Adding Calendars to your TidyCal account
Connect Google Calendar, Microsoft 365, or Apple Calendar to TidyCal to sync events, prevent double bookings, and automatically add new bookings to your calendar.
Calendar Integration Overview
TidyCal integrates with three calendar providers so you can sync existing events and ensure clients only book when you are truly available. Connecting a calendar enables two-way sync: TidyCal reads your events to detect conflicts and writes new bookings to your primary calendar.
| Provider | Connection Method | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Google Calendar | OAuth (one-click sign-in) | Includes Google Workspace accounts |
| Microsoft 365 | OAuth (one-click sign-in) | Outlook.com, Live.com, Hotmail supported |
| Apple Calendar | App-specific password (CalDAV) | Requires an iCloud app-specific password, not your regular Apple ID password |
Prerequisites
- A TidyCal account (Free, Individual, or Agency Plan)
- An active calendar account with one of the three supported providers
- For Apple Calendar: an app-specific password generated from your Apple ID settings
How to Connect Google Calendar
- Go to Integrations (in the sidebar) and select the Calendars section
- Click "Add Google account"
- Sign in to your Google account and grant TidyCal permission to access your calendars
- Your Google calendars will appear under Connected accounts
Important: You must accept all authorization scopes when connecting. If you skip any, TidyCal will show the message: "You must accept all google authorization scopes to connect a Google account."
If you have trouble connecting, try removing TidyCal from your Google third-party app permissions and reconnecting in an incognito/private browser window.
How to Connect Microsoft 365
- Go to Integrations (in the sidebar) and select the Calendars section
- Click "Add Microsoft 365 account"
- Sign in to your Microsoft account and authorize TidyCal
- Your Outlook calendars will appear under Connected accounts
Supported accounts: Office 365, Outlook.com, Live.com, and Hotmail. Microsoft Exchange is not directly supported. As a workaround, connect your Exchange calendar to Outlook first, then connect Outlook to TidyCal.
How to Connect Apple Calendar
Apple Calendar uses CalDAV and requires manual credential entry instead of one-click OAuth.
- Go to Integrations (in the sidebar) and select the Calendars section
- Click "Add Apple account"
- In the drawer that opens, enter your Apple ID in the first field
- Enter an App-specific password in the second field (format: xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx)
- Click the "Where do I find this?" link if you need help generating an app-specific password from Apple
- Click "Add account"
Important: You must use an app-specific password from Apple, not your regular Apple ID password. This is an Apple security requirement for CalDAV connections. If credentials are incorrect, you will see: "Sorry, we had trouble connecting with these credentials."
Managing Your Calendars
Primary Calendar
Your Primary Calendar is where TidyCal writes new booking events. It is marked with a "Primary Calendar" badge and the text "Your bookings will be added to this calendar".
To change your primary calendar, click "Set primary" on the calendar you want to use. Only one calendar can be primary at a time.
Reading Enabled / Reading Disabled
Each calendar has a toggle labeled "Reading enabled" or "Reading disabled" that controls whether TidyCal syncs events from that calendar to check for scheduling conflicts.
- Reading enabled: TidyCal syncs events from this calendar and blocks time slots that conflict with existing events
- Reading disabled: TidyCal ignores events on this calendar and they will not block any booking slots
Enable reading on all calendars that contain events you want TidyCal to respect when showing available times.
Disconnecting a Calendar Account
To remove a connected calendar account, click the "Disconnect" button next to the account name. This removes the account and all associated calendars from TidyCal. Existing bookings already created are not affected.
Reconnecting a Failed Account
If a calendar account loses authentication (for example, your password changed or permissions were revoked), a "Please Reconnect" button appears instead of the normal calendar controls. Click it to re-authorize the connection.
TidyCal sends an email notification when a calendar needs reconnection. If you do not see the email, check your spam folder. Adding service@tidycal.com to your contacts helps prevent this.
Two-Way Sync
TidyCal provides automatic two-way sync with all three calendar providers:
- Read direction: TidyCal pulls events from your calendars to detect busy times and prevent double bookings
- Write direction: When someone books with you, TidyCal creates a calendar event on your Primary Calendar
Sync happens automatically. After connecting a calendar or toggling "Reading enabled", allow a few minutes for the initial sync to complete.
Calendar Limits by Plan
The number of calendars you can have with "Reading enabled" depends on your TidyCal plan:
| Plan | Price | Max Reading-Enabled Calendars |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | /usr/bin/bash | 1 |
| Individual Plan | 9 lifetime | 10 |
| Agency Plan | 9 lifetime | 25 |
You can connect multiple calendar accounts, but only enable reading up to your plan limit. If you hit the limit:
- Free Plan users see: "You have reached your reading enabled calendar limit of 1. To increase your limit please upgrade!"
- Individual/Agency Plan users see: "You have reached your reading enabled calendar limit of [limit]. Please disable another calendar first."
Troubleshooting
Calendar not connecting
- Ensure you grant all requested permissions during the OAuth authorization step
- For Google Calendar, try removing TidyCal from your Google third-party app permissions and reconnecting in an incognito/private browser window
- For Apple Calendar, make sure you are using an app-specific password, not your regular Apple ID password
- Try clearing your browser cache or using a different browser
Events not blocking availability
- Check that the calendar has "Reading enabled" turned on (the toggle switch should be checked)
- Verify the event is on a calendar connected to TidyCal, not a different calendar in the same account
- Events marked as Free (transparent) do not block availability. Only Busy events block booking slots
- Allow a few minutes after connecting for the initial sync to complete
- See Troubleshooting Calendar Events for more detailed solutions
Cannot enable reading on more calendars
- You have reached your plan's reading-enabled calendar limit
- Free Plan: 1 calendar | Individual Plan ($29): 10 calendars | Agency Plan ($79): 25 calendars
- Disable reading on a calendar you no longer need, then enable the new one
- Or upgrade your plan for additional calendar connections
Calendar shows "Please Reconnect"
- Your calendar authentication has expired or been revoked
- Click the "Please Reconnect" button and re-authorize access
- For Google, you may need to re-grant permissions if they were revoked in your Google account settings
- If the issue persists, use the "Disconnect" option and reconnect the account from scratch
- Contact support@tidycal.com if you continue to have issues
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I connect multiple accounts from the same provider?
Yes. You can connect multiple Google accounts, multiple Microsoft accounts, and multiple Apple accounts. Each account's calendars appear separately under Connected accounts on the Calendars page.
Which events block my availability?
Only events marked as Busy on calendars with "Reading enabled" block availability. Events marked as Free (transparent), cancelled events, and events you have declined do not block. Recurring events do block availability.
What is the difference between Primary Calendar and Reading Enabled?
Primary Calendar is where new TidyCal bookings are written as calendar events. "Reading enabled" controls which calendars are checked for scheduling conflicts. A calendar can have reading enabled without being your primary calendar, and your primary calendar is always checked for conflicts.
Does TidyCal support Microsoft Exchange?
Microsoft Exchange is not directly supported. As a workaround, connect your Exchange calendar to Outlook first, then connect Outlook to TidyCal using the "Add Microsoft 365 account" button.