Skip to main content
Was this helpful?

iCalendar Export and Import

note

PrimeCal v1.3.4 does not include a built-in .ics file upload (import) or a one-click .ics download (export) for your own events. This page explains the current state and the best available alternatives for moving calendar data in and out of PrimeCal.

What is iCalendar (.ics)?​

The iCalendar format (.ics) is the standard way calendar applications exchange event data. Most calendar apps — Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, Thunderbird — can both export events as .ics files and import .ics files from other apps or services. It is the common language of calendar interoperability.

Current status in PrimeCal​

Neither of the two primary iCalendar operations is available as a user-facing feature in the current release:

  • Import (uploading an .ics file to add events in bulk) — not supported
  • Export (downloading your calendars or events as an .ics file) — not supported

The backend has no endpoint that accepts an uploaded .ics file or produces an .ics response. Planned support for .ics subscribe-URL feeds (which are read-only, auto-updating subscriptions rather than one-time imports) is described in Calendar Subscriptions, but that feature is also not yet available in v1.3.4.

Moving data into PrimeCal today​

From Google Calendar​

Use Calendar Sync to connect PrimeCal to your Google account. Events from your Google Calendar are imported and kept in sync automatically, without any file download or upload. Go to Settings → Calendar Sync → Add account → Google.

See Google Calendar Sync for the full setup.

From Microsoft Outlook / Office 365​

The same sync mechanism works for Microsoft. Go to Settings → Calendar Sync → Add account → Microsoft.

See Microsoft 365 Sync for details.

From other calendar apps (Apple Calendar, Thunderbird, etc.)​

There is no direct sync connector for other apps in v1.3.4. If your current calendar is not Google or Microsoft, the available options are:

  1. Export from the source, import to Google, then sync to PrimeCal: Most calendar apps can export .ics files that Google Calendar accepts. Import your events into a Google Calendar first, then connect that Google Calendar to PrimeCal via Calendar Sync.
  2. Re-enter events manually: For small numbers of events, creating them directly in PrimeCal is often fastest.
  3. Contact support if you have a large dataset — future import tooling is on the product roadmap and user feedback about the scale of the need helps prioritize it.

Moving data out of PrimeCal today​

Because PrimeCal has no export endpoint, the options are:

  1. Google Calendar sync + export from Google: If you're synced with Google Calendar, your PrimeCal events appear there. Use Google Calendar's built-in export (Settings → [calendar] → Export) to download an .ics file.
  2. API access (if your plan includes api_access): Developers can query GET /api/events programmatically and transform the JSON response into an .ics file using a library like ical-generator. This is a manual scripting approach, not a user-facing feature.

What's coming​

Native .ics import and export are on the roadmap. When they arrive, this page will be updated with the actual workflow. The Calendar Subscriptions feature (read-only, auto-refreshing .ics feed subscriptions) is expected before one-time import/export.

Continue Reading​