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How to add events from Google Sheets™ to Google Calendar™

Updated October 27, 2026

If you have a list of dates in Google Sheets™ and you just want them on Google Calendar™ once, you don't need an add-on or a script. Calendar has a built-in CSV import. It's free and quick, but it's picky about column names and date formats, so most of this page is about getting those right the first time.

Step 1: set up the columns Calendar expects

Google's import help page lists these headers. They must be in English and spelled exactly like this in row 1:

The easiest way is to add a new tab, put these headers in row 1, and point each column at your real data with formulas (for example =Schedule!B2). That way your original sheet keeps its own layout.

Step 2: get the date and time formats right

This is where most imports go wrong. A CSV file holds what your cells show, not what they mean, so the display format matters.

• Use Google's format. Google's examples are month/day/year (05/30/2020) and a 12-hour time with AM or PM (10:00 AM). Select the date column and use Format, then Number, then Custom date and time to show dates that way, and do the same for times.
• Watch day-first dates. If your spreadsheet's locale writes 3 November as 03/11/2026, reformat before exporting. Otherwise you are relying on Calendar to guess which number is the month.
• Make sure dates are real dates. Text that looks like a date ("Nov 3", "3rd Nov") may not be what you expect once exported. A real date cell returns TRUE for =ISNUMBER(B2). To convert a column of text dates, Google's DATEVALUE function turns text "in a known format" into a date.
• Leave out the year at your peril. A date typed without a year is filled in by Sheets, which may not be the year you meant. Check the first and last rows.
• All-day events. Put True in All Day Event and leave the times empty. Multi-day events need an End Date.
• Commas. Google says text that contains commas needs quotation marks around it. If a description or address has commas, open the downloaded file in a plain text editor and check that those fields are quoted.
• Time zone. The CSV format has no time zone column, so the times are plain clock times. Import a few rows first and check that a 10:00 AM row really lands at 10:00 AM in your calendar.

Step 3: download the tab as a CSV

1. Open the tab you set up.
2. Click File, then Download, then Comma-separated values (.csv). The file holds the tab you're on, which is why the separate tab helps.

Step 4: import into a new, empty calendar first

Google's import page doesn't describe an undo for imports. The simplest safety net is to import into a calendar you can throw away:

1. In Google Calendar on a computer, next to Other calendars on the left, click the add icon, then Create new calendar (Google's steps). Name it something like "Imported schedule".
2. Open Settings (top right), then Settings again, and click Import & Export on the left.
3. Click Select file from your computer and choose the CSV.
4. Choose the new calendar as the destination. By default Google imports into your primary calendar, so don't skip this.
5. Click Import.

If the result is wrong, delete that calendar from its settings page (Remove calendar, then Delete, then Delete permanently, per Google's steps), fix the sheet, and import again. Your other events are never touched.

What the import won't do

• Stay in sync. Google says imported events "don't stay in sync." Change a row later and you have to edit the event by hand.
• Prevent duplicates. Importing the same file twice adds every event twice. Import only new rows next time, or wipe the calendar and import the full list again.
• Add guests or video calls. Google notes that guests and conference data aren't imported.
• Keep repeating events repeating. They come in as a series of one-time events.

If your list keeps changing, Calendar Autopilot does the same job from inside the sheet without the CSV step. It reads typed dates like 11/3/2026 or Nov 3 2026 as well as real date cells, uses your spreadsheet's time zone, shows a preview of what it will create before anything reaches your calendar, and remembers which event belongs to which row, so syncing again updates events instead of doubling them.

Google Sheets™, Google Calendar™ and Google Workspace Marketplace™ are trademarks of Google LLC. Calendar Autopilot is made by Coding Friend LLC and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.