How to open an ICS file on iPhone and add it to your calendar
Where the file came from decides how easy this is. From Mail, it takes two taps. From Files, Safari, or a chat app, it often takes a detour. Find your source below, then the calendar you use.
Published · Updated · Photo2Calendar Editorial Team
From Mail
Mail is the route Apple documents: its account setup guide says you can import an .ics file from Mail.
Into Apple Calendar
- 1
Open the email in Mail. Open the message with the .ics attachment in the Mail app on your iPhone.
- 2
Tap the .ics attachment. Mail shows the event, or a list of events if the file has several.
- 3
Check the calendar and the details. Check the date, time, and which calendar the events will go into. New events go to your default calendar unless you pick another.
- 4
Add the events. Tap the option to add the event, or Add All for several, then open Calendar to confirm they are there.
Into Google Calendar
The Google Calendar app cannot import files; Google says to import on a computer. On iPhone, go through Apple Calendar instead. Add your Google account in Settings > Apps > Calendar > Calendar Accounts > Add Account > Google, and keep Calendars turned on. Then open the .ics file from Mail as above and choose one of your Google calendars before adding. The event syncs to Google Calendar on all your devices.
Into Outlook
Add your Outlook or work account in the same place (Settings > Apps > Calendar > Calendar Accounts > Add Account), then pick one of its calendars when you add the events from Mail. Without the account on the iPhone, save the file and upload it on a computer in Outlook.com or Outlook on the web with Add calendar > Upload from file.
From Files or Safari
This is where most people get stuck. Safari saves downloads to the Downloads folder in Files, and what happens when you tap an .ics file there depends on the iOS version: sometimes a preview with an option to add the events, sometimes only text.
Into Apple Calendar
- Tap the link in Safari, or open Files > Browse > Downloads and tap the file.
- If the preview offers to add the events, check the calendar and add them.
- If not, tap Share > Mail, send the file to yourself, and open it from Mail as above.
If the link is a calendar to subscribe to rather than a file, Apple notes that tapping an .ics link can subscribe you to it. Subscribed calendars are read-only.
Into Google Calendar
Same as above, with your Google account added to Apple Calendar so you can pick a Google calendar. Or send the file to a computer and use Settings > Import & export in Google Calendar; the Google Calendar ICS guide has the steps.
Into Outlook
With your Outlook account added to the iPhone, use the Mail detour and pick an Outlook calendar. Otherwise, upload the file in Outlook.com or Outlook on the web on a computer.
From WhatsApp or Messages
Chat apps show the file as a document. Tap it to preview; the preview may not offer to add the events.
Into Apple Calendar
If the preview shows an option to add the events, use it. Otherwise tap Share, send the file to yourself by email, and open it from Mail.
Into Google Calendar
Use the Mail route with your Google account added to the iPhone, then choose a Google calendar. The Google Calendar app itself cannot open the file.
Into Outlook
Use the Mail route with your Outlook account added, or forward the file to an address you read in Outlook on a computer and import it there.
When the ICS won’t open
- The file ends in .ical or .vcs. .ical files usually contain the same iCalendar format; renaming to .ics in Files can help. .vcs is the older vCalendar format, which some apps do not read; ask the sender for an .ics file.
- You are trying the Google Calendar app. It has no import. Add your Google account to Apple Calendar or import on a computer.
- The event lands in the wrong calendar. Set the right default in Settings > Apps > Calendar > Default Calendar, or open the event and move it.
- The time is off by hours. The file probably uses a different time zone, or none. Check the event against the original invitation and edit it.
- Nothing happens in Mail. Touch and hold the attachment; Apple lists Save to Files and Share there. Save it, then try again, or ask the sender to resend.
Apple’s guides used here: Download email attachments and Set up multiple calendars. Google’s Add Google Calendar events to Apple Calendar. Checked October 15, 2026.
Create your own ICS from a photo
If nobody sent you a file and the event is on a flyer, a screenshot, or a paper schedule, Photo2Calendar reads the image and prepares a draft for each event. You check the date, year, time, and location, then save to your calendar or export an .ics file. The image to ICS page shows the export, and how to create an ICS file compares all four ways to make one.
Scan with iPhone
Frequently asked questions
Why won’t my iPhone open an ICS file?
Usually because the file is not in Mail. Apple’s guide describes importing an .ics file from Mail. From Files, Safari, or a chat app, forward the file to yourself by email and open it there. Also check the file actually ends in .ics.
Can I import an ICS file into the Google Calendar app on iPhone?
No. Google says you import events on a computer. On iPhone, add your Google account to the Calendar app, open the .ics file from Mail, and choose a Google calendar for the events.
Where do imported events go?
To the calendar you choose, or your default calendar. Set the default in Settings > Apps > Calendar > Default Calendar before you import.
What is the difference between opening an ICS file and subscribing?
Opening a file copies the events once; they do not change if the organizer updates them. Subscribing to an .ics link (Calendar > Calendars > Add Calendar > Add Subscription Calendar) adds a read-only calendar that refreshes.
Can I make my own ICS file on iPhone?
The iPhone Calendar app has no export in Apple’s guide. Photo2Calendar creates an .ics file from a photo or screenshot after you review the event, and online generators work in Safari.
Questions about the app: see the Photo2Calendar FAQ.