Complete Study on What is ICS File Format

Written By Mohit Jha

Approved By Mack John

Published On February 1st, 2017

Reading Time 6 Minutes Reading

Introduction

iCalander : iCalendar is basically a computer file format which allows the Internet users to send meeting requests & tasks to the other Internet users by sharing files in this format through various methods.
iCalendar supports different types of file extensions i.e .ical , .ics , .ifb etc.

ICS : The information that is stored in ICS file format includes title, summary, start time as well as the end time for the every calendar event in a plain text file. The ICS file format is a universal calendar format which is used by several email & calendar programs across all the platforms.

ICS File format is also denoted as iCalendar which can store calendar information in a text file. It allow the users to publish calendar data on the internet and to send meeting requests to other users.The iCalendar format of a file also supports event cancellations and updates. It can be widely used for business purpose to share meetings & tasks over the internet.

ICS File Format

ICS File Uses :

Used to store calendar information.
Used for events cancellation and updates.
Used for Flight Itineraries.
Used for sending meeting invites.
Usen for restaurant reservation.

ICS Supports :

Microsoft Outlook :

In all the above versions of Outlook 2000, we can import and export the calendar content with ICS formatted files. Also, we can access Internet calendars that use the ICS File format through Outlook as well. Outlook completely supports the iCal standard with .ics files, but it can’t be able to become a successful iCal client synchroniser.

Import iCalendar(.ics) File For Outlook 2007 and 2010 :

For Outlook 2010 :

It’s very easy to import iCalendar with ICS file format in Outlook 2010 i.e First, Click on the File Tab and then on open. After this step, click on import option.

For Outlook 2007 :

1. In the first step, Click on the File Menu and then click on Import and Export option.
2. After that, Select Import iCalendar (.ics) or vCalendar file (.vcs) option and then click on Next option .
3. In the next step, Choose that location where the iCalendar (.ics) file is saved and Click on Ok.
4. Once the file is chosen, then the data will import to Open as New or Import. If you want to open this calender as a new calender then click on Open as New otherwise click on Import to import its items into your calender.

iCloud/Apple Calendar :

We can create & manage calendars for all areas of our life by using the Calendar app on iCloud.com from a Mac or Windows web browser. All the Changes that we make are automatically updated to our iOS devices and computers where we set up iCloud for Calendar. On our iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac, the changes are updated to our Calendar app.

When we use iCloud Calendar, we can easily share our calendars with other iCloud users. For example, we can create a shared calendar called “Kids” to keep our family members in the loop about school and weekend activities. As for MAC, we can perform import/export operations of calendar’s events as follows.

How to Export a Calendar’s Events :

Click on the calendar’s name in calendar list.
If you don’t see the calendar list on the left of the window, then choose View > Show Calendar List.
1. First, Choose File > Export > Export.
2. Choose a location, and then click on Export.
The entire events are exported to a calendar (.ics) file.

How to Import Events into a Calendar :

If you want, then create a new calendar for the events.
1. First, Choose File > Import.
2. Then, Select the file with the events, and then click on Import.
3. Choose the calendar that you want to add the events to.
You can also drag a file with events to Calendar. The events are then added to the calendar that was selected in the calendar list.

Google Calendar :

Google calendar is an application which was developed by Google Corporation to schedule and manage time. Google calendar is based on creating events based on the user’s preference. Gmail iCalendar is another name of google calendar that allows the user to import iCalendar with ICS File format to Gmail by using a simple user interface.Apart from other applications, Google calendar provides various other features that are also imported when user import iCalendar file to Gmail.

Steps to Import iCalendar File to Gmail :

First, Login to Gmail account.
Now, Open a new search bar and type Google Calendar in it.
Click on the first link and your Google Calendar will be automatically configured with the account.
Now, Go to the top right corner and click on drop down icon.After that, go to Settings.
Now, Under Calendars Settings section select Calendars and then under Reminder heading go to Import Calendars.
A window will appear on the screen. Choose File from the System for ICS file transfer.
Select the ICS file that you want to import to Gmail.
Select the Calendar where you want to Import ICS file Events, Reminders, Goals.
Now, Click on Import. Your calendar will be automatically imported or uploaded and ICS file transfer is Completed.

Yahoo Calendar :

Yahoo Calendar is a Web-based calendar service offered by Yahoo. It can read entire calendar feeds with ICS file format and all events syndicated from sites that makes the use of the published Yahoo calendar programming interfaces.

Importing a Calendar :

1. In the first step, Sign in into the Yahoo Groups.
2. In the next step, From the left-hand menu, click on the one of your groups.
3. Select More from the top and then select Events option.
4. After that, Select Actions and then click on Import option.
5. Click on the Browse option.
6. In next step, Select an .ICS file from your computer and then Click on Import option.

After the completion of all the above steps, The events in the .ICS file are imported into the group’s calendar.

Exporting a Calendar :

1. In the first step, Sign in into the Yahoo Groups.
2. In the next step, From the left-hand menu, click on the one of your groups.
3. Select More from the top and then select Events option.
4. After that, Select Actions and then click on Export option.
5. Click on the Export option.
6. Select Save option and then click on Ok.

After the completion of all the above steps, You have exported and saved an .ICS file of the group’s calendar events.

Limitations of ICS File

The biggest limitation of ICS File format is that, we cannot import large size file and also ICS Files are not easy to read and understand.

Conclusion

In the above discussion we have discussed about iCalendar (ICS File format) and also we have mentioned all the possible ways by which one can easily import/export .ICS File or Calendar Events.