Comments on: Sync Google Calendar with Outlook

This article explains how to sync your Google Calendar with Outlook 2016, 2013 and Outlook 2010; it also provides an overview of free tools and services to help you choose the approach best suited for your needs. Continue reading →

Comments page 6. Total comments: 454

  1. Very helpful instruction. Thank you!

    But, this appears to be a read-only display...is it not possible to create appointments in this imported Google calendar within Outlook?

    1. Hi Chuck,

      What software or method did you use to import your Google calendar to Outlook?

  2. Hi,
    THANK YOU!!!!!!!!
    Had not realised that Google Calendar Sync was now defunct and just thought I had an error. Then I found your wonderfully helpful article.
    I have downloaded the free version of GSyncit and it is perfect. Just does the job.
    THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!

  3. All I want is a read-only copy from Outlook to Google. The problem is that I'm on Mac with Outlook 2011 so I can't find any webdav support for SynqYa, and most of these other apps are Windows only. Today I'm just using the ICS option, but it doesn't update frequently enough. Any suggestions?

  4. According to SynqYa, they do not offer full 2-way synchronization of your calendars! Items from Google calendar that are synced to Outlook are read only and cannot be modified.

    Cut and pasted from SynqYa's webpage:
    How can I synchronize my Microsoft™ Outlook calendar with my Google™ Calendar?
    You can synchronize Outlook and Google calendars by combining the two methods described above. Configuration details can be found here:
    In your Outlook "work" calendar modify/add/delete events as usual. Configure Outlook export and have all of your Outlook events exported to your Google calendar.
    We recommended using a dedicated Google calendar (created in your existing Google account) for your Outlook events.
    In your Google "private" calendar modify/add/delete events as usual. Configure Outlook import and all of your Google calendar events will be imported in a new Outlook calendar. This calendar is read-only that you can not modify/add/delete events in it!

  5. I have tried several times to use gsyncit but I can't get past the verification stage. Is google being difficult with third party apps?

    Regards,
    Richard

  6. I cannot thank you warmly enough for this article. Like many I have been adversely affected by Google's termination of its free sync service between Google and Outlook. I was planning to use Google's apps for business package, but despite considerable support from Google's technicians, it was all too complex. Also Google wants to migrate you rather than sync. This to me was too threatening.
    Google Apps are not as good as Outlook and they need to make significant improvements in their market offering. Google is acting as a bully and that's not good enough.
    I have now embarked on a trial of CompanionLink. So far, following your well presented guide I have successfully implemented the software on my PC and have every intention of purchasing it full time.
    Without your input I might not have gone this route. Grateful thanks once again and keep it up. We all need people like you!

    1. Thank you very much for your warm feedback, John! Your praise, even if not fully deserved, was very pleasant for me to read : ) Thank you!

  7. Hi Sveta,
    I have been a devoted user of Google's Sync Calender to Outlook and for the past 2 days the syncing process stuck with error code 2016 announcement. Any suggestion to make it work again?
    Also, there was a rumor (?) that Google will stop supporting the sync to Outlook from Aug 1. Anything known about it?
    Tnx for the great help you provide here
    Please cc the response to my gmail
    Benny

    1. rcvd July 8 from Gmail:
      Important Announcement about Google Calendar Sync

      Almost two years ago, we announced that we ended support for Google Calendar Sync. Starting on August 1, 2014, this app will no longer sync events between your Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook Calendar.

      You can continue to access all of your Google Calendar events at calendar.google.com or on your mobile devices. Follow these instructions to uninstall Google Calendar Sync from your computer.
      - The Calendar Team

    2. Hi Benny,

      Regrettably, this is not just a rumor. Google officially announced the ultimate end of life of their Sync Calendar tool starting from August 1, 2014. All current users received notifications (you can find the full text in earlier comments, e.g. #126) No chance that someone can get it to work again, alas.

  8. I use this one now.
    Calendar Sync for Outlook and Google Calendar (Free Software)
    http://www.pppindia.com/calendar-sync
    I work great the first time but I have to go with the paid version to get sync only upcoming/future Outlook appointments and Google Calendar events. Otherwise the sync takes to long.

