Free online CSV to ICS converter

A schedule exported from a spreadsheet may need an .ics file before it can be imported into Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, or another calendar application. A contact list is different: names, email addresses, and phone numbers belong in vCard/.vcf, not iCalendar/.ics.

What the CSV format is

CSV (comma-separated values) is plain text arranged in rows and columns. Spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice Calc, and Google Sheets, along with databases, CRM systems, contact managers, and scheduling software, commonly use it for export and data exchange.

Commas usually separate fields, although a CSV may use semicolons or another delimiter. A field containing the delimiter, quotation marks, or line breaks is normally enclosed in double quotation marks. CSV does not define calendar meaning: column names and date formats vary between applications.

For event conversion, useful columns include subject or title, start date, start time, end date, end time, description, location, and, when supported, organizer, attendees, or time zone. A contact CSV containing names, email addresses, telephone numbers, and postal addresses has no direct ICS equivalent.

What the ICS format is

ICS is the common filename extension for the iCalendar interchange format, specified primarily by RFC 5545. An event is stored in a VEVENT component inside a VCALENDAR object. Typical properties include SUMMARY for the title, DTSTART, DTEND, DESCRIPTION, LOCATION, UID, and DTSTAMP.

Unlike a basic CSV table, iCalendar can represent all-day events, UTC or time-zone-aware times, recurrence rules, alarms, attendees, invitations, and event identifiers. Calendar applications can import an ICS file, attach it to an email, publish it as a calendar feed, or retain it as a portable event record. Support for individual properties varies, so an application may discard fields it does not implement.

How to convert CSV to ICS

1. Confirm that the rows are events. Do not convert a contact export as though it were a schedule. Each event row should have at least a title and start date; add an end date or duration where available.
2. Clean the source file. Open the CSV in Excel, LibreOffice Calc, or another spreadsheet program. Standardize the delimiter, remove empty or contact-only rows, correct missing titles, and save the file as UTF-8. Use an unambiguous value such as 2026-10-07 14:30, or keep separate date and time columns with one consistent format.
3. Choose the time interpretation. Identify the source time zone. For all-day events, mark the event as all-day rather than assigning midnight. If events use local times, select the appropriate IANA zone, such as Europe/Berlin or America/New_York, when the converter offers that setting.
4. Run the conversion. On 101convert.com, select the CSV-to-ICS converter, upload the cleaned .csv file, and choose ICS as the output. Map the source columns to fields such as SUMMARY, DTSTART, DTEND, DESCRIPTION, and LOCATION. Set the date format, time zone, and all-day option if available.
5. Save and import the result. Download the generated .ics file, then use the destination calendar's import command, commonly File → Import or File → Open/Import. Select the target calendar if the application asks for one.

For repeated or private conversions, use a local script or a calendar application that explicitly supports CSV event import and ICS export. A spreadsheet can clean and restructure data, but it does not by itself generate a complete iCalendar structure, unique UID values, time-zone definitions, recurrence syntax, or correctly escaped ICS text.

Quality and compatibility limits

• CSV has no standard event model. A converter must infer the meaning of each column. Inconsistent dates, mixed delimiters, locale-specific values such as 10/07/2026, or missing times can create incorrect events.
• Time zones can shift appointments. A timestamp ending in Z represents UTC. A local timestamp without a zone has no portable time-zone meaning and may display differently after import. A named zone is preferable for events spanning daylight-saving changes.
• All-day events require date values, not midnight times. In iCalendar, an all-day event normally uses a DATE value; converting it from a midnight timestamp can introduce an unwanted time or shift the displayed day.
• Advanced data may be lost. Recurrence rules, reminders, attendees, organizer details, meeting links, and exception dates cannot be reconstructed from ordinary CSV columns unless the converter provides explicit mappings and the source contains the required values.
• Text must be encoded correctly. ICS text properties escape backslashes, commas, semicolons, and line breaks, and long lines may be folded according to the iCalendar specification. Incorrect generation can truncate descriptions or fail in stricter calendar programs.
• Test before a bulk import. Import a small sample and verify the first and last events, all-day status, time zone, title, location, and description. Duplicate imports can create repeated events because calendar applications may treat each generated UID as a new record.
• Use VCF for address books. If the source contains people rather than appointments, convert it to vCard/.vcf. ICS is not an address-book format and will not produce usable contact records.