Calendar on the Mac has a little-used Preference that lets you change the Default Calendar App used on your Mac. Select it, then choose the application you want to use (such as Fantastical or Things). How to create a custom calendar in Photos for Mac A calendar is a great way to enjoy your favorite photos. And it also makes for a great gift. Google Calendar. Overview: A dependable calendar app that integrates with most productivity apps. Experiment with composition and cropping, or create a sense of time and motion (especially perfect for calendars!) by dragging and dropping various images or photos into the grid. Take advantage of the versatility of this tool by filling a box with a solid color and adding text to create a narrative. Create a calendar with friends and family.
Calendar User Guide
Create separate calendars for different areas of your life—work, home, school, and so on. Each calendar has its own color. When viewing multiple calendars, you can see which calendar each event belongs to based on its color. To change an event’s color, move the event to a different calendar or change the calendar’s color.
Add a calendar
- In the Calendar app on your Mac, choose File > New Calendar, then choose an account for the calendar.
- Name the calendar, then press Return.
If you can’t add a calendar for a particular calendar account, try adding a calendar on the account provider’s website. For example, to create a Google calendar, go to google.com.
Delete a calendar
- In the Calendar app on your Mac, click the calendar’s name in the calendar list.If you don’t see the calendar list on the left, choose View > Show Calendar List.
- Choose Edit > Delete.Some calendars can’t be deleted.
- You can’t delete delegated calendars, but you can stop showing them in the main Calendar window. See Share calendar accounts.
- If you can’t delete a calendar for a particular calendar account, try deleting the calendar on the account provider’s website. For example, to delete a Google calendar, go to google.com.
- If a calendar account has only one calendar (not counting other people’s calendars you’re sharing), you can’t delete that last calendar.
Add a calendar group
You can create calendar groups in the On My Mac section of the calendar list.
- In the Calendar app on your Mac, select a calendar in the On My Mac section of the calendar list.If you don’t see the calendar list on the left, choose View > Show Calendar List.If you don’t see an On My Mac section in the calendar list, your calendars are in an account (such as iCloud).
- Choose File > New Calendar Group.
To add another calendar to a group, drag it onto the group name. To remove a calendar from a group, drag it to the On My Mac heading in the calendar list.
See alsoAdd or delete calendar accounts on MacAdd, modify, or delete events in Calendar on MacChange a calendar’s name or color on MacShow or hide a calendar on MacIf you deleted iCloud calendars or events from Mac
Keeping a calendar can change your life. A calendar will keep you from missing meetings and appointments, as well as make your life a lot less hectic. Plus, having all of your appointments on your calendar frees up your brain to work on more important tasks.
In our experience, digital calendars are far easier to manage than paper ones. Still, there are lots of calendar apps out there. Which one should you choose? In this article, we’ll help you decide.
Below, we’ve put together a list of the best calendar apps out there. Whether you’re looking for an app that gives you lots of control, or you just want a simple calendar that stays out of your way, there’s an app for you on this list.
Google Calendar
Overview: A dependable calendar app that integrates with most productivity apps.
Google Calendar is an excellent cross-platform calendar app. It’s the default calendar on Android phones, and it also works well on iPhones. It’s simple to create new events whether you’re on your phone or computer, and everything always stays synced no matter what time zone you’re in.
Plus, Google Calendar integrates with just about any other productivity app you can think of, so it will readily fit into your existing productivity system.
If you also use Gmail, then it gets even better, as Google Calendar can automatically create events based on emails you receive. This is a lifesaver when booking things like flights or concert tickets.
Price: Free
Platforms: Android, iOS, Web
Apple Calendar
Overview: A basic calendar app for Apple enthusiasts.
If you’re all in on Apple products, then Apple Calendar is an excellent choice. It keeps all of your events synced across your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, and whatever shiny device Apple will dream up next.
As far as calendar functionality, Apple Calendar offers all the features you’d expect, including a strong integration with Siri that allows you to add events with just a few words.
Price: Free
Platforms: iOS, Mac, Web
Outlook Calendar
Overview: A decent calendar app that’s likely the default at your office or school.
Love it or hate it, you’re probably familiar with Outlook Calendar. It’s more or less ubiquitous in large companies and institutions such as universities. In fact, this is the app’s main advantage: lots of people already have it and use it.
The app itself is certainly solid. You can create events and reminders, send meeting requests, and view multiple calendars at once.
![For For](/uploads/1/1/9/5/119527645/958766892.png)
There aren’t any additional “fancy” or otherwise noteworthy features, and that’s fine. If you just want a basic calendar for keeping track of your meetings and work events, Outlook Calendar is perfect for the job.
Price: $69.99/year as part of Office 365 Personal, though your employer or school probably provides free access.
Platforms: Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, Web
Woven
Overview: Flexible templates and built-in scheduling tools help you save time.
Moving beyond familiar calendar apps, we have Woven. The app markets itself towards “busy professionals,” and it has a lot of interesting features that you won’t find in basic calendar apps.
To start, Woven offers “Smart Templates” to help you save time when scheduling common types of events. For instance, if you regularly have lunch meetings at the same restaurant, you can create a template that includes the restaurant location.
