ICS File Generator

// One form, a file every calendar accepts

An .ics file is how an event moves between calendars that otherwise share nothing: Google, Apple, Outlook, Thunderbird, and every phone all read the same iCalendar text format (RFC 5545). Writing one by hand means getting BEGIN:VEVENT blocks, UTC timestamps, escaped punctuation, and 75-octet line folding right — details that are invisible until an import silently drops your event.

This generator takes the details you actually care about — title, when, where, a description — and writes the file correctly around them. Commas and semicolons in your text are escaped the way the standard requires, long lines are folded and continue properly, every event gets the UID and DTSTAMP that apps expect, and the file ends up with the CRLF line endings strict parsers insist on.

The result appears as you type. You can read the finished file on the page before you download it, which is the point: nothing here is a black box you have to trust.

// Time zones, repeats, and reminders

Pick the zone your event is written in and the times are converted to exact UTC instants, so 9:00 in New York arrives at 9:00 for someone in New York and at 14:00 for someone in London — rather than at whatever 9:00 meant on the machine that made the file. All-day events are written as date-only values, which is what stops a one-day event from showing up as midnight-to-midnight in the wrong zone.

A repeat rule turns the event into a recurring series (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly), and a reminder adds a display alarm a set time before the start. One honest caveat, stated on the page when it applies: because occurrences are pinned to UTC, a repeating event in a zone that observes daylight saving will land an hour off after the clocks change. For a long-running series, set the repeat in your calendar app instead.

// The file, or a link — whichever travels better

Downloading the .ics file is the right path for Apple Calendar, Outlook desktop, and anything you want to attach to an email. It is also the only path that works offline.

The add-to-calendar links do a different job: each one opens the event already filled in inside Google Calendar, Outlook.com, Office 365, or Yahoo, which is what you want when you are pasting a link into an invite, a newsletter, or an event page. They are built from the same event as the file, with two limits worth knowing: only Google's link can carry a repeat rule, and no provider's link can carry a reminder at all. The page names whichever applies to your event, and the downloaded file always has everything.

Everything happens in your browser. The event never reaches a server, there is no account, and there is no limit on how many files you make.

// fair questions

How do I create an .ics file?

Enter a title, pick the start and end (and a time zone for timed events), and add a location or description if you want them. The .ics file is written as you type — click Download .ics to save it, then open it in any calendar app to add the event.

What is an .ics file?

It is a plain-text calendar file in the iCalendar format defined by RFC 5545. Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, and effectively every other calendar app can import one. The extension is usually .ics, sometimes .ical.

Will the times be right in other time zones?

Yes. Timed events are written as absolute UTC instants derived from the zone you choose, so every calendar shows the correct local time for its own viewer. All-day events are written as date-only values, which stay on the same calendar date everywhere.

Can I make a repeating event?

Yes — choose daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly and the file gets the matching recurrence rule. Note that occurrences are anchored to UTC, so a series in a daylight-saving zone shifts by an hour after a clock change; the page tells you when that applies to your event.

What is the difference between the download and the calendar links?

The .ics download works with any calendar app, carries repeats and reminders, and is the one to attach to an email or open in Apple Calendar or Outlook desktop. The links open the event pre-filled in Google, Outlook.com, Office 365, or Yahoo on the web, which is handier for sharing — though only Google's link can carry a repeat rule, and none of them can carry a reminder.

Is anything uploaded?

No. The file is built entirely in your browser and never sent to a server, so the generator keeps working with no connection once the page has loaded and your event details stay on your device.