Import or export calendars on Mac
You can import and export calendars and calendar events as a way to share calendars with other users or save copies of calendars and calendar events to your Mac. If you’re not using a calendar account, such as iCloud or Exchange, importing and exporting can also be used to back up, restore or transfer calendars in the On My Mac section of your calendar list.
Keep in mind that if you’re using a calendar account, such as iCloud or Exchange, your calendars are all automatically stored on the provider’s servers. These servers regularly update your calendars and give you access to them across all your devices. This allows you to avoid having to manually back up and restore your calendars or manually transfer these calendars to other devices.
Export a calendar’s events
You can export an individual calendar’s events to a calendar (.ics) file. You can use this method to share a calendar’s events with other users, back up calendars in the On My Mac section of your calendar list, or import a calendar’s events to another calendar or device later.
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 File > Export > Export.
Choose where to save it, then click Export.
The events can be exported to a calendar (.ics) file only.
Export all calendars
You can export all your calendars at once to a calendar archive (.icbu) file. You can use this method to back up all the calendars in the On My Mac section of your calendar list at once, share your calendars with other users or import your calendars to another device later.
In the Calendar app
on your Mac, choose File > Export > Calendar Archive.Choose where to save it, then click Save.
The calendars can be exported to a calendar archive (.icbu) file only.
Import events from a calendar file
You can import the events saved in a calendar (.ics) file. You can use this method to transfer calendar events in the On My Mac section of your calendar list to iCloud, merge events with a pre-existing calendar or transfer calendar events to another device.
In the Calendar app
on your Mac, if needed, create a new calendar for the events.Do any of the following:
Drag the exported calendar file into Calendar.
Choose File > Import, select the exported calendar file, then click Import.
Select the calendar to add the events to, then click OK.
Note: Importing a calendar file removes the event’s previous custom colour.
Import calendars from a calendar archive file
You can import all the calendars stored in a calendar archive (.icbu) file. You can use this method to replace your current calendars, restore from a previous backup, or transfer all calendars in the On My Mac section of your calendar list to another device.
WARNING: Importing a calendar archive file replaces all of your current calendar information and data.
In the Calendar app
on your Mac, choose File > Import.Select the archive file, then click Import.
Note: Importing a calendar archive file removes all your calendars’ previous custom colours.