Guide

Google Calendar iCal link: get the ICS address, fix a missing secret, or add a feed

Short answer: get a Google Calendar iCal (ICS) link on a computer. Open Google Calendar, click Settings, then under Settings for my calendars click the calendar. Open Integrate calendar. Copy Public address in iCal format or Secret address in iCal format. The public address only works if the calendar is public. The secret address gives anyone with the link read access to event details, so treat it like a password. If you shared it, click Reset. Google Calendar Help documents these controls on a computer. It does not document an iCal address in the Calendar app.

The other direction is adding a published calendar From URL, or importing an .ics file. From URL is a live, delayed subscription. Import is a one-time copy. An iCal link shares full event details. Resync does not use ICS feeds. It writes private Busy holds between Google calendars you connect.

Get the iCal (ICS) link on a computer

Google Calendar Help calls this an iCal address. The file format is iCalendar, and the usual file extension is .ics. Help documents the copy step on a computer, not in the Calendar app for Android or iPhone.

On your computer, open Google Calendar.
In the top right, click Settings.
On the left, under Settings for my calendars, click the name of the calendar.
Click Integrate calendar.
Copy Secret address in iCal format to view the calendar in another application without making it public. Or copy Public address in iCal format if the calendar is already public.
Paste the link where the other application asks for an ICS, iCal, or web calendar URL.

Help also documents signing in with Google in the other app when that app can sync the account for view and edit. An iCal address is the view-only path.

Google Calendar Help steps checked Nov 4, 2026. Cited from Sync your calendar with computer programs and Create & manage a public Google calendar.

Public vs secret address

These are two different ICS URLs on the same Integrate calendar page. Help treats them differently.

Secret address in iCal format: Help says this lets you view your calendar in other applications, like Outlook or Apple Calendar. Only you should know that address. Do not share it. Anyone with the link can read the events on that calendar. If you accidentally shared it, click Reset to invalidate the old address and create a new one.
Public address in iCal format: Help says this iCal address only works if the calendar is public. You make a calendar public from Access permissions for events by checking Make available to public. You can choose all event details or See only free/busy (hide details). Help also documents a Public URL to this calendar for people who should not have to sign in.

After you reset a secret address, every app that used the old URL stops updating until you paste the new one. Help does not document a reset control for the public address. Unchecking Make available to public usually takes a few minutes and can take up to 4 hours.

Google Calendar Help steps checked Nov 4, 2026. Cited from Sync your calendar with computer programs and Create & manage a public Google calendar.

Secret address in iCal format missing

Help's documented note is short: on a work or school account, your admin might have changed sharing settings, so ask your admin if you cannot find the Secret Address. Other gaps follow from where Help puts the control. If Help does not name a menu, this table says so.

What you see	Likely cause	Fix
Using the mobile app	Google Calendar Help documents the secret and public iCal addresses on a computer under Settings for my calendars, then Integrate calendar. Sharing settings are also computer-only. The Calendar app does not show Integrate calendar.	Open calendar.google.com on a computer. Click Settings, then the calendar under Settings for my calendars, then Integrate calendar.
Work or school account	If you use a Google Account for work, school, or another organization, your admin might have changed sharing settings. Calendar Help says that can hide the Secret Address. Admin Help documents external sharing limits, including only free/busy. Help does not name a labeled secret iCal toggle.	Ask your admin whether external sharing is restricted. Calendar Help says to ask your admin if you cannot find the Secret Address. Do not invent an admin menu from Calendar settings.
Calendar you do not own	Help documents the secret address under Settings for my calendars for the calendar you want to use. It does not document a secret iCal address for a calendar someone else shared with you.	Ask the owner to share the calendar, or to send a published public iCal address if they made that calendar public. If you only need to see their busy time, See only free/busy is enough.
Subscribed or Other calendars	A calendar added From URL, or one you subscribed to, sits under Other calendars. Secret address Help is for calendars under Settings for my calendars. Help does not document a secret address on a feed you already subscribed to.	Use the URL you already added, or ask the publisher for a current public or secret ICS address. Adding From URL is computer-only.
Looking at the public address	Public address in iCal format only works if the calendar is public. If Make available to public is off, that iCal address does not publish the calendar.	For a private view in another app, copy Secret address in iCal format. To use the public address, make the calendar public first, or choose See only free/busy if you only want to publish busy time.
Wrong Google Account	Each Google Account has its own calendars and its own Integrate calendar links. A work tab or a second Gmail account will not show the secret address for the calendar you meant.	Switch to the account that owns the calendar, then open Settings for my calendars again.

