How do I prevent Calendar spam?

It started in November 2016. Suddenly, Mac users were inundated with calendar spam—bogus event invitations (see Invite People to Events) from counterfeit companies hawking cut-rate Ray Bans, Ugg boots, and other supposed bargains, often in Chinese. Calendar spammers take advantage of the feature that scans Mail messages for calendar invitations and then sends you a notification. What’s worse, if you click Accept, Decline, or Maybe, you notify the spammer that your account is real and ready for more.

To report spam events, go to your calendar on iCloud.com, open the event, and click Report Junk (this option appears under the sender’s name if they’re not in your contacts). Then click OK.

To prevent calendar spam, log in to iCloud.com, click Calendar, click the Settings icon, and choose Preferences > Advanced. Then, change the Receive Event Invitations radio button to Email To email address. Now, instead of appearing as notifications, calendar invitations run through your email account, which undoubtably checks for spam. You can also safely delete messages there without alerting the spammer.

How do I get rid of duplicate events?

If you find your calendar littered with duplicate events, try this:

1. Choose View > Refresh Calendars (or press ⌘-R).

2. If that doesn’t work, check whether you have an On My Mac calendar that is identical to one of your iCloud calendars. Hide it by deselecting it in the Calendars list and see if duplicates disappear. If they do, you can either keep this calendar hidden or delete the calendar altogether by Control-clicking (right-clicking) its name in the Calendars list and choosing Delete.

How do I remove duplicate birthdays?

If the special Birthdays calendar, discussed in Tap into Special Calendars, shows a birthday more than once, you can remove the extras.

First, choose Calendar > Preferences > General. Deselect the Show Birthdays Calendar checkbox and select it again. If that doesn’t work, duplicate contacts are probably to blame. Open the Contacts app and choose Card > Look for Duplicates. If the app finds them, choose Merge (Figure 89). You may need to repeat this step.

If some duplicate birthdays still appear in Calendar, go into Contacts and manually delete the stubborn duplicates that the app is unable to detect. Your duplicate birthdays should disappear.

How do I get rid of duplicate iCloud calendars?

If identical iCloud calendars appear to be multiplying like bunnies, first try launching Calendar and choosing View > Refresh Calendars. If that doesn’t work, log in to iCloud.com, click Calendar, and see if the duplicate calendars appear in the list there. Then:

• If duplicates appear on the iCloud website: To be safe, go back to your Calendar app and make a backup of each of the affected calendars by selecting them in turn and choosing File > Export > Export to create calendar (.ics) files labeled with their names.

  Once that’s done, go to iCloud.com and delete the duplicate calendar(s) from the website, by clicking Edit at the bottom of the calendar list and then clicking the Remove icon next to a calendar. A warning asks you if you’re sure. If you are, click Delete. Now, return to the app and refresh your calendars by pressing ⌘-R. Duplicates should disappear.

• If duplicates don’t appear on the iCloud website: That means the problem is on your end. Choose Calendar > Accounts, click iCloud, and deselect Calendars. Your iCloud calendars disappear from the Calendars list. Then, choose Calendar > Accounts, click iCloud, and select Calendars. As iCloud repopulates your calendar data, this time it should get it right.

How do I move a calendar to another computer?

Here’s the beauty of cloud accounts such as iCloud or Google: your calendars show up on any other device that’s connected to that account, no effort required. If you use local On My Mac calendars, though, and want to move one to another computer or make a backup, you must export a copy and then import it elsewhere.

What if I made too many calendars?

If you were overenthusiastic about making calendars, so long as they are stored in the same account, you can merge them after the fact. Select one of the calendars in the Calendars list and choose Edit > Merge Calendar. Calendars that you can add events to appear in the submenu (Figure 90).

If you can’t merge the two calendars you want, instead consolidate them by exporting the contents of one and then importing it into another. (See How do I move a calendar to another computer?.)

Why won’t my calendar show maps or travel time?

To see travel time related to a calendar event, you must turn on Location Services on the device where you are working with the event:

• Mac: Go to Apple  > System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy. Click Location Services, and then click the lock icon and enter your administrator name and password at the prompt. Then, in the list to the right, select the checkbox next to Calendar (Figure 91).

  

• iPhone and iPad: Open the Settings app, tap Privacy > Location Services, and turn on the Location Services switch. Still on the Location Services screen, tap Calendar and ensure that While Using the App is selected (Figure 92).

With these settings on, Calendar can determine your approximate location using information from Wi-Fi networks, and if your device has cellular data turned on, from the cellular network. Apple asserts that this is collected in a way that won’t personally identify you. For more about Location Services and your privacy, see Apple’s Location Services & Privacy page.

What if I accidentally delete my calendars?

You’re out of luck if you delete a calendar stored on your Mac unless you have a backup plan that includes, for instance, Time Machine or a cloud backup service. However, you might be able to restore an iCloud calendar using iCloud.com. Log in and click Account Settings. Under the Advanced heading, click Restore Calendars. A dialog appears with a list of your most recent archives (Figure 93). If one of them covers the time when your list existed, you might be able to save it.

Previously, this backup also included your iCloud reminders. As of Catalina and iOS 13, however, that’s no longer the case.

Warning There are some drawbacks. When you restore an archive, it writes over any edits or additions you made to Calendars between then and now. (iCloud does archive the current version, though, so the information isn’t completely lost.) Restoring an archived version also zaps all sharing information. You’ll have to share and subscribe to calendars again. Still game? See this Apple support document for detailed instructions.

