# Add a Google or Outlook calendar with a link

> Paste a calendar's private ICS link to see its events in Plexii straight away. Read-only, refreshed every 15 minutes, and no sign-in needed.

Source: https://plexiidesk.com/help/calendar-ics-feeds
Section: Communicate > Calendar
Plans: All plans
Updated: 2026-10-15

The quickest way to see your Google or Outlook calendar in Plexii is to paste its private link. Every calendar has one: an address ending in **.ics** that publishes its events. Plexii reads it and shows the events beside your own blocks, in their own colour.

A calendar added this way is read-only. Its events appear in Plexii, and nothing you do in Plexii changes them. If you want Plexii to write your blocks back to Google or Outlook as well, sign in to the account instead. See [Sign in to Google or Microsoft calendars](https://plexiidesk.com/help/calendar-google-microsoft).

Adding a calendar with a link is part of every plan.

## Before you start

Find your calendar's private ICS link. Plexii shows these steps too: click **Where is my Google Calendar link?** or **Where is my Outlook link?** in the **Calendars** panel.

**Google Calendar**

1. In Google Calendar, rest the pointer on the calendar, click its **⋮** menu, then **Settings and sharing**.
2. Scroll to **Integrate calendar**.
3. Copy **Secret address in iCal format**.

**Outlook**

1. In Outlook, go to **Settings** > **Calendar** > **Shared calendars**.
2. Under **Publish a calendar**, pick the calendar and **Can view all details**.
3. Click **Publish**, then copy the ICS link.


## Add the calendar

1. Open Calendar. In the side menu, under **Apps**, click **Calendar** in the **Tools** group.
2. Click **Calendars** in the toolbar.
3. Under **Add a calendar**, paste the link into the first box.
4. Type a name in the **Name** box, for example **Work**. If you leave it blank, the calendar is called **Calendar**.
5. Click **Add**.

Plexii reads the calendar straight away and tells you what it found, for example **Connected — 128 events in view.** If the calendar has nothing coming up, it says **Connected. The feed has no events in the next two years.**

The calendar joins **Your calendars** with the source **Feed**. Give it a colour there. See [Manage your calendars](https://plexiidesk.com/help/calendar-manage-calendars).

## What you will see

- Events from the calendar appear in every view, from **Day** to **Year**, in the calendar's colour.
- In the day and week views they are drawn flat with a coloured edge, so you can tell them from your own blocks. Rest the pointer on one to see its title and place.
- Plexii keeps events from one year back to two years ahead.
- The calendar refreshes by itself every 15 minutes while PlexiDesk is open. Click **Refresh now** on its row to refresh it at once.

## When the link does not work

If Plexii cannot read the link, a message says why, and the calendar is still listed carrying the same message so you can fix it.

- **Check you copied the whole link.** It usually ends in **.ics**, and starts with **https://** or **webcal://**. Both work.
- **Check it is the calendar link, not a web page.** If Plexii says the address returned a page rather than a calendar feed, copy **Secret address in iCal format** in Google Calendar, or the ICS link from **Publish a calendar** in Outlook.
- **If you reset the link** in Google or Outlook, the old one stops working. Remove the calendar in Plexii and add it again with the new link.

## Common questions

**Can I change or delete an event from Plexii?** No. A calendar added with a link is one-way: its row says **One-way: a published feed cannot be written back to.** Change the event in Google or Outlook, and Plexii shows the change at the next refresh.

**Why does an event show no Join button or guest list?** A link brings in each event's title, time and place. To see the Join button, guests and your own reply, sign in to the account instead. See [Meetings from your Google or Outlook calendar](https://plexiidesk.com/help/calendar-mirrored-meetings).

**Can I add more than one calendar?** Yes. Add each calendar's link in the same way and give each a different colour.

**How do I stop seeing it?** Click its coloured dot to hide it for a while, or click **Remove** to take it off for good.

## Related tasks

- [Manage your calendars](https://plexiidesk.com/help/calendar-manage-calendars)
- [Sign in to Google or Microsoft calendars](https://plexiidesk.com/help/calendar-google-microsoft)
- [Meetings from your Google or Outlook calendar](https://plexiidesk.com/help/calendar-mirrored-meetings)
- [Calendar in Plexii](https://plexiidesk.com/help/calendar-overview)