  9. We started using Outlook4Gmail to sync our contacts (free version) and now will be switching to the paid version ($15) to sync our calendars. I have been OVERLY impressed with it, and thought it deserved a plug. I'm not sure of the address, but google it and you should find it.

  10. How to configure gSyncit with my google Account ? In gmail, I received an email to informe me that an application has been bloked (gSyncit).

    Should I configure my Google Account to accept less security ? What is the real danger with this parameter ? I'm not sure that it's a good idea...no ?

    1. Hi Nico,

      I would not recommend you setting a lower security level in your Google account. Instead, you can contact gSyncit's support team, there's a good chance that this is a known issue and they may know how to fix it.

  11. Buongiorno a tutti, da qualche giorno ho un problema con la sincronizzazione del calendario di Microsoft Outlook 2010 con google calendar. Tale operazione viene effettuata con google calendar sync 0.9.4.1 ma ripeto da qualche giorno ho il seguente errore:"Google calendar sync. Error syncing your calendar. Error code 2016"
    Purtroppo trovo solo spiegazioni in inglese ma non riesco proprio a risolvere la problematica.
    Grazie Massimo Bucciantini

    1. Buongiorno Massimo,

      Si ottiene questo errore perché Google ha terminato Google Calendar Sync, 1 agosto 2014 Si prega di considerare l'utilizzo di strumenti di sincronizzazione di terze parti, invece.

      P.S. The above was translated into Italian via Google translate. All grammar mistakes are Google's, not mine : )

    2. Google ha cancellato la sincronizzazione fra Outlook ed Google Calendar. Solamente quelli chi pagano per gli Google Apps potrebbero ancora avere sincronizzazione con Google. E uno schiffo di Google!

  12. So far after a week of using gSyncIt, nothing but praise for this piece of software. I bought a two-license version (home PC and laptop) for $40 (or the price of a tank of premium gas - if you drive a Mini!). Perfect and precise dance between Outlook, Google and my Android Galaxy S4 phone not only with Calendar but contacts (finally!), notes and tasks. A little hiccup in setting up contacts on the desktop for some reason (some were duplicated) - but I managed to make some adjustments and all is back to normal.

    For those scratching their heads, I really think gSyncIt (paid version) is the best option. Seldom do I even buy a $1 or $2 piece of Android software - always looking for free - but this is one purchase I have no buyer's remorse over.

    And a big thanks to Svetlana for such a great page!

    1. Thank you very much for your kind words Leef. And special thank you for your detailed feedback, I believe it will be of great help for others to make the right decisions.

  13. Stevie G - Are you talking about GCS, gSyncIt, SynqYa or something else?

  14. TOPIC: Exporting Outlook calendar to Google

    At the end I received the following message....

    "Failed to import events. Could not upload your events because you do not have sufficient access on target calendar."

    Please advise and or explain in simpleton terms.

    Thank you

    1. Hello Stevie,

      Sorry, I have never run into such an error and therefore cannot advise anything. You can probably try contacting the Microsoft support.

  15. I paid the $19.99 for gSyncIt and so far, so good. So far, gSyncIt does seem to sync the meetings for which I am not the organizer, which is an improvement for me over the old Google Calendar Sync (GCS). Thank you Svetlana for all the info here. I may consider Google Apps for Business at a later date, but gSyncIt is what I will use for now.

  16. Tried to import from outlook to calendar 2097 events only 2017 made it ?? Did i do something wrong?

  17. Lot of good info being exchanged here - I was sorry to see Calendar Sync get turned off the start of the month, it was a great tool. Svetlana - I'm hoping you can shed some light on my specific situation...
    I use Outlook 2013 at work and Outlook 2010 on my home PC. I have no desire to mix my work and personal email, but I did use Google Calendar Sync to sync my work and personal calendars, so one calender contained everything, and if I modified the calendar at either work or home, the changes would be updated on both post-sync. As I read through the info on gSyncit and SynqYa - it states that they only work for one calendar. I assume in my situation (having a work Outlook calendar and personal Outlook calendar that I wish to sync into one) - this represents two calendars an neither gSyncit and SyncqYa would apply to what I'd like to accomplish - is that accurate?
    Any other possible solutions/suggestions would be welcomed.
    It appears CompanionLink would do the job for $50, but wanted your feedback before puling the trigger.
    Thx!

