Hey there, productivity enthusiast! π
Have you ever found yourself juggling between Google Calendar and Outlook, wishing there was an easy way to keep them in sync? Well, todayβs your lucky day! Weβre diving into a super simple, yet powerful way to automatically integrate your Google Calendar events into Outlook using Make.com. Say goodbye to double-booking and missed meetings!
Why This Integration is a Game-Changer
Imagine a world where every event you add to Google Calendar magically appears in your Outlook calendar. No more switching back and forth, no more manual updates, and no more chaos. Whether you're using Google Calendar for personal stuff and Outlook for work, or managing different projects across platforms, this integration will make your life so much easier.
Common Problem: Syncing Event Types
One of the biggest pains is when you receive a Google Calendar invite on your phone for an important meeting, but it doesn't show up in your Outlook calendar. You end up missing key appointments or scrambling to update your calendars manually. Sound familiar? We've got a fix!
What Weβre Building
In this guide, weβll walk you through setting up an automated workflow that:
- Monitors Your Google Calendar: Keeps an eye on new events you add.
- Triggers Make.com Scenario: Detects those new events in real-time.
- Syncs with Outlook: Adds the events to your Outlook calendar automatically.
This setup is a breeze and takes just a few minutes. Ready? Letβs get started!
Setting Up Your Integration
1. Get Your Tools Ready
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty, make sure you have:
- A Google Calendar (obviously! π)
- A Microsoft 365 account
- A free Make.com account (if you donβt have one, itβs free and super quick to set up)
2. Set Up Your Make.com Scenario
To set up our workflow, you will need to sign in to Make.com. On Make.com, workflows are referred to as "scenarios." Start by creating a new scenario. This particular setup is straightforward and requires only two modules: one to monitor your Google Calendar events and another to sync new events to your Microsoft 365 Calendar, which is accessible in Microsoft Outlook.
Adding Google Calendar to Watch for Events:
One you're in the scenario builder, click on the big plus in the middle and search for the βGoogle Calendarβ app and select it. Choose the βWatch Eventsβ trigger.
google calendar watch events in make
configure google calendar in make
Configure Google Calendar:
Once you've selected this, follow the wizard to connect your Google Calendar account to make. Once this is done, you can reuse this connection in future scenarios. Configure it to watch for new events.
Select Event Types: Customize which event types you want to sync (e.g., Default, From Gmail, Focus Time, Out of Office, Working Location). This is super helpful if you only want specific types of events to show up in Outlook.
You can also configure what Calendar to watch, and when to look for updates with the options being Created Date, Updated Date, Starting Date and End Date. This is powerful because you're able to choose which events to sync based on their date.
Add Microsoft 365 Calendar:
Next, click the β+β icon to add another module. for βMicrosoft 365 Calendarβ and select it.
Choose the βCreate an Eventβ action.
Next you will be prompted to login to Microsoft 365 so you can create a new connection. As with the Google connection, you can use this in all of your other scenarios so it only has to be done once.
add microsoft calender create event in make
microsoft 365 calendar in make
3. Map Your Google Calendar Events to Microsoft 365 Calendar (Outlook)
Now it's time to map all of the incoming calendar events from Google to appropriate values in the Microsoft 365 Calendar. As you can see from the image, it's very straightforward.
You start by selecting your Microsoft 365 connection, labeled something like "Marks MS Connection" in the example. This ensures that your events are synced to the correct Microsoft 365 account.
For the event details, you need to map the Summary field from your Google Calendar to the Subject field in Outlook. This will be the title of your event in Outlook, making it easy to identify. The Start and End fields from Google Calendar should be mapped to the corresponding Start Date and End Date fields in Outlook, ensuring the event times are accurate.
The Description field from Google Calendar maps to the Body Content in Outlook, including any notes or additional information about the event. The Location field is also crucial as it specifies where the event is happening, so make sure to map this appropriately.
4. Test It Out
Letβs make sure everything works smoothly:
- Add an Event to Google Calendar: Create a test event and watch the magic happen.
- Click Run Now in Make which will kick off the Scenario.
- Check Your Outlook Calendar: Within a few moments, your event should appear.
google calendar item
outlook calendar event from google calendar
Why Youβll Love This Integration
This integration is a lifesaver for anyone who juggles multiple calendars. Itβs perfect for:
- Work-Life Balance: Keep your personal and work schedules in harmony.
- Project Management: Manage different projects across platforms without missing a beat.
- Team Coordination: Ensure everyoneβs on the same page, literally!
Other Integrations with Microsoft 365?
Make.com is one of my favourite tools when it comes to brining "stuff" in from outside of Microsoft 365. Their free plan is pretty generous and it's also a lot cheaper than Zapier. Let's take a quick look at some of the Microsoft 365 integrations that Make.com offers:
microsoft 365 in make
When using Make.com to integrate with Microsoft 365, it's essential to know the variety of apps and modules supported. Here's a brief overview of some key Microsoft 365 apps you can integrate to enhance productivity and streamline workflows.
Microsoft SharePoint Online
Microsoft SharePoint Online is a versatile platform for collaboration and document management. It enables teams to create sites to share documents and information with colleagues, partners, and customers. With Make.com, you can automate tasks such as creating new SharePoint items when specific events occur in your calendar, ensuring that all project documentation and updates are centralized and easily accessible.
Microsoft 365 Email
Microsoft 365 Email (Outlook) is crucial for managing professional communication. Using Make.com, you can automate email sending and management tasks, such as sending notifications for calendar events or creating email drafts based on specific triggers. This integration helps ensure you never miss an important email and keeps your inbox organized.
Microsoft 365 Excel
Microsoft 365 Excel is essential for data analysis and reporting. By integrating Excel with Make.com, you can automate data entry and updates. For example, you can automatically log calendar events into an Excel sheet for tracking purposes or update a spreadsheet when new data is received from other apps, saving time and reducing manual data entry errors.
Microsoft To Do
Microsoft To Do helps you manage your tasks and to-do lists effectively. Integrating it with Make.com allows you to automate the creation of tasks based on calendar events or other triggers. This means you can automatically generate a to-do list from upcoming meetings or project deadlines, ensuring you stay on top of your responsibilities.
Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database management system that supports a wide range of transaction processing, business intelligence, and analytics applications. By integrating SQL Server with Make.com, you can automate the process of data synchronization between your databases and other Microsoft 365 apps, ensuring that your data is always up-to-date and accessible.
Microsoft Power BI
Microsoft Power BI is a business analytics service that provides interactive visualizations and business intelligence capabilities. With Make.com, you can automate data flows to Power BI, ensuring your dashboards and reports are always populated with the latest data. This allows you to make informed decisions based on real-time insights without manual updates.
Microsoft Entra ID
Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) is a cloud-based identity and access management service. Integrating it with Make.com can help automate user management tasks, such as adding or updating user information based on changes in your calendar or other systems, ensuring your organizationβs security and compliance requirements are met effortlessly.
Microsoft 365 People
Microsoft 365 People is a contact management system that integrates seamlessly with Outlook and other Microsoft 365 services. By using Make.com, you can automate the process of keeping your contacts up-to-date, such as creating new contacts from email interactions or updating contact information based on calendar events, ensuring you have the most current information at your fingertips.
These integrations not only enhance the functionality of Microsoft 365 apps but also streamline your workflow, allowing you to focus on more strategic tasks while automating routine processes.
Wrap-Up
And there you have it! A seamless way to keep your Google Calendar and Outlook in perfect sync. This little trick will save you tons of time and headaches, letting you focus on what really matters.
Ready to give it a try? Dive in, set it up, and enjoy the newfound harmony in your digital life. π
Resources & Further Reading:
- Explore more Make.com integrations to supercharge your productivity.
- Join the Collab365 Academy for more awesome tips and tricks.
Happy syncing!