Using the mobile app

Likely cause: Google Calendar Help documents the secret and public iCal addresses on a computer under Settings for my calendars, then Integrate calendar. Sharing settings are also computer-only. The Calendar app does not show Integrate calendar.
Fix: Open calendar.google.com on a computer. Click Settings, then the calendar under Settings for my calendars, then Integrate calendar.

Work or school account

Likely cause: If you use a Google Account for work, school, or another organization, your admin might have changed sharing settings. Calendar Help says that can hide the Secret Address. Admin Help documents external sharing limits, including only free/busy. Help does not name a labeled secret iCal toggle.
Fix: Ask your admin whether external sharing is restricted. Calendar Help says to ask your admin if you cannot find the Secret Address. Do not invent an admin menu from Calendar settings.

Calendar you do not own

Likely cause: Help documents the secret address under Settings for my calendars for the calendar you want to use. It does not document a secret iCal address for a calendar someone else shared with you.
Fix: Ask the owner to share the calendar, or to send a published public iCal address if they made that calendar public. If you only need to see their busy time, See only free/busy is enough.

Subscribed or Other calendars

Likely cause: A calendar added From URL, or one you subscribed to, sits under Other calendars. Secret address Help is for calendars under Settings for my calendars. Help does not document a secret address on a feed you already subscribed to.
Fix: Use the URL you already added, or ask the publisher for a current public or secret ICS address. Adding From URL is computer-only.

Looking at the public address

Likely cause: Public address in iCal format only works if the calendar is public. If Make available to public is off, that iCal address does not publish the calendar.
Fix: For a private view in another app, copy Secret address in iCal format. To use the public address, make the calendar public first, or choose See only free/busy if you only want to publish busy time.

Wrong Google Account

Likely cause: Each Google Account has its own calendars and its own Integrate calendar links. A work tab or a second Gmail account will not show the secret address for the calendar you meant.
Fix: Switch to the account that owns the calendar, then open Settings for my calendars again.

Workspace Admin Help documents external sharing options for primary and secondary calendars, including only free/busy. Calendar Help does not say that a specific admin value hides the secret iCal row. If you are looking at the wrong Google Account, switch accounts and open Settings for my calendars again.

Google Calendar Help and Google Workspace Admin Help steps checked Nov 4, 2026. Cited from Sync your calendar with computer programs and Set Google Calendar sharing options.

Add an iCal/ICS link or import a file

Adding a URL and importing a file are different. A URL stays listed under Other calendars and is fetched later. A file becomes events on the calendar you chose and then never updates.

Subscribe to a published calendar From URL:

On your computer, open Google Calendar. You cannot subscribe in the Calendar app.
On the left, next to Other calendars, click Add other calendars, then From URL.
Enter the URL of the published calendar.
Click Add calendar. The calendar appears under Other calendars.

Help says you can only add a calendar with a link if the other person's calendar is public. Use that path for a published public iCal address. Help does not document pasting your own secret address back into Google Calendar.

Import a downloaded .ics file:

On a computer, open Google Calendar.
Click Settings, then Import & Export.
Select a file that ends in .ics or .csv. If you have a .zip export, import each .ics file on its own.
Choose which calendar receives the events, then click Import.

Help says imported events do not stay in sync, and guests and conference data are not imported. If you want two Google Accounts to stay updated, share the calendar.

Google Calendar Help steps checked Nov 4, 2026. Cited from Subscribe to someone else's calendar and Import events to Google Calendar.

Compare export, subscribe, and import

These four Google features look similar because they all mention iCal or .ics. They do not do the same job.

Option	What it is	Keeps updating	When to use it
Secret address in iCal format	A private ICS URL from Integrate calendar. Anyone with the link can view event details in another app. Treat it like a password. Reset invalidates the old address.	The other app fetches the feed on its own schedule. Google Calendar Help does not set that interval. After Reset, the old URL stops working.	Use it to view your own calendar in Outlook or Apple Calendar when you do not want to make the calendar public. Do not paste it into a public page.
Public address in iCal format	An ICS URL that only works if the calendar is public. Anyone with the link can subscribe or sync the published calendar. You can also publish only free/busy.	Subscribers fetch the published calendar later. Help does not document a refresh interval you can set. Unchecking Make available to public can take up to 4 hours.	Use it when the calendar is meant to be public: a team schedule, events page, or a feed you are comfortable sharing.
Subscribe From URL	On a computer, Other calendars, then From URL. Help says you can only add a calendar with a link if the other person's calendar is public. The copy is read-only.	Google re-fetches the ICS/iCal feed on its own schedule, often hours later. There is no refresh button.	Use it for a published feed you only need to view. Do not use it when you need near-real-time busy time on another Google calendar.
Import an .ics file	Settings, then Import & Export. Select a .ics or .csv file and choose which calendar receives the events. Guests and conference data are not imported.	One-time copy. Imported events do not stay in sync. A later import can leave a second copy of the same events.	Use it to move a snapshot into Google Calendar. Share the calendar, or use Resync, if you need later changes to follow.