    1. Thanks a ton!

    2. Hi Garman,

      According to the info provided on gSyncit's home page, the registered (paid) version syncs with multiple Outlook profiles and multiple Google accounts. One calendar is the limitation of the free (evaluation) version and this is the dilemma - you cannot evaluate this feature until you pay for it.

      As for CompanionLink, yes, it supports syncing with multiple calendars and their trial version is time-limited but fully-functional. So, I'd rather request CompanionLink's trial first, to know with certainty it works in the way I want.

      You can also try OggSync (http://oggsync.com/). I did not try this tool personally, but one of our blog readers did, you can read his feedback in comments 144 and 145. According to their features list, this software supports "Multiple Google Calendar to Outlook Sync" and a 3-day trial is available.

  18. Since google took away google sync, this shows they do not care for their users; and now they want us to pay for new tool; bye bye android, my next phone will be Windows phone.

  19. Great and extensive article. Thumbs up for the effort! After the discontinuation of google calendar sync, i started using gsyncit and works fine for me.

  20. How to configure gSyncit with my google Account ? In gmail, I received an email to informe me that an application has been bloked (gSyncit).

    Should I configure my Google Account to accept less security ? What is the real danger with this parameter ? I'm not sure that it's a good idea...no ?

    1. Hello Nico,

      I don't think it's a good idea to set a lower security level in your Google account. You can contact gSyncit's support team instead, there's a good chance that this is a known issue and they may have a solution that fixes it.

  21. Great original article.....extremely useful.....now that Google sync is dead, I'm using gSyncit, in a corporate environment, in an Active Directory Domain. gSyncit is working ok, but won't sync from Google to Outlook.
    Outlook to Google works though, so I'm managing!!
    And yes, I DO have the settings correct,before anyone asks. :-)

    1. Update:After logging off a few times, still had the same problem tying to manually sync, then after it's first "auto" update, everything worked fine!!...got 2-way sync'ing.

  22. Thank you!!! You were the first one mentioning Google Cal Sync was terminated and you even came up with new solutions.

  23. gSyncit seems fine. Not sure what "Google calendars was blocked by Google because evidently gSyncIt doesn't conform to "modern security standards" is about. Worked fine even with 2 factor authentication setup.

    1. I was the one who posted about gSyncIt not conforming to the security standards. I sent an email to the developers and they suggested I download version 4. I was running into the problem Nico mentions in comment 184 below. One of the features of v4 is "GOOGLE OPEN AUTHENTICATION SUPPORT: Migrated all Google syncing operations to use Open Authentication for better security and compliance with Google platform requirements."

      After I did that, everything is working fine.

      Thank you, Svetlana, for such an informative article!

      1. David,

        Thank you very much for the update!

  24. What a brilliant blog! I wish I had found it a month ago when, like everyone else, I received the dreaded e-mail from Messrs McGoogleScheister & Sons Inc..

    I wasted almost a week searching, researching, posting on blogs, forums, helplines etc, convincing Google I really WAS the admin for my account, getting useless help from clueless Microsoft support staff.. the lot, and was getting so confused by it all. At the 11th hour I found a wee posting on a blog called DroidLawyer which had a list of alternatives for GCS.

    I went for gSyncIt and invested my $19.99 (about £12.50) and I am SOOO GLAD I did. It's great, it is easy to set up, it does what I need and, by jimminy, it just works. When Fieldstone (its creators) answered my blog query about would it survive the 1st August deadline I even suggested they invest my $20 in sticky buns and a few beers (given that they're American, they probably thought I was some sort of pervert!).

    Anyway, for something simple with lots of potential, go for gSyncIt. If you don't want a 3rd party thing, there is apparently a way of doing it through setting up a pseudo exchange through Outlook.com but it rapidly got way above my skill set so I paid the money.

    Again, great blog Svetlana, thank you.

  25. Great post. Sync died for me today as well. Installed gSyncit and I'm happy... If anyone is not sure, it says it will not sync deletes for contacts, notes and tasks in the unregistered version.

  26. gSyncit works perfectly in both directions, thanks!

