How to import Outlook, Apple, or any ICS calendar into a poll

Not everyone uses Google OAuth — and that is fine. Free2Meet accepts any standard ICS subscribe link or an uploaded .ics file. Busy times appear as dotted hints on your personal grid while you respond. Read-only, visible only to you, optional for every respondent.

This guide covers ICS / iCal import for Outlook, Apple Calendar, Yahoo, and other providers. Already on Google? See Google Calendar import for OAuth connect — or use Google’s secret ICS link here too. Open a poll, start marking availability, and tap Import your calendar above the grid.

ICS import is the universal path — one paste field works for Outlook, Apple, Google secret links, and uploaded exports.

Two ways to import ICS

• Subscribe link — paste a webcal:// or https:// URL that points to a live calendar feed. Free2Meet fetches busy times for the poll window.
• Upload .ics file — export a snapshot from your calendar app and upload it. Good for one-off imports or when your provider does not offer a subscribe URL.

In both cases you still paint your free slots on top of the hints and press Save. Meeting titles stay on your screen only until then.

Outlook / Microsoft 365

One-click Microsoft connect may show as Coming soon depending on site setup. The ICS path works today without OAuth.

1. In Outlook on the web: Settings → Calendar → Shared calendars.
2. Under Publish a calendar, choose the calendar and copy the ICS link.
3. In Free2Meet’s import modal, paste under Calendar subscribe link (ICS).
4. Click Import — busy hints appear for the poll’s date window.
5. Paint your free times, then Save.

Apple Calendar

1. Open the Calendar app on Mac (or iCloud on the web).
2. Right-click the calendar → Share Calendar → enable Public Calendar.
3. Copy the webcal:// subscribe link.
4. Paste into Free2Meet’s ICS field and click Import.

Apple’s public link is read-only — same privacy model as other ICS feeds. Only you see event details on the hint layer.

Google Calendar (ICS, no OAuth)

Prefer a link over Google sign-in? In Google Calendar: Settings → your calendar → Integrate calendar → copy the Secret address in iCal format. Paste it in the same ICS field. Full OAuth walkthrough: Google Calendar import guide.

Upload an .ics file

1. Export or download a calendar file from your app (usually .ics format).
2. In the import modal, use Upload an .ics file instead of the URL field.
3. Submit — busy intervals in the poll window map to dotted hints.

Uploads are snapshots: they reflect the file at export time, not live changes. For recurring meetings, subscribe links usually stay fresher — use Refresh all calendars after reconnecting a link.

Reading hints on the grid

On datetime polls, busy cells use a dotted pattern; hover for details (your screen only). On dates-only polls, all-day events can mark whole days as unavailable. The legend distinguishes calendar-busy from slots you mark unavailable yourself.

Only events inside the poll’s candidate dates and daily hours are considered. Empty import? You may have no conflicts in that range — the toast will say No busy times in this window.

Privacy & security

• Read-only — Free2Meet never creates or edits events in your calendar.
• Your eyes only — meeting titles appear as hints on your grid; the group sees saved availability, not your feed.
• ICS links are secrets — treat subscribe URLs like passwords; we do not log them. See Privacy Policy — calendar import.

Troubleshooting

• Import failed — confirm the URL is the ICS feed, not an HTML page link. Try webcal:// ↔ https:// swap.
• No import button — calendar sync may be disabled on this deployment; paint manually or ask the host.
• Wrong busy times — check time zone on the poll vs your calendar; hints map to the poll window in UTC internally.
• Stale data — use Refresh all calendars for subscribe links; re-export for uploaded files.
• File too large — trim the export to relevant dates or use a subscribe link instead.

Related reads

Google Calendar import · Create a poll · Read the heatmap · When2Meet alternative (calendar import on mobile).

Questions we get

ICS works everywhere OAuth does not — paste, hint, paint, save. — The Free2Meet team