ICS is the iCalendar file format and can be recognized by its .ics extension . This format allows you to import calendar entries, export and send them, as well as publish them so that they are freely available to other users . It is an internationally standardized format, so that even the most popular digital calendars, such as Microsoft Outlook or Google, work with them and allow you to open and edit them. ICS files can even be easily converted to other formats and are compatible with all operating systems..
Imagine that you receive an invitation to a very important business meeting in your Gmail account that includes an ICS file attached. This file usually contains data such as the name of the event, the place, the start and end time , as well as possibly a brief description of the topics to be covered, and allows you to accept the invitation with a double click. In this article we explain how to open ICS files and import them into your calendar.
In general, ICS files can be opened by the following programs:
With Apple's calendar application it is very easy to work with ICS files, since they can be opened directly to import the events..
If, on the other hand, you use Google Calendar , a few simple steps are enough: go to the settings menu (on the gear wheel above, on the right) and then select, on the left, the menu? Import and export ?. In the options that appear below, click? Select a file from your computer? to browse ICS files on your computer and select the ones you want to import. In? Add to calendar? you can decide which calendar you want to add them to. When you finally click on ? Import ?, the appointment will be integrated automatically.
With the Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird calendar you can also open ICS files and import entries, but the route to do so is somewhat different. You will find it below..
If you want to open an ICS file in Outlook, follow these steps:
There is, however, an easier way to do this if Outlook has been set as the default program for opening ICS files. If this is the case, just open the file by double-clicking and the appointment is automatically added to the calendar, including the name. Another way to do it is to use the? Import or export? to indicate, with one more step, that you want to open an ICS file.
Since Mozilla's Thunderbird cannot be set as the default program for opening and importing ICS files, the only way to import calendar entries is as follows:
An alternative route to importing an ICS file into the Thunderbird calendar is to do so by dragging and dropping it onto the calendar. To do this, open the daily view of the day in question and also the attached file, or the folder in which it is saved, and drag it with the mouse until it drops on top of the calendar. In this way, the appointment will be integrated automatically and you only need to save it.