  27. Is any of this software able to sync without having Outlook open? That is one feature of Google Calendar Sync that I particularly appreciated. Also, some of these paid replacements are WAY overpriced: $30, $50, $60? That's nuts. I'll bet the prices all increased on August 1.

    1. As far as I know, none of the third-party syncing tools works with Outlook closed.

      As for the prices, gSyncit is still priced at $20 (have just checked it), and this is one-time payment. In comparison, Google charges $50 per year but offers a handful of advanced options.

  28. Excellent fix to sync Outlook and Google Calendar, thank you!! My Google Calendar Sync went down today; poof zap off it went, after about 6 months of having to manually click each time... I found this article and downloaded the software; the free version works on one pc; it seems each time you open up the app you have to let it offer a paid version for about 15 seconds then it loads. There are some nice features which let you tweak how and when and what to backup. Initially there seem to be some double entries but that is probably due to the settings I selected. Again, thank you!!

  29. Google Calendar Sync has stopped working this afternoon. Worked during the night...

    Now I need to find another free synchronization mode.

    Greetings from Brazil.

  30. Great article and comments! I just downloaded gSyncIt but access to Google calendars was blocked by Google because evidently gSyncIt doesn't conform to "modern security standards" (those are Google's words). Should I be worried about gSyncIt's security?

    1. Hi David,

      As Clankk reported in comment 181 below, gSyncit works fine even with 2 factor authentication setup.

  31. Hello, Now that Google Sync end-of-life is reached, I'm trying to decide between options. Any recommendations? I tried Sncqa; didn't like it because it creates multiple calendars on Outlook for each of my Google calendars. I was wondering if you knew of a solution that truly synchronized multiple calendars (and contacts) into a single Outlook calendar. Thanks so much for your help.
    Isau

  32. Looks like it dead now - getting geneic 2016 error...
    And it was working fine earlier today!

  33. Hello,
    I can't find a FREE version of gSyncit, only paid version on their website?
    Can some pls refer the link for the free version.
    Thx

  34. it seems to be working for me as well ??? and I checked it on both google and outlook so 2-way synching is working...does anyone one if they will still allow it ?

  35. Google Calendar Sync work for me as well ?!?!

    1. Google has made an official announcement that they do not _guarantee_ the correct work of Google Sync starting from Augusts 1, 2014.
      BTW, it still works for me too, but no one knows how long it will last...

  36. Don't sure why Google calendar sync still work for me. But if this service is stop. I decided to try gsyncit.

  37. Hi All - This info is helpful. I have a question that is a follow-up to Robin's recent post: Is there a way to get gSyncIt to sync Outlook meetings for which I am not the organizer? I had this problem with GCS and don't want to choose a new solution that has this same issue. I guess if gSyncIt doesn't sync Outlook meetings for which I am not the organizer, I may have to get Google Apps Sync as part of Google Apps for Business? Hopefully, that will work. Thanks in advance for your advice on this!

    1. Hello Stephanie,

      I think you'd better address the first question to gSyncIt's support who will be able to provide then most competent answer. As for Google Apps for Business, yes it includes the new version of Google Apps Sync.

  38. Like everyone else, I was very disappointed to find that google would discontinue the GCS program. I decided to try gsyncit and it has worked perfectly. I am syncing an iphone and outlook and have found no problems. I do not use the meeting functions and I can now sync contacts as well without any additional software which I could not do before with GCS. This article really helped me decide what the best course of action was for me. Thank You. Philippe, your trial and report back of Synqya was very helpful, so I really appreciate your feedback on what happened when you tried that option.

  39. Been running gSyncIt for a few weeks now. I've found it fails to sync meetings in Outlook that I am not the organiser for. Which rather defeats the object.

  40. awesome tips! unlike the rest of my search results, this actually worked! I now have my google calendar syncing to my work outlook calendar!

  41. Well finally, I tried SynqYa and not very glad.
    The parametrization is not evident but not too difficult.
    However, the main issue is the following: all entries for Outlook, which were the same than those in Gmail calendar have been exported without checks ==> my Gmail calendar has all entries in double. I had to eliminate all duplicates, one by one.
    All in all, I think the best solution is the following:
    - take the discipline to enter everything only in Gmail calendar
    - then show it in Outlook, by giving the URL in Outlook, as described in this excellent article.