Secret address in iCal format

What it is: A private ICS URL from Integrate calendar. Anyone with the link can view event details in another app. Treat it like a password. Reset invalidates the old address.
Keeps updating: The other app fetches the feed on its own schedule. Google Calendar Help does not set that interval. After Reset, the old URL stops working.
When to use it: Use it to view your own calendar in Outlook or Apple Calendar when you do not want to make the calendar public. Do not paste it into a public page.

Public address in iCal format

What it is: An ICS URL that only works if the calendar is public. Anyone with the link can subscribe or sync the published calendar. You can also publish only free/busy.
Keeps updating: Subscribers fetch the published calendar later. Help does not document a refresh interval you can set. Unchecking Make available to public can take up to 4 hours.
When to use it: Use it when the calendar is meant to be public: a team schedule, events page, or a feed you are comfortable sharing.

Subscribe From URL

What it is: On a computer, Other calendars, then From URL. Help says you can only add a calendar with a link if the other person's calendar is public. The copy is read-only.
Keeps updating: Google re-fetches the ICS/iCal feed on its own schedule, often hours later. There is no refresh button.
When to use it: Use it for a published feed you only need to view. Do not use it when you need near-real-time busy time on another Google calendar.

Import an .ics file

What it is: Settings, then Import & Export. Select a .ics or .csv file and choose which calendar receives the events. Guests and conference data are not imported.
Keeps updating: One-time copy. Imported events do not stay in sync. A later import can leave a second copy of the same events.
When to use it: Use it to move a snapshot into Google Calendar. Share the calendar, or use Resync, if you need later changes to follow.

Google Calendar Help steps checked Nov 4, 2026.

Sync frequency / not updating

A calendar added From URL is a read-only ICS/iCal subscription. Google re-fetches that feed on its own schedule. Changes can take hours. There is no button to force a refresh and no setting to change the frequency. Google Calendar Help does not publish an interval you can set.

That delay, plus imported files that never update, is covered in the subscribed calendar not updating guide. This page does not repeat that checklist. Sharing a Google calendar is a live overlay, not a polled URL. Resync is not an iCal refresh tool.

Google Calendar Help steps checked Nov 4, 2026. Cited from Subscribe to someone else's calendar.

Privacy vs free/busy

An iCal link is a feed of events. The secret address includes event details. A public calendar can publish all details or only free/busy, but the link still publishes that chosen view to anyone who has it. That is not the same as sharing your calendar with one person, and it is not the same as marking one event Busy or Free.

To let someone see only when you are busy, share the calendar with See only free/busy (hide details). Busy versus Free on an event is a different control. That is in the busy vs free guide. Neither writes a Busy block onto another Google account.

Google Calendar Help steps checked Nov 4, 2026. Cited from Sync your calendar with computer programs, Share your calendar, and Choose what others can do with your calendar.

How Resync fits

Use an iCal address when another application should read a Google calendar as a feed. Use From URL when Google Calendar should show a published calendar. Use import when you want a snapshot. Resync does not subscribe to ICS or iCal URLs and does not accept a feed as a source. It currently syncs Google calendars only. It does not sync Outlook, Apple Calendar, or iCloud.

Use Resync when busy time on one connected Google account should block time on another Google calendar without sharing titles. Resync uses the Google Calendar API with the accounts you connect. It writes Google-only private Busy holds. Holds are titled Busy. $1.50/month or $9/year after a 30-day free trial, no credit card required.

