With the Side-by-side calendar view support of Outlook 2007, adding my Google Calendar to my Outlook 2007 client at work was a simple yet effective way for me to avoid missing personal appointments.  The process works by configuring Outlook to connect or subscribe to the Google Calendars Private ICAL address.

 

Before you add your calendar, it’s important to understand 2 things about connecting Outlook to an Internet Calendar (ICAL):  

1. ICAL only allows for READ ONLY access to your Google calendar inside Outlook.  No changes can be made.
2. There is no authentication on the Private ICAL address so be sure not to share it with anyone unless you want them to see all your Google Calendar Appointments / Events.

 

Okay, enough small talk.  How do we do it?

 

How-To Add Google And Other Internet Calendars To  Microsoft Outlook 2007.

 

1.   Finding the ICAL address can be a little tricky.  First open your Google Calendar, Click Settings.  Then once the page loads Click Calendars.    

 

2.   Click the calendar you want displayed in Outlook.  Below I selected my groovyDexter Calendar.

 

3.   Scroll down the page and find the Private Address Section.  Right-Click the ICAL button and Click Copy Address (or Copy Link Location if using Firefox) to get the secret address.  Copy the URL address you get from the ICAL button using Right-Click Copy

 

 

Before you continue, did you copy the ICAL address from the PRIVATE address and not the Calendar Address?  This is important.  Double check now. 

 

4.   Open Outlook, Click Tools > Account Settings…

 

5.   In the account settings pop-up Click Internet Calendars.  Next Click New… then Paste the ICAL address into the white box and Click Add.

 

6.  Assign a name to your Calendar Folder, and an optional description.  Check the box under Update Limit

Note: Update Limit will just keep your Outlook from spamming the calendar server needlessly

 

7.  Open your Outlook Calendar and look for the newly Created Google Calendar on the left sidebar.  Check the Box to display it next to your existing Calendar.

 

 

Viola!  Now you can see both your Outlook Calendar and your Google Calendar simultaneously.  Please remember that this process leaves your Google Calendar as “read only” so you won’t be able to mess with it from within Outlook.  If you find it’s not getting updated frequent enough, just press the F9 Key to force an update / pull from your Google Calendar.

 

The end result should look something like my Calendar below:

 

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Tags: calendar, collaboration, google, google-calendar, ical, Microsoft, microsoft office, outlook 2007