How to Add Birthdays to Google Calendar, iPhone and Outlook
Never miss a birthday again. Here is how to add birthdays to Google Calendar on your phone or computer, and how to do the same on an iPhone and in Outlook. You can also add a whole list of birthdays in one go.
By the BdayChecker team · Published October 21, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026 · 5 min read
Quick answer: in the Google Calendar app, tap Create, then Event, choose Birthday at the top, add the name and date, and tap Save. It repeats every year and reminds you a week before and on the day. On a computer, add the birthday to the person in Google Contacts and it appears in your Birthdays calendar.
How to add a birthday in the Google Calendar app
The Google Calendar app on Android, iPhone and iPad has its own Birthday event type. It is the quickest way to add one person.
- Open the Google Calendar app.
- At the bottom right, tap Create, then Event.
- At the top, swipe to Birthday and select it.
- Add the person's name and birth date.
- At the top right, tap Save.
The birthday repeats every year on its own. According to Google Calendar Help, you get a reminder one week before and another on the day, and you can add more with Add notification.
How to add birthdays to Google Calendar on a computer
On a computer, birthdays in Google Calendar come from Google Contacts. Save the date on the person's contact and Google adds it to your calendar for you.
- Go to Google Contacts and sign in.
- Click the person, then Edit at the top right.
- Add their birthday and click Save.
- Open Google Calendar. Under My calendars on the left, make sure Birthdays is ticked.
For someone you have emailed but never saved, look under Other contacts in Google Contacts, choose Add to contacts, then edit them as above. You can change the color of the Birthdays calendar from its options menu, and if you use more than one Google account, you can choose which accounts' birthdays to show in Settings.
Add a whole list of birthdays at once
Typing in birthdays one by one is slow when you have a family, a class or a team to add. A calendar file is faster: it holds every birthday as an event that repeats every year, and you import it in one step.
- Add everyone to our free Birthday Calendar. The birth year is optional.
- Pick your reminders, such as a week before and on the day, and click Download .ics file.
- On a computer, open Google Calendar, click Settings, then Import & Export.
- Choose the file, pick the calendar to add the birthdays to, and click Import.
Google's import guide notes two things worth knowing. Import only works on a computer, not in the phone app. And repeating events in a .csv file can arrive as separate one-time events, which is why an .ics file is the better choice for birthdays.
A tip: create a new calendar called "Birthdays list" first and import into that. If you ever want to start over, you can delete that one calendar without touching your other events.
How to add birthdays to your iPhone calendar
The iPhone's own Calendar app shows birthdays from the Contacts app.
- Open Contacts, tap the person, then tap Edit.
- Add their birthday and tap Done.
- Open Calendar, tap Calendars, and turn on Birthdays.
Apple's iPhone guide says turning on Birthdays shows the birthdays from Contacts alongside your events.
For a long list, a Mac is the easiest route: in the Calendar app, choose File, then Import, pick the .ics file and choose an iCloud calendar. The birthdays then appear on your iPhone too. If you use the Google Calendar app on your iPhone, the Birthday steps in the first section work there as well.
How to add birthdays to Outlook
Outlook can import the same .ics file. In Outlook.com or Outlook on the web:
- Select Calendar, then Add calendar.
- Select Upload from file, then Browse, and choose the .ics file.
- Pick the calendar to add the birthdays to and select Import.
In the Outlook desktop app on Windows, go to File, Open & Export, Import/Export, and choose Import an iCalendar (.ics) or vCalendar file. Microsoft points out that imported events are a snapshot: they do not refresh if the list changes later.
Which way should you use?
Each method suits a different job. This table sums them up.
| Method | Best for | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Birthday event in the Google Calendar app | One person, quickly | Android, iPhone |
| Birthday in Google Contacts | People already in your contacts | Any device |
| Birthday in iPhone Contacts | iPhone and Mac users | iPhone, Mac |
| Import an .ics file | A whole family, class or team | Computer, then every device |
Many people mix them: contacts for close friends, and an imported list for everyone else, such as a child's classmates or coworkers.
Tips for birthday reminders that work
- Remind yourself early. A reminder on the day is too late to post a card. A week before leaves time to buy a gift.
- Mind February 29. Our .ics file puts leap day birthdays on the last day of February, so they show on February 28 in common years and February 29 in leap years.
- Leave the year out if you don't know it. The birthday still repeats every year; you just won't see the age.
- Check one before you add fifty. Import a short list first and see how it looks on your phone.
For a single big day, a birthday countdown makes a fun page to share, and Days Until My Birthday tells you exactly how long is left.
Conclusion
Adding birthdays to Google Calendar takes a minute: use the Birthday event in the app, or save the date in Google Contacts on a computer. On an iPhone, add birthdays in Contacts and turn on the Birthdays calendar. For a whole family, class or team, build the list once in the Birthday Calendar, download the .ics file and import it into Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook.