"I'm looking to convert my Outlook calendar into an ICS file, but I currently lack the necessary tools for this task. While this conversion is essential, I'd prefer not to incur any expenses on software. Additionally, I don't have a technical background and lack deep knowledge in this area. I kindly request fellow users and experts to recommend a straightforward and free method for someone like me, who isn't tech-savvy, to perform this Outlook calendar to ICS file conversion. Your assistance and time are greatly appreciated. Thank you!"
In various situations, users find themselves needing to convert certain formats into others. Similarly, individuals often seek to convert their Outlook calendar into the ICS format when the need arises. This blog will comprehensively outline the entire process of converting an Outlook calendar into the ICS format. Please continue reading for step-by-step instructions.
What is ICS file?
"To manually configure Outlook 2007 with Office 365, it's essential to have a good understanding of Office 365 functionality. Once you have that knowledge, you can proceed with the following steps.
For those unfamiliar with an ICS file, ICS stands for iCalendar file, and it uses the '.ics' file extension. This file format encompasses all the elements typically found in a calendar, such as event dates, start and end times, event descriptions, and more. Importantly, these details are stored in plain text, making it compatible with various email and calendar programs.
Regardless of the reason for needing to convert an Outlook calendar to an ICS file, it's essential to prioritize safety and reliability. It is strongly recommended to opt for trustworthy tools and methods. In this guide, we will demonstrate how to achieve this using Outlook itself.
- Run Outlook in your system.
- Once it is open on your screen, locate the Calendar in the bottom and click on it.
- Now from the My Calendars menu that will open on the left pane of the screen; select the calendar that you want to convert.
- Now, click on the File option and from its menu, select Save Calendar.
- As you proceed, you will get to save the file with a name, provide the name and from the Save as type drop-down box, select iCalendar Format as the new format for the calendar.
- Once you have opted for the ICS format, click on the More Options option.
- Now in the Save as dialogue box, look for the Date Range and from the drop-down menu there select a specific number of days, or just select the Whole Calendar.
- Click on OK to proceed.
- Next, you'll encounter the 'Detail' option in the Save As dialogue box. In the column adjacent to 'Detail,' you should specify the specific details you want to include in your newly converted calendar. These options in the 'Detail' menu are self-explanatory and offer a variety of choices to cater to the user's needs. The available options encompass availability filters like 'Free,' 'Busy,' 'Out of Office,' and more, as well as choices for 'Limited Details' and 'Full Details.' Select the options that align with your preferences.
- Now the third option available in Save as dialogue box is Advanced. In this you will see two options, “Include details of items marked private,” and “Include attachments within calendar items.” Both of these options are given with checkboxes beside them, check the box as per your requirement.
- Once done with all options, click on the OK button to proceed.
- You will be back on the previous screen, where you were saving a new calendar, specify a location and click on the Save button to finish.
That's the process for converting an Outlook Calendar into ICS format. After completing the steps above, you'll have the ICS file saved in your chosen location. Now, let's proceed with the step-by-step process of importing the ICS file into Mac iCal.
Once you have converted Outlook calendar into ICS file, you must need to know how to use that ICS file further. To import ICS file to Mac iCal, follow the below-mentioned steps:
- Attach a safe external device like USB Drive or a Pen Drive to your system
- Now, go to the location of your newly converted ICS file.
- Make a right-click on the ICS file and select Sent to from the options menu.
- Select the newly attached external drive as the sending destination of the file.
- Now, remove the external drive safely from the previous system and attach it to your Mac.
- Once recognized by the system, open it and copy paste the file in the system.
Note: It is highly recommended to copy and paste the file into your system first. Doing this will give your assured results. Taking a file directly from the external drive to the destination may damage or break it. - Now, simply drag and drop the ICS file from the system to the iCal.
So, wasn’t it easy to convert and import Outlook calendar to ICS format? It was fun doing it and the results were accurate. Moreover, it was totally free!
While converting OST to ICS is useful, you may have other format conversion needs. Don't worry; we've got a solution for you! Consider using 'Kernel for Outlook PST Repair.' This third-party automated tool offers versatile functionality, allowing you to save a PST Calendar folder to various destinations, such as exporting an Outlook calendar to Word. It excels in tasks like conversion, migration, and even repairing corrupt PST files.
This tool offers the flexibility to save your Outlook calendar data to various destinations. One notable advantage is its ability to recover deleted emails and calendar data from damaged PST files. You can download the trial version of the tool and enjoy its unique benefits for free, with the ability to process up to 25 items per folder.
Conclusion:
In this blog, we covered the steps to save your Outlook calendar in ICS format, using Outlook's 'Save As' feature, and then importing the ICS file into Mac iCal. The entire process proved to be fast and straightforward. Additionally, we recommended Kernel for Outlook PST Recovery as a solution for recovering inaccessible calendar data from damaged PST files. We hope this blog has been helpful to you!
