How to export Proton Calendar as an ICS file, step by step

Proton Calendar can save any calendar you created or imported as an .ics file, the format almost every calendar app reads. It takes about a minute on the web. Below is the export, how to load the file into Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and Outlook, and when a live sharing link is the better choice.

How do you export a Proton Calendar?

Sign in at calendar.proton.me and go to Settings, then All settings, then Proton Calendar, then Import/export in the left sidebar. Pick the calendar from the dropdown and click Download ICS. Repeat for each calendar you want. Then import the .ics file in your other calendar app.

That is the whole procedure as Proton describes it on its calendars help page, which says the export produces "an iCalendar (ICS) file that can be imported into most third-party calendar apps and services."

A file or a link?

There are two ways to get Proton events into another app, and they behave differently.

If you are leaving Proton Calendar, use the file. If you are staying but want your events visible in a work calendar, use the link.

Export a calendar to .ics, step by step

1. Sign in at calendar.proton.me in a web browser.
2. Open Settings, then All settings.
3. Under Proton Calendar, choose Import/export in the left sidebar.
4. In the export section, open the dropdown and pick the calendar.
5. Click Download ICS. The file goes to your downloads folder.
6. If you have more than one calendar, pick the next one and download again.

A few things to know before you start:

• One calendar per file. Each download covers the calendar you selected. On Proton's free plan you can have up to three personal calendars, and up to 25 on paid plans, so a paid account may mean many files. Name each one clearly as it lands, for example "proton-work.ics" and "proton-family.ics".
• Custom and imported calendars. Proton's page says this export applies to "a custom calendar or a calendar that you have imported."
• Use the web. Proton's instructions are for the web app at calendar.proton.me, so do this on a computer.

Import the .ics into Google Calendar

From Google's page on importing events to Google Calendar:

1. Open Google Calendar on a computer.
2. Click Settings (the gear icon) at the top right, then Settings.
3. In the left menu, click Import & Export.
4. Click Select file from your computer and choose the .ics file.
5. Choose which calendar to add the events to. By default they go into your primary calendar.
6. Click Import.

Google notes that "guests and conference data for that event are not imported." Your events, times and descriptions come across; the guest lists and video meeting details do not. Before you import, consider creating a new calendar in Google (for example "From Proton") and choosing it in step 5, so the imported events stay separate and easy to remove if something looks wrong.

Import the .ics into Apple Calendar

Apple's Calendar User Guide gives two ways on a Mac:

1. Open the Calendar app. If you want, create a new calendar for the events first.
2. Either drag the .ics file into Calendar, or choose File, then Import, select the file and click Import.
3. Select the calendar to add the events to, then click OK.

Apple notes that importing a calendar file removes each event's previous custom color, so expect everything to take the color of the calendar you chose.

Import the .ics into Outlook

Outlook on the web and Outlook.com. From Microsoft's page on importing or subscribing to a calendar:

1. Sign in and open Calendar from the navigation pane.
2. Click Add calendar.
3. Choose Upload from file, click Browse, pick the .ics file and click Open.
4. Under Select a calendar, choose where the events go, then click Import and Save.

Classic Outlook for Windows. Microsoft's classic Outlook steps, written for calendar files from Google but the same for any .ics, use File, then Open & Export, then Import/Export. In the wizard, select Import an iCalendar (.ics) or vCalendar file (.vcs), click Next, choose the file, and pick Open as New to add it as its own calendar.

Microsoft is clear about the trade-off: an imported .ics gives "a snapshot of the events in the calendar at the time of import" and does not refresh.

Share Proton Calendar with a link instead

If you want other apps to keep up with your Proton Calendar, Proton documents a sharing link on its page about sharing a calendar with anyone. It is available on paid Proton plans, and you set it up in the web app; Proton says sharing is not available from its mobile apps.

1. Sign in at calendar.proton.me.
2. Open Settings, then All settings, then Calendars, and select the calendar.
3. Scroll to Share with anyone and click Create link.
4. Pick a view. Limited view shows when you are busy without event details. Full view shows titles, descriptions, participants and locations.
5. Click Copy link.

Proton explains that with Full view the URL contains the key needed to decrypt the calendar, so treat a Full view link like a password and share it only with people who should see your events. You can create up to five links per calendar, label each one, and delete a link from the Actions menu to cut off whoever was using it.

Subscribe to the link in another app

Proton's page lists the menu path in each app:

• Google Calendar (web): next to Other calendars, click the plus, then From URL, paste the link and click Add calendar. Google says you must use a computer web browser for this, not the mobile app.
• Outlook.com: Add calendar, then Subscribe from web, paste the link, choose a name, and click Import.
• Apple Calendar on a Mac: File, then New Calendar Subscription…, paste the link and click Subscribe.

Changes are not instant. Proton says it may take up to eight hours for people with access to see your updates, and Microsoft says Outlook on the web updates subscribed calendars roughly every six hours, sometimes taking more than 24. If a subscription stops updating, Proton's fix is to create a new link, unsubscribe from the old one in the other app, subscribe with the new link, then delete the old link.

Proton also notes that opening the link in a browser downloads an .ics file, but a file saved this way does not sync, just like a normal export.

Frequently asked questions

What format does Proton Calendar export? An iCalendar file with the .ics extension. Proton says it "can be imported into most third-party calendar apps and services," including Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and Outlook.

Can I export all my Proton calendars at once? Proton's export works one calendar at a time: select it in the dropdown, click Download ICS, and repeat for the next.

Can I export Proton Calendar from my phone? Proton's export steps use the web app at calendar.proton.me. Use a browser on a computer, which is also what Google requires for importing the file.

Does the export keep my events in sync? No. An .ics file is a snapshot of the day you downloaded it. For a calendar that keeps updating in another app, use a Proton sharing link on a paid plan.

Does exporting delete my Proton calendar? No. Download ICS saves a copy. The calendar stays in Proton until you delete it under Settings, All settings, Proton Calendar, Calendars.

Moving your email too

A calendar move often comes with a mail move. Proton keeps mail separate from calendar, and its free Export Tool saves your mailbox as EML files; our guide to exporting Proton Mail emails walks through it. If your mail is headed to Secria, the guided Import from Proton under Settings, then Import & export, then Bring mail in takes those EML files directly, reads and encrypts them in your browser before upload, and keeps the original dates, on every plan including the free one. Post-quantum encryption is on by default, and the Proton Mail alternative page has the side-by-side.

Once your calendar file has imported, open a week you know well and check that the events are there before you remove anything from Proton. If you are wrapping up the account, see how to cancel a Proton subscription.