Speaking of meetings, Woven also includes a built-in meeting scheduling tool. This can help eliminate the back and forth emails normally required to schedule a meeting. They even offer an integration with Zoom, allowing you to easily schedule and manage your Zoom meetings from within Woven. And they recently launched an iPad app as well.
Really, the only thing Woven lacks is an Android app, though the company reports that this is in development.
Price: Free
Platforms: iOS, Mac, Windows, Web
Meetingbird
Overview: Schedule meetings without endless email exchanges.
Whether you’re a student or professional, scheduling meetings is the worst. You can spend weeks sending emails back and forth trying to find a time that works for both of you, to the point that you forget why you wanted to meet in the first place.
Meetingbird aims to solve this problem. The app syncs with Outlook Calendar and Google Calendar so that your availability for meetings is always up to date.
When you want to schedule a meeting, all you have to do is send a link with a list of times you’re available. The recipient then picks the time that works best for them, and the meeting they schedule is automatically synced to both of your calendars.
We also like that Meetingbird integrates with Zoom, our video call tool of choice, as well as Zapier, Slack, Trello, and more.
Price: Free
Platforms: Web
Fantastical 2
Overview: A multilingual Mac/iOS calendar app with one of the best Apple Watch apps we’ve seen.
If you’re an Apple user looking for an alternative to the default calendar apps on Mac/iOS, you should check out Fantastical 2.
The main strength of Fantastical 2 is its deep integration with the Apple ecosystem. Whether you’re on your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, Fantastical 2 offers a beautiful, simple calendar that always stays synced.
The app has especially strong natural language processing, letting you quickly create events whether you’re at your desk or on the go. You can even do some more sophisticated things such as setting geofenced reminders (allowing you to get reminders only when you’re in a particular location).
Finally, Fantastical 2 also integrates with iCloud, Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, and a variety of other apps. And the app is fully localized for English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese, making it great for multilingual users or workplaces.
Price:
- Mac: $49.99 (after a 21-day free trial)
- iPhone/Apple Watch: $4.99
- iPad: $9.99
Platforms: iOS, Mac
My Study Life
Overview: A calendar app built for the unique scheduling needs of students.
While most calendar apps target busy professionals, My Study Life is different. It’s a calendar app built specifically for students, and it has some features you won’t see in other calendar apps.
To start, My Study Life includes smart scheduling features to help you keep up with your classes and extracurricular activities. If your class schedule varies with the week, My Study Life can account for that, ensuring you don’t forget a class. There’s even a special section for scheduling your exams.
Plus, My Study Life syncs your schedule across devices and works offline. This means you’ll always be able to keep track of your classes and assignments no matter your location or internet access.
Price: Free
Platforms: Android, iOS, Web
Timepage
Overview: A beautiful calendar app with handy weather and travel information.
If you love the design of Moleskine notebooks and planners, then Timepage is the calendar app you’ve been waiting for. This iOS-only app is truly beautiful, featuring an elegant, uncluttered interface that you’d expect from Moleskine.
Beneath the aesthetics, however, Timepage is a powerful calendar app. It includes natural language processing to let you easily type in events, as well as a “heat-map” view that shows how busy your month is at a glance.
Best of all, Timepage integrates with a variety of other apps to show you weather alerts and travel times to events. This way, you’ll not only remember that you have to be somewhere, but you’ll also get there on time.
Price: $1.99/month or $11.99/year (after a 7-day free trial)
Platforms: iOS
Business Calendar 2
Overview: The best calendar app for customizing your calendar’s appearance.
I’ll admit, “Business Calendar 2” sounds like something straight out of Office Space (if they had calendar apps back then, that is). But while the name might be a bit weird, the app is anything but.
Business Calendar 2 is great if you want a lot of control over the way your calendar looks. In addition to the standard day, week, month, and year views, you can adjust the calendar view to show anywhere from 1 to 14 days. And you can quickly swipe between these views so you can always find what you’re looking for.
What really makes Business Calendar 2 shine, however, are its event scheduling features. You can easily drag events around on the calendar and quickly enter event details without excessive swiping.
Plus, the app’s natural language processing lets you enter events just by talking into your phone. The app will even learn your preferences over time, automatically suggesting common locations or attendees.
Calendar Maker For Mac
Price: Free (with ads). Upgrade to the Pro version for $6.99 to remove ads and get additional features such as file attachments and event templates.
Platforms: Android
Calendar Apps Help Keep Your Life Organized
I hope this guide has helped you find the best calendar app for your needs. Whether you stick with a popular calendar app such as Google Calendar or go with a less conventional pick such as Timepage, keeping a calendar is just one part of being productive.
Calendar Making Program For Mac
To learn how to build a full productivity system, check out our free course:
Take my free productivity masterclass
With a proper productivity system, nothing ever slips through the cracks. In just one hour, you'll learn how to set up your to-do list, calendar, note-taking system, file management, and more — the smart way.
Image Credits: Outlook Calendar, Woven, Timepage, paper calendar