016! outlookgooglecalendarsync.codeplex.com
    – TheHolyTerrah
    Nov 16, 2016 at 14:48
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I downloaded the free version of gsyncit at: http://www.fieldstonsoftware.com/software/gsyncit3/ If you just need to sync your Outlook calendar to your Google calendar it is FREE*. It took a couple of syncs to get everything up to date.

*Update:

As of November 2014 the unregistered version of GSyncIt has some limitations:

The unregistered version is limited to synchronizing one Google and Outlook calendar, synchronizing 50 contacts/note/tasks entries and does not sync deletes for contacts/notes/tasks entries. Registration will remove these limitations and remove any registration/nag dialogs from the application.

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  • 3
    Free version allows 1 Gcal and one Outlook calendar, which is going to be great for most people purposes.
    – Patrick
    Jul 9, 2013 at 7:42
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    There is no free version, it is only that you can try an unregistered version before you buy. Besides the license issue, it shows a popup when you start outlook that stays open for 15 seconds, etc.
    – payala
    Dec 20, 2013 at 12:34
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    It also allows only 50 items to be synchronised.
    – YogoZuno
    Aug 4, 2014 at 23:49
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See this Microsoft KB article: Transfer calendars between Outlook and Google Calendar:

By using Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, you can import and export calendars from Google Calendar as Calendar Snapshots in the iCalendar format. This functionality enables you to transfer calendars between Outlook and Google Calendar.

So long as you have Outlook installed and a Google account, this requires no additional software tools. This is probably a better method, as it doesn't use the Exchange ActiveSync protocol, which has been depreciated by Google in favour of CalDAV.

Now, back to Google. From that article you posted regarding Sync's end-of-life:

Google Calendar Sync: The Google Calendar Sync download link will be removed on December 14, 2012. Existing users can continue to use it to sync with Microsoft Outlook Calendar, but it will no longer be supported by Google as of December 14, 2012. Google Apps for Business, Education, and Government customers can still use Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook®.

I know they said the download link would be removed, but as of writing this, you can still download it here.

Unfortunately, Google and Microsoft aren't exactly "friends" with this respect (fair enough, they're competing companies after all). From this article regarding Google Calendar synchronization with desktop applications, they've removed any mention to Microsoft software - the closest being to use Mozilla Sunbird as an alternative!

Again, unofficially, you can continue to synchronize as you used to in the past - Google's articles above state you can do so. However, I would try to transition to the process outlined by Microsoft's KB article at the top of this answer, or wait until Microsoft releases support for the CalDAV format.

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    Mozilla Sunbird hardly is an alternative it hasn't been updated in years, has been discontinue, and never really reach maturity state that the other Mozilla products reached. Let alone the fact even Thunderbird also has been placed in the "we don't care pile" so even that isn't a solution ( with a calendar plugin ). The last time Sunbird was updated Windows XP was the only Windows operating system on the market besides Windows 2000.
    – Ramhound
    Mar 6, 2013 at 13:48
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    @Kuf go through the Microsoft KB article and it should help you. Also see my answer to this question regarding exporting/importing calendars between Outlook and Google Calendar.
    – Breakthrough
    Mar 6, 2013 at 15:32
  • The first portion of your answer does not provide "syncing" but only manual exporting / importing. The second portion of your answer is out of date now. Logging in with a non-business/education account results in an error saying this is not supported on free accounts. It does not let you continue. Despite it only being "unsupported", Google Sync now longer works for free accounts.
    – aus
    Apr 1, 2013 at 17:41
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    From the linked article: "This is a static calendar that does not update, regardless of changes made to it in Outlook. To update the calendar in Google Calendar with the changes made to it in the Outlook calendar, you must repeat this procedure."
    – Dan Esparza
    Sep 24, 2013 at 20:37
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    Confirming this app no longer works as at today.
    – YogoZuno
    Aug 4, 2014 at 23:49
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The way I understand it, is that Google is now deprecating their odd little client/server in favour of established Open Protocols: CalDAV and CardDAV. So, in theory, I should be able to use my $WHATEVER client, connect and synchronise to the protocol and not care what's at the other end, as long as both client and server are standards-compliant (RFC 4791 and RFC 6352).

Unfortunately, we have an unholy trinity here: Google & Microsoft talking over protocols developed by Apple (and Oracle) - so things are bound to break!

Anyway, what I'm guessing I should be able to do is connect with Outlook using the configurations used by other clients: (a standard is a standard, right?)

I'd be curious to see where this goes...

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You can find a number of ways to sync Outlook and Google Calendar in the following article, including:

  • A solution that lets you use the old Google Sync tool with Outlook 2013, 2010 and 2007 (on 1 Aug 2014 the article was updated to say that this old version too has stopped working).
  • Setting up one-way syncing from Google Calendar to Outlook
  • Using free sync tools and services such as gSyncit and SynqYa
  • Importing / exporting calendars between Outlook and Google manually

From How to synch Google Calendar with Outlook 2010 and 2013.

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  • +1 this is a very nice article. Your answer would be even better if you could summarize or at least list all those different tools from your source
    – nixda
    Mar 18, 2014 at 15:16
  • Thank you very much for your advice, I've updated my answer.
    – Alexander Frolov
    Mar 18, 2014 at 16:56
  • This answer needs more love. The article contains a link to an old version of the Sync Tool that still works. In case the article goes down, the link is: goo.gl/xAeU3V
    – Lilienthal
    Jun 25, 2014 at 14:41
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For a open source solution, look at Funambol.

It may not be exactly what you are looking for, but you could certainly leverage the Windows sync client code.

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Look at Android sync software and Pricing of Sync2 . They cost money, but you get what you pay for!

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[Edit Oct 24, 2014] Now using OutlookGoogleSync tool suggested by @Legolas above. It generates calendar event diff file for both Outlook and Google calendars. So, you can use this tool to harvest calendar data from either and then roll your own implementation, if need be. Nice tool!

Use Mark's suggestion to view Google calendar in Outlook. For Outlook calendar in Google, I suggest the following approaches:

Synqya

No software install required on either the PC or the phone. Outlook itself is used to push changes to their server using the in-built WebDav push feature. They deliver changes to Google Calendar you choose during setup. Drawback being providing Google account credentials, so I suggest creating a separate Google account for this and then share the calendar with your main Google calendar account.

Onemediahub

  1. Sync outlook calendar to [onemediahub.com][1] (500 mb free)
  2. SyncML client on Android to sync from onemediahub.com to Google

Sync software needs to be running on windows machine all the time. Plus events not added to your Google calendar but imported from their calendar.

PS: Onemediahub is provided by the Funambol team. Sync happens by utilizing the SyncML protocol.

Disclaimer: Not affiliated to any of these companies. Just a happy user :)

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