Where did my iCloud reminders go?

Apple overhauled the Reminders app for Catalina, iOS 13, iPadOS 13, and watchOS 6. You’re required to upgrade your iCloud reminders to access new features, but once you do, you will not be able to see the reminders on other devices using older versions of the app. See Avoid Heartache When Upgrading Your Reminders for a rundown of what happens when you upgrade.

Reminders in a shared list may also go missing if the creator—the family organizer in the case of a Family Sharing group (see Use iCloud Family Sharing)—upgrades their reminders before you do. You will gain access to these reminders after you upgrade your iCloud reminders.

If you’ve already dealt with the upgrade process and are still faced with a blank screen when you try to check reminders on your Mac, iPhone or iPad, check your settings:

• On your Mac: Go to Apple  > System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud and select the Reminders checkbox (Figure 94).

  

• On your iPhone or iPad: Tap Settings > Your Name > iCloud and toggle the Reminders switch to On.

How can I get an On My Mac option?

If you want to store a calendar or Reminders list locally on your Mac, you need to choose On My Mac when you create the calendar or list. If you don’t see that choice, and you don’t have an On My Mac heading in the app’s left-hand Calendars list or sidebar, you can solve the problem by turning off all accounts associated with calendars or reminders and then turning them back on.

To see an On My Mac option in Calendars:

1. Go to Calendar > Preferences > Accounts.

2. Select each account listed there in turn and uncheck the Enable This Account box. Your account-based calendars disappear from the Calendars list—do not be alarmed! In fact, if they do not disappear, try quitting and relaunching Calendar.

3. Choose File > New Calendar and a new calendar appears in your Calendars list under the header On My Mac.

4. If you want to view your account-based calendars in addition to your On My Mac calendar, return to Calendar > Preferences > Accounts and select those accounts’ Enable This Account box.

Things no longer work the same way with Reminders:

1. Go to Apple  > System Preferences > Internet Accounts.

2. For each account listed on the left, select it and then see whether the Reminders checkbox is selected. If it is, deselect it.

3. Your account-based lists disappear from the Reminders sidebar—this is okay! Any new lists you create at this point are stored locally on your Mac, though they’re not listed under an On My Mac header.

The problem occurs if you want to view iCloud reminders in addition to ones store locally on your Mac. As of Catalina, that no longer possible. If you go Apple  > System Preferences > Internet Accounts, select iCloud and then select the Reminders checkbox again, you’re asked if you’d like to merge your local reminders with iCloud (Figure 95).

If you click Merge, your local lists are uploaded to iCloud and stored there. Click Cancel and have to do without access to your iCloud reminders.

What if changes on one device don’t show up on another?

If you’re using iCloud with Reminders or Calendar and syncing is acting up, here’s what to try:

1. Try opening a webpage to see if the device is able to connect to the internet. Is there a connection? If not, you may need to turn your router or DSL/cable modem off and back on.

2. Next, make sure that Apple’s servers are fit as fiddles by going to this Apple System Status page and seeing if iCloud Calendar and Reminders are available (Figure 96). If they’re not, this one’s on Apple; you’ll need to wait for them.

   

3. Try refreshing your calendars to make sure you’re seeing the latest ones. (Reminders also updates when you do this.)

   • Mac: In Calendar, press ⌘-R.

   • iPhone and iPad: Open Calendar and then tap Calendars at the bottom of the screen to see your list of calendars. Swipe down to refresh.

4. Make sure you’re signed in to your Mac and other devices using the same iCloud account. If not, do so:

   • Mac: Go to Apple  > System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud. Make sure the Apple ID here matches the one on your other devices and that Calendars and Reminders are each selected.

   • iPhone and iPad: Tap Settings > Your Name. Make sure the Apple ID at the top matches the one on your Mac and other devices. Then, tap iCloud and make sure that Calendars and Reminders are both toggled on.

   If you are already signed in to iCloud with the same account, deselect Calendars and/or Reminders in the iCloud list and then reselect to get fresh data.

5. If things still aren’t syncing correctly, see if you can access Apple’s Apple ID page on your Mac. If you can’t, you may not have access to port 443, which firewalls can interfere with and Safari must access to update your iCloud data. (For more about ports, see Apple’s TCP and UDP ports used by Apple software products page.) Call your internet service provider for help.

6. Make sure Calendar and Reminders apps are set to update frequently on your iPhone or iPad by tapping Settings > Calendar or Settings > Reminders and checking the Sync settings. If Sync is set to Events 1 Month Back or Reminders 1 Month Back, trying switching it to All Events or All Reminders.

7. If calendars and reminders still aren’t syncing, restart your Mac, iPhone or iPad:

   • Mac: Choose Apple  > Restart.

   • iPhone and iPad: If you have an iPhone 8 or earlier, or an iPad with a Home button, hold down its Side button, usually on the right side of the device, or Top button (iPad) until the slider appears. Slide it to power off. If you have an iPhone X or later, or an iPad without a Home button, press and hold the Side button (Top button for iPad) and either of the volume buttons until the slider appears. Once the device turns off, press and hold the Side or Top button until the Apple logo reappears.

8. If that doesn’t work, check for updates to macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. Sometimes a bug fix resolves problems. Also, if you’re using an older operating system (anything earlier than macOS Sierra or iOS 10.3), it may not meet the iCloud system requirements. Do this:

   • Mac: Choose Apple  > System Preferences > Software Update. If a software update is available, download and install it.

   • iPhone and iPad: Tap Settings > General > Software Update, and follow the prompts.