I'm sure by now all of you are aware that the old good Google Calendar Sync is not supported any longer. And you don't need to have the third eye to understand at least one reason why they discontinued it. 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. Show
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. How to synch Google Calendar with Outlook (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
Synchronizing with Outlook 2010, 2013 and 2016Method 1:
Method 2:
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 Calendar Sync / Google Apps Sync for Microsoft OutlookUpdated on 1-Aug-2014. Google officially announced "Google Sync End of Life", including the Google Calendar Sync, last year. And on 1 August 2014, our good old Google Calendar Sync has finally come to an end, alas. Initially, this section contained a backup download link for Google Calendar Sync and instructions on how to make it work with new versions of Outlook 2010 and 2013. But since all that stuff is of no use any longer, we have removed it. I'm explaining this so that you won't be confused if you come across mentioning of that magic link in early comments to this post. Even if you find it somewhere else, it would be of no avail because Google Calendar Sync has stopped functioning altogether. So, what alternative does Google offer to us now? I guess everyone already knows - Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook plug-in. This new sync app supports all versions of Outlook 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, and Outlook 2016 and automatically syncs e-mail, contacts and calendars between Outlook and Google apps servers. It can also simultaneously copy 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 2016 - 2003. In this section, we are going to look into some free tools and services and see what benefits they provide. SynqYa - free web service to synchronize calendars and filesYou 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:
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. SynqYa Pros: no client software, no installation (admin rights are not required), syncs Outlook, Apple iCal and other calendar software with Google Calendar. SynqYa Cons: more difficult to configure (based on our blog readers feedback); syncs with one calendar only; no option to check for duplicates, meaning if you have the same appointments in Outlook and Google, you will have these entries in double after syncing. Calendar Sync for Outlook and Google - free 1-way and 2-way syncingCalendar Sync is free software to sync Outlook appointments with Google events. It supports one-way syncing either from Outlook or Google as well as 2-way syncing by last changed appointments/events. It also lets you delete duplicate items in Outlook and Google calendars. Outlook 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016 are supported. The following screenshot demonstrates how to configure the syncing settings: Calendar Sync Pros: easy-to-configure, allows 1-way and 2-way syncing, a portable (zip) version is available that does not require admin rights and allows using the proxy settings. Calendar Sync Cons: Free version allow synching appointments / events only within a 30 day range. Outlook Google Calendar SyncOutlook Google Calendar Sync is another free tool for syncing Outlook and Google calendars. This small tool doesn't require admin rights, works behind a proxy and supports the following versions:
I have to say that I did not try this tool personally, but the manufacturer warns that this project is currently undergoing a lot of development and therefore bugs are inevitable. Paid tools to sync Outlook and Google calendarsUpdated on 1-Aug-2014. Initially, I did not plan to include any commercial tools in this article. But now that the former top player (Google Calendar Sync) is out of the game, it probably makes sense to review some paid tools as well, and see how they compare to each other. Below you will find a quick overview of the syncing tool that I tried personally. I will probably add some more tools in the future if you find this info useful. CompanionLink for GoogleThis application can synchronize calendars, contacts and tasks between Outlook and Google and lets you select the categories to be synced. Also, it does support syncing of multiple calendars, which is a big plus. The tool works with all versions of Outlook 2016 - 2000. The configurations process is very straightforward and you will hardly need any guidance. I will just point out a few key steps and features below. To start configuring, you can click on the Settings icon in the CompanionLink group on the Add-ins ribbon tab in Outlook, or click the CompanionLink icon on the desktop, or find it in the programs list.
You are all set now. Of course, you can switch between other tabs and play with other settings if you want to. For example, you can set the Category Filter on the corresponding tab. The Mac version of CompanionLink is also available that supports 2-way syncing between Mac and Google. If you are interested to try the CompanionLink syncing tool, here is the product's page - CompanionLink for Google. A trial version is not publically available, though, and you would have to provide your email address to get it. I personally hate this practice, but they probably have some reasoning behind it. Currently CompanionLink offers two pricing models - one-time license for $49.95 or 3-month subscription for $14.95. CompanionLink Pros: feature-rich, easy-to configure; supports 1-way and 2-way manual or automatic syncing of calendars, contacts and tasks; can sync multiple calendars; the company provides free phone support. CompanionLink Cons: only paid version is available, complicated procedure to get a trial. gSyncit - software to sync Outlook calendars, contacts, notes and tasks with GooglegSyncit 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 and lets you edit Google calendar events imported into 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. A while ago, this was one of the most popular free tools with just 2 significant limitations - syncing just one calendar and a pop-up appearing on Outlook start with a 15 second delay. However, the changes introduced in version 4 have made an unregistered version almost useless:
So, currently an unregistered version of gSyncit can be used for evaluation purposes only, alas. If you want to remove the above limitations, you will have to buy a registered version. How to configure Outlook and Google calendar syncing with gSyncit
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:
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. gSyncit Pros: easy-to-configure, allows 2-way syncing of calendars, tasks and contacts; additional options such as pre-configured automatic syncing, removing duplicate items etc. gSyncit Cons (free version): displays a pop-up window on Outlook start preventing Outlook usage for 15 seconds, supports syncing with one Outlook calendar only, synchronizes 50 entries only, and does not sync deletes. Import / export calendars between Outlook and GoogleUsing 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
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
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, Sync2, 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. Tip. Want to streamline your Outlook email communication? Try out Shared Email Templates - the add-in I use daily and absolutely love! You may also be interested inWhy isn't my Outlook calendar syncing with Google Calendar?Go to Settings, Mail, Contacts, Calendars and tap Add Account. Use the options to add Google and Outlook.com accounts. Accept the offer to sync calendars and that's it.
Does Google Calendar automatically sync with Outlook?Why? Because Outlook for Android, macOS, iPhone, and iPad can all natively sync with Google Calendar. Just add your Google account to Outlook and you'll have two-way syncing for all of your calendars, along with your email, tasks, and contacts.
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