Resync lists calendars Google returns for each connected account. It hides calendars Google marks hidden. It does not take an ICS or iCal URL. A calendar you already added From URL in Google Calendar may appear as a read-only overlay if Google lists it. Resync still talks to the Calendar API, not that feed URL.
You mark Source on the calendars to read and Mirror on the calendars that should receive holds. Resync does not automatically select calendars from an iCal link.
Holds are titled Busy. Description, location, attendees, and conference data are left empty, so source meeting details stay on the source calendar.
Each hold occupies the time. Resync sets that availability on the hold. It does not copy the source title.
If a source event moves, Resync updates the hold. If the event is cancelled, marked free, declined, or is a working-location event, Resync does not keep a hold.
Resync looks 90 days ahead when it reads source events. It watches source calendars with Google push notifications and updates holds when those events change. A polling fallback also runs about every 5 minutes. Read-only calendars cannot be mirrors. Resync currently syncs Google calendars only.
If you delete or edit a hold, Resync records that and does not recreate it for the same source event on that mirror.
If the source event is Private, the hold is Private. Otherwise the hold uses default visibility.

Seeing Google calendars in Apple Calendar, or an iCloud public link in Google Calendar, is in the Sync Apple (iCloud) Calendar with Google Calendar guide.

Set up Resync

Sign in with GoogleOpen Resync and sign in with the Google account you want as your primary account. You land on setup.
Connect another Google accountChoose Connect another Google account and finish Google's permission screen. Resync needs at least two Google accounts before you can start.
Start syncingWhen a second account is connected, setup shows bidirectional mirroring as the intended default: real events on either side become private busy blocks on the other. Choose Start syncing to open the dashboard.
Mark sources and mirrorsIn Sync configuration, turn on Source to read busy time from a calendar and Mirror to receive Busy holds. A calendar can be both. Read-only calendars cannot be mirrors because Resync needs write access to create holds. Resync does not take an ICS or iCal URL.

FAQ

How do I get a Google Calendar iCal or ICS link?

On a computer, open Google Calendar, click Settings, then under Settings for my calendars click the calendar. Open Integrate calendar. Copy Public address in iCal format or Secret address in iCal format. Google Calendar Help documents those steps on a computer. It does not document copying an iCal address in the Calendar app for Android or iPhone.

What is the difference between the public and secret address in iCal format?

The public address in iCal format only works if the calendar is public. Anyone with that link can subscribe or sync the published calendar. The secret address lets you view that calendar in another application without making it public. Anyone with the secret link can see event details. Treat it like a password. If you shared it, click Reset to invalidate the old address and create a new one.

Why is Secret address in iCal format missing?

Google Calendar Help documents the secret address on a computer under Settings for my calendars, then Integrate calendar. The Calendar app does not show that control. On a work or school account, Help says your admin might have changed sharing settings; if you cannot find the Secret Address, ask your admin. Help does not document a secret address for a calendar someone else shared with you, or for a calendar you added From URL. Those calendars sit under Other calendars.

How do I add an iCal or ICS link to Google Calendar?

On a computer, next to Other calendars, click Add other calendars, then From URL. Enter the URL of the published calendar and click Add calendar. Help says you can only add a calendar with a link if the other person's calendar is public, and you cannot subscribe in the Calendar app. Importing a downloaded .ics file is a one-time copy. Imported events do not stay in sync.

How often does a Google Calendar iCal feed update, and why is it not updating?

A calendar added From URL is a read-only ICS/iCal subscription. Google re-fetches that feed on its own schedule. Changes can take hours. There is no refresh button and no setting to change the frequency. Importing an .ics file never updates. Sharing a Google calendar is a live overlay, not a polled URL. The subscribed-calendar-not-updating guide covers that delay in more detail.

Does Resync use iCal links, or can I share only busy time instead?

Resync does not accept an ICS or iCal URL as a source. It uses the Google Calendar API with Google accounts you connect, watches those source calendars, and writes private holds titled Busy onto calendars you mark as Mirror. Description, location, attendees, and conference data stay empty. It skips free, declined, cancelled, and working-location events. It looks 90 days ahead. A polling fallback also runs about every 5 minutes. That is different from an iCal link, which shares event details. $1.50/month or $9/year after a 30-day free trial, no credit card required.

Sync Apple (iCloud) Calendar with Google Calendar

How to show busy time from one Google Calendar on another without sharing event details

Google Calendar busy vs free: what it means and why others see it wrong

Import ICS into Google Calendar: upload a file, use CSV, or fix import not working

Connect the Google calendars you want to keep aligned, then mark sources and mirrors on the dashboard.

Resync will ask Google for permission to:see your list of calendars; see events on the calendars you choose as Sources, to know when you're busy; and create, update and delete events titled "Busy" on calendars you choose as Mirrors. We never store event titles, attendees or locations. Privacy policy