How to Create Recurring Events in Google Calendar

Google Calendar is one of the most powerful and widely used digital calendar tools, allowing users to organize their schedules, set reminders, and collaborate with others in real time. One of its most valuable features is the ability to create recurring events. Whether you’re managing weekly meetings, monthly reports, daily workouts, or yearly anniversaries, Google Calendar makes it easy to automate these repetitive tasks.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through how to create recurring events in Google Calendar on desktop and mobile, explain the various recurrence options, and share tips to manage and edit these events effectively.

Why Use Recurring Events?

Recurring events help streamline your scheduling by eliminating the need to manually add each instance of a repeated event. Common uses include:

• Work meetings (e.g., weekly stand-ups, biweekly team syncs)
• Personal routines (e.g., daily workouts, meditation)
• Household chores (e.g., trash day, bill payments)
• Academic schedules (e.g., semester classes, office hours)
• Special dates (e.g., birthdays, anniversaries)

By setting up a recurring event, you save time and ensure consistency across your calendar.

Part 1: Creating Recurring Events on Desktop

Google Calendar’s web interface offers the most detailed set of options for creating and customizing recurring events.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Open Google Calendar
   Visit calendar.google.com and sign in with your Google account.
2. Create a New Event
   • Click the “+ Create” button on the left side of the screen.
   • Alternatively, click directly on a date and time slot on the calendar to open the event creation window.
3. Enter Event Details
   • Add a title for your event (e.g., “Team Meeting”).
   • Set the start and end time for the event.
   • Choose the calendar you want to add the event to if you have multiple.
4. Enable Recurrence
   • Click the “Does not repeat” dropdown menu.
   • You’ll see several preset options:
     • Daily
     • Weekly on [Day]
     • Monthly on [Date/Day]
     • Annually on [Date]
     • Every weekday (Monday to Friday)
     • Custom
5. Set a Custom Recurrence (Optional)
   If the presets don’t fit your schedule, select “Custom…”. This opens a detailed dialog where you can define:
   • Repeat frequency: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Yearly
   • Repeat every [X] [unit]: E.g., every 2 weeks
   • Days of the week (for weekly events): Checkboxes let you select multiple days
   • End condition:
     • Never
     • On a specific date
     • After a number of occurrences
6. Example:
   For a meeting that occurs every second Tuesday, choose:
   • Repeat: Weekly
   • Every: 2 weeks
   • On: Tuesday
7. Add Additional Information
   • Location
   • Description or agenda
   • Guests/invitees
   • Notifications (pop-up or email reminders)
8. Save the Event
   • Click “Save”
   • If you’ve added guests, you’ll be prompted to send invitations.

Your recurring event will now appear repeatedly on your calendar according to the schedule you set.

Part 2: Creating Recurring Events on Mobile (iOS & Android)

The Google Calendar mobile app also supports recurring events, though with a slightly different interface.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Open the Google Calendar App
   • Available on the App Store and Google Play Store
2. Create a New Event
   • Tap the “+” button at the bottom right
   • Select “Event”
3. Fill in Event Details
   • Add a title
   • Choose date and time
   • Add location and description if needed
4. Set the Recurrence
   • Tap “Does not repeat”
   • Select one of the preset options:
     • Daily
     • Weekly
     • Monthly
     • Annually
     • Every weekday
     • Custom (on Android, this is more flexible than iOS)
5. Custom Recurrence (Android vs. iOS)
   On Android:
   • You can set the repeat interval (e.g., every 3 weeks)
   • Choose specific days (e.g., Monday, Wednesday)
   • Set end conditions (never, after X occurrences, or on a date)
6. On iOS:
   • Custom options are more limited
   • For advanced recurrence settings, use a desktop browser
7. Save the Event
   • Tap the save checkmark (Android) or “Save” button (iOS)

The recurring event will sync across all your devices using your Google account.

Part 3: Managing Recurring Events

Once your recurring event is created, you can still make changes or delete it.

Editing a Recurring Event

1. Click or tap the event instance you want to modify.
2. Choose “Edit event”
3. Make your changes (e.g., time, title, guests).
4. When you save, you’ll be asked:
   • This event
   • This and following events
   • All events

Choose the appropriate option based on whether the changes apply to one instance, future events, or the entire series.

Deleting a Recurring Event

1. Open any instance of the event.
2. Click Delete (trash can icon).
3. Choose:
   • Only this event
   • This and following events
   • All events

Note: Deleting “all events” will remove the entire recurring series from your calendar.

Best Practices

1. Use Descriptive Titles

Include details like project name or team (e.g., “Marketing Sync – Weekly”) to make it easy to identify in a busy calendar.

2. Set Notifications

Use reminders to alert you before the event starts. You can set:

• Pop-up notifications
• Email alerts
• Multiple reminders (e.g., 30 minutes and 1 day before)

3. Share with Collaborators

Invite others by adding their email addresses. Guests can RSVP and add the event to their own calendars.

4. Use Colors to Categorize

Assign different colors to recurring events to visually distinguish between types of activities (e.g., red for meetings, blue for personal).

5. Review Recurrence Settings Regularly

If your schedule changes, be sure to update your recurring events to avoid conflicts.

6. Add Google Meet or Zoom Links

For remote meetings, integrate video conferencing directly into the recurring event.

7. Sync with Other Calendars

Google Calendar integrates with:

• Outlook
• Apple Calendar
• Other online calendars via iCal or third-party tools

Recurring events in Google Calendar are essential for efficient time management and productivity. Whether you’re using the desktop version for its full-featured interface or the mobile app for on-the-go scheduling, the process is simple and flexible.

By understanding how to create, manage, and customize recurring events, you can automate your routine, reduce manual scheduling, and stay organized. With features like custom intervals, notifications, and guest invitations, Google Calendar gives you everything you need to stay on top of your recurring commitments.