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Add to calendar links for Google, Outlook and Apple

The link format for each calendar, how time zones and all-day events work, an HTML button you can paste, and why Apple Calendar needs an .ics file instead.

The Liite team4 min read

You've organised a webinar, a class or a launch party. People say they'll come, then forget, because the date never made it into their calendar. An add to calendar link fixes that: one click and the event is in their calendar, with the time, place and details filled in.

There's no single link that works for every calendar, though. Here's what each one needs.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar takes a web link with the event packed into it:

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/render?action=TEMPLATE&text=Spring%20workshop&dates=20261120T150000Z/20261120T163000Z&details=Bring%20a%20laptop&location=Studio%204
  • text: the event title.
  • dates: the start and end, separated by a slash. The Z on the end means the times are in UTC.
  • details: the description.
  • location: an address or a video call link.

For an all-day event, use dates without times, like 20261120/20261121. The end date is the day after the event ends, which catches a lot of people out: a one-day event on 20 November runs to 21 November.

Outlook.com and Microsoft 365

Outlook uses a different format, and personal and work accounts have different addresses:

https://outlook.live.com/calendar/0/action/compose?path=/calendar/action/compose&rru=addevent&subject=Spring%20workshop&startdt=2026-11-20T15:00:00Z&enddt=2026-11-20T16:30:00Z&body=Bring%20a%20laptop&location=Studio%204

That's for Outlook.com and Hotmail accounts. For work or school accounts on Microsoft 365, swap the start for https://outlook.office.com/. Offer both if your guests are a mix, labelled "Outlook" and "Office 365".

Yahoo Calendar has a link format of its own too. Our generator makes it alongside the others.

Apple Calendar: use an .ics file

Apple Calendar doesn't take web links like these. It opens an .ics file, the standard calendar file format. Desktop Outlook, Thunderbird and most other calendar apps open it too, so it's the safe fallback for everyone.

An .ics file is plain text:

BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Example//Events//EN
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:spring-workshop-2026@example.com
DTSTAMP:20261101T090000Z
DTSTART:20261120T150000Z
DTEND:20261120T163000Z
SUMMARY:Spring workshop
LOCATION:Studio 4
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR

Host the file on your website, attach it to an email, or link to it from a button. On an iPhone, opening it offers to add the event to Apple Calendar.

Time zones and daylight saving

The safest approach is to convert the event time to UTC and put a Z on the end, as in the examples above. Each calendar then shows the event in the guest's own local time. A 3 pm call in London appears at 10 am for someone in New York.

The tricky part is daylight saving. London is UTC+0 in November but UTC+1 in summer, so the conversion depends on the date. Pick the time zone where the event happens, not where your guests are, and let a tool do the maths. Our calendar link generator works out the right UTC time for that date and zone.

All-day events are the exception. They have a date but no time, so they stay on the same day wherever people are. Use them for deadlines and holidays, not for anything people need to join at a set time.

An add to calendar button

On a web page or in an email, show the links as a row of buttons labelled with each calendar's name:

<a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/render?action=TEMPLATE&amp;text=...">Google Calendar</a>
<a href="https://outlook.live.com/calendar/0/action/compose?rru=addevent&amp;subject=...">Outlook</a>
<a href="/spring-workshop.ics" download>Apple Calendar (.ics)</a>

In HTML, write & inside a link as &amp;. Most browsers forgive a bare &, but some email builders don't.

A few tips that make the buttons get used:

  • Put them right after the sign-up, in the confirmation email or on the thank-you page, when people are most likely to click.
  • Keep the description short and practical: what to bring, how to join, who to contact.
  • Put the video call link in the location field as well as the description, so it shows where people look.
  • For print, don't squeeze a calendar link into a QR code. Point the code at the event's page and put the buttons there.

These links don't update

Each link carries the event details inside it. If the date or the room changes, you need new links, and anyone who already added the event keeps the old details. Tell guests about changes directly as well.

That's one reason to give the event its own page and share the page rather than the raw links. The page can always show the current details.

Event pages on Liite

On Liite, an Event block on your page shows the date, time and place with Add to calendar links for Google, Outlook and Apple built in, plus links to the venue in Google Maps and Apple Maps. Turn on RSVPs and guests can say whether they're coming, with a capacity and a waitlist if you need them.

Your page has its own QR code for posters and flyers, and when the details change, you edit the page and republish.

Make links for any event with the calendar link generator, or make your free page and add an Event block.