Free online ICS to CSV converter

Spreadsheets, databases, and reporting systems often require CSV when a calendar application supplies only an ICS export. Converting the file creates one row per event for filtering, editing, archiving, or importing into software that does not support iCalendar.

What the ICS format is

ICS is the common file extension for iCalendar, a structured plain-text calendar format defined by RFC 5545. Microsoft Outlook, Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, Mozilla Thunderbird, and scheduling systems can create or import it.

ICS files commonly contain VEVENT records with subjects, start and end times, locations, descriptions, attendees, organizers, alarms, time zones, recurrence rules, and unique identifiers. They can also contain VTODO tasks or VJOURNAL entries. Most calendar exports primarily contain events.

What the CSV format is

CSV is a delimited text table: each row represents a record and each column represents a field. Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice Calc, Google Sheets, database tools, and data-analysis software can open CSV files.

CSV makes event data easy to sort, filter, deduplicate, edit in batches, and use in reports. It does not preserve the complete iCalendar data model. Typical columns include Subject, Start, End, Location, Description, UID, RRULE, and TimeZone.

How to convert an ICS file to CSV

For a one-time conversion without installing software, upload the .ics file to the free converter on 101convert.com and download the resulting .csv file. Open the output in a spreadsheet and check dates, times, descriptions, and delimiters before importing it elsewhere.

For private, repeatable, or customized conversions, Python and the icalendar package provide control over the output fields:

1. Install Python and the parser package:

python -m pip install icalendar

2. Save this script as ics_to_csv.py:

import csv
import sys
from datetime import date, datetime
from icalendar import Calendar


def text(component, name):
    item = component.get(name)
    if item is None:
        return ""
    value = item.dt if hasattr(item, "dt") else item
    if isinstance(value, (datetime, date)):
        return value.isoformat()
    return str(value).replace("\r", " ").replace("\n", " ")


def timezone(component, name):
    item = component.get(name)
    return str(item.params.get("TZID", "")) if item is not None else ""


with open(sys.argv[1], "rb") as source:
    calendar = Calendar.from_ical(source.read())

fields = [
    "Subject", "Start", "End", "Location", "Description",
    "UID", "RRULE", "TimeZone"
]

with open(sys.argv[2], "w", newline="", encoding="utf-8-sig") as target:
    writer = csv.DictWriter(target, fieldnames=fields)
    writer.writeheader()
    for event in calendar.walk("VEVENT"):
        writer.writerow({
            "Subject": text(event, "SUMMARY"),
            "Start": text(event, "DTSTART"),
            "End": text(event, "DTEND"),
            "Location": text(event, "LOCATION"),
            "Description": text(event, "DESCRIPTION"),
            "UID": text(event, "UID"),
            "RRULE": text(event, "RRULE"),
            "TimeZone": timezone(event, "DTSTART"),
        })

3. Run the script with the input and output filenames:

python ics_to_csv.py calendar.ics calendar.csv

Open calendar.csv in LibreOffice Calc using File → Open. Select UTF-8 encoding and comma separation if prompted. Excel can use the operating system's list separator instead of a comma, so select the delimiter manually when columns appear in one field.

Quality and compatibility limits

• Recurring events: The script exports the recurrence rule but does not expand it into separate occurrences. Use a calendar application's export options or recurrence-aware code when each occurrence must become its own row.
• Time zones: ICS supports UTC, named time zones, and floating local times. CSV has no standard time-zone type; retain the UTC offset and, when available, a separate TimeZone column.
• All-day events: These normally use dates rather than timestamps. An iCalendar end date is commonly exclusive, so do not automatically treat it as an additional calendar day.
• Multiple values and related records: Attendees, categories, alarms, recurrence exceptions, and other properties may be flattened or omitted by a simple table export. Add dedicated columns or preserve the original ICS alongside the CSV.
• Data loss: CSV cannot retain calendar behavior such as alarms, invitations, recurrence logic, and exception relationships. Keep the original ICS as the authoritative calendar copy.
• Privacy: Descriptions, attendee addresses, organizer information, and meeting URLs may appear in the CSV. Remove sensitive columns before sharing it.