Back Up Google Calendar and Tasks with Google Takeout

To back up Google Calendar, export all your calendars with Google Takeout: tick only Calendar, create the export, and download the zip, which holds one iCal (.ics) file per calendar. Google keeps no earlier versions of your calendars or tasks and can't restore them, even on paid accounts, so once they're gone, they're gone, unless you've kept your own backup.

Google Calendar's settings: Export, You can download all calendars you can view and modify in a single archive

1. Open Google Takeout and select only Calendar

Open Google Takeout and click "Deselect all", so you export just what you need.

Google Takeout with 63 of 65 products selected, and Deselect all

Then tick the checkbox "Calendar". It includes all your calendars, in iCalendar format.

Calendar ticked: Your calendar data in iCalendar format, All calendars included

2. Choose where it goes and how often

Scroll down and click "Next step". Under "Transfer to", choose a download link by email, or Google Drive, Dropbox or Box.

Transfer to: Send download link via email, Add to Drive, Add to Dropbox, Add to Box

Under "Frequency", export once, or every month or every two months for a year.

Frequency: Export once, Export every month for 1 year, Export every 2 months for 1 year

3. Create the export and wait for the email

Click "Create export". Google gathers your data and emails you when it's done. How long that takes depends on the size of your calendars.

Export progress: Google is creating a copy of data from Calendar, and you'll receive an email

4. Download the zip

Open the email "Your Google data is ready to download" and click the button "Manage Google Takeout request".

The email from Google Takeout with the button Manage Google Takeout request

On the summary of your export, click "Download". Google may ask you to confirm it's you first.

The export summary, Completed, with Download

5. Open the zip

In the zip's folder Calendar, there's one iCal file per calendar.

The Calendar folder from Takeout, with one .ics file per calendar

Recover a calendar from the backup

To recover a calendar, import its file in Google Calendar's settings, under "Import & export".

Back up Google Tasks too

Takeout also backs up Google Tasks: tick the checkbox "Tasks". Unlike calendars, saved in the standard iCal format, tasks come as a JSON file, which only third-party tools can import, such as GTasksToolkit, which does it for free.

Tasks in Google Takeout: Data for your open and completed tasks, JSON format

Watch the full playlist on YouTube

Back up automatically instead

Instead of Takeout, you can back up your calendars automatically with GCal Backup, choosing the calendars and the schedule yourself. It's free, like many of our calendar tools at gcaltools.com.