    Philippe

    1. Thank you very much for your report Philippe! I will add this to SynqYa's Cons list.

  42. Excellent article. very detailed, pragmatic and helpful. I have decided for gSyncit and it works immediately. Big applause to Svetlana. Thanks

  43. Thanks Svetlana,

    This is very clear.
    I will try SynqYa.

    Best regards,

    Philippe

  44. Hi,

    I found this discussion very interesting ... but somewhat long.
    Could someone synthesize in a few sentences the pro's and contra's (limitations of the free version...) of the two main solutions SynqYa and gSyncit?

    1. Hi Philippe,

      I will try...

      gSyncit Pros: easy-to-configure, allows 2-way syncing of calendars, tasks and contacts; additional options such as pre-configured automatic syncing, removing duplicate items etc.

      gSyncit Cons: (free version): displays a pop-up window on Outlook start preventing Outlook usage for 15 seconds, supports syncing with one Outlook calendar only.

      SynqYa Pros: no client software, no installation (admin rights are not required), syncs Outlook, Apple iCal and other calendar software with Google Calendar.

      SynqYa Cons: more difficult to configure (based on our blog readers feedback), syncs with one calendar only.

  45. thanks alot. permission to put this on my blog with source from you sir!

  46. Thanks a lot.
    gSyncit is working well for me.

  47. I am behind a firewall with limited administrator rights and all sorts of limitations. Had a lot of difficulty using any of the suggestions. Thank you for "Calendar Sync for Outlook and Google Calendar is one more free tool that may work a treat (thanks Sam for contributing!)." Works like a charm!

  48. Great post! Thanks for all the clear, helpful information and all the followup. And shame on Google for pushing users away from Google Calendar and Android phones by trying to wean us from Outlook. Not gonna happen.

    1. Hi Russlaw,

      Agree to 100%! And thanks for your kind feedback :)

  49. I just want to say thanks! Gsyncit trial version is working perfectly for me now that Google calendar sync is defunct. I am using outlook 2013 and a Gmail account. I have constant consistent insync calendars on both computer and Android now. Exactly what Google calendar sync used to do. Thankyou for this information.

  50. I was a very hesitant gSyncit customer but finally took the dive. I went right for the purchase, buying a license for two PC's at about $30 USD. Installation went fine, but it definitely helps to look at the manual to configure it! The set-up was very straight forward when approached in a step-by-step fashion. I set it up to synchronize everything - calendar, contacts, notes, and tasks. Then I tested everything but notes. In Google, I added a "Google test event" to the calendar, "Google test contact" to contacts, and "Google test task" to the task list. Similarly, in Outlook I added an Outlook test event, contact and task as well. I then ran a manual sync (I selected the option to sync everything, so that first sync took about 10 minutes). I then ran a sync on my Android phone. When I checked, I found that the my dual Outlook and Google test entries had populated all three devices perfectly, and from what I could tell, all previous items I did not want to lose were still there, unchanged and neither missing nor duplicated. Then I deleted the test contacts from my Android & synced it, removed the test tasks directly from Google, and removed the test calendar events from Outlook. I ran a second manual sync from gSyncit, resynced my Android phone, and all test items were removed with surgical precision. That second gSyncit sync took only about twenty seconds.

    The software defaults to asking the user to confirm deletions of events, contacts or tasks in Outlook, which I realized was probably a good idea to prevent catastrophe, so I left that default alone (there, of course, is no corresponding default to confirm additions, which would render the software annoying). When I thought about it, I don't really delete anything in tasks, calendar or contacts that often, anyways.

    I highly recommend gSyncit, and this is from a very reluctant customer. It is well worth the price of admission, especially coming off GCS. It not only syncs calendar but I finally have contact, task and notes sync as well! I am about to explore the other options in the program, including synchronizing files with my DropBox Cloud, which would be a nice capability.

    I had two hesitations from the start - (1) spending money on new software always feels like a bit of a gamble, and - much more importantly - (2) I did not want to take a chance on having gSyncit step into a well-choreographed 3-way dance between my devices and screw it all up.

    I am happy to say that (2) is not an issue, and as far as (1), well, I'll have forgotten about that $30 long after I'm still enjoying the benefits of the software.

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