CorrectICS

How to Open an ICS File and Add It to Your Calendar

If someone sent you an .ics calendar file and you’re not sure what to do with it, you’re not alone. Event planners, marketers, and coordinators see these all the time — usually as email attachments or download links.

This guide shows you, step‑by‑step, how to:

  • Open an .ics file
  • Add it to Google Calendar, Outlook, or Apple Calendar
  • Check if the file itself is broken and fix it

If you just want to quickly check whether the file is valid:

Try the CorrectICS Autofix Tool

1. What is an .ics file?

An .ics file is a standard calendar format used to share events. It can contain:

  • A single event (e.g., one webinar invitation)
  • A series of events (e.g., a training program)
  • An entire calendar (e.g., a conference schedule)

Most calendar apps can open .ics files — the main difference is where you click to import them.

2. Open an ICS file in Google Calendar

There are two common ways:

A) Import a one‑time file

Use this if you downloaded a single .ics from email or a website.

  1. Save the .ics file somewhere on your computer.
  2. In a browser, open Google Calendar.
  3. On the left under “Other calendars,” click the + button.
  4. Choose Import.
  5. Click Select file from your computer and pick the .ics file.
  6. Choose the calendar you want to add events to.
  7. Click Import.

If nothing happens or you see a generic error, the file itself may be invalid. In that case, upload it to /fix to see what’s wrong.

If you have a link ending in .ics (not a downloaded file):

  1. Copy the URL that ends in .ics.
  2. In Google Calendar, click the + next to “Other calendars.”
  3. Choose From URL.
  4. Paste the .ics link and click Add calendar.

3. Open an ICS file in Outlook

A) Outlook on the web

  1. Save the .ics file from your email.
  2. Open Outlook on the web and go to Calendar.
  3. In the toolbar, look for Add calendar (or a similar option).
  4. Choose Upload from file.
  5. Select your .ics file and pick which calendar it should go into.

B) Outlook desktop (Windows/Mac)

  1. Save the .ics file to your computer.
  2. Double‑click the file.
  3. Outlook should open and show a preview of the events.
  4. Choose Save & Close or Import to add it to your calendar.

If double‑clicking does nothing, try opening Outlook first, then using File → Open & Export → Import/Export and select the .ics file from there.

If Outlook shows a message like “The file is not a valid iCalendar file,” the file itself is likely malformed. You can upload it to /fix to diagnose and repair common issues.

Try the CorrectICS Autofix Tool

4. Open an ICS file in Apple Calendar (Mac/iPhone)

A) Apple Calendar on macOS

  1. Save the .ics file.
  2. Double‑click the file in Finder.
  3. Apple Calendar will open and show the event(s).
  4. Choose which calendar to add them to and click OK.

If double‑click doesn’t work, open Calendar, then use File → Import… and choose the .ics file.

B) iPhone or iPad

  1. In Mail or Messages, tap the .ics attachment.
  2. You should see event details with an option like Add to Calendar.
  3. Tap Add.

If iOS says it can’t read the file, the .ics may be broken. You can forward the file to a computer, run it through /fix, and then re‑send the repaired version.

5. What if the ICS file still doesn’t work?

If you followed the steps above and the calendar still:

  • Won’t import the file
  • Shows the wrong time
  • Creates duplicate events

the problem is almost certainly inside the .ics content.

Use CorrectICS to:

  • Validate the file and see a simple list of issues
  • Download a corrected version when safe
  • Share a request ID with your internal IT or vendor support if they need deeper technical details
Try the CorrectICS Autofix Tool