Understanding the Default Behavior<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Before troubleshooting or adjusting settings, it\u2019s important to clarify how the different options within the Subscribe<\/strong> button function by default. Each option follows a specific protocol that determines how the calendar feed is handled by your browser and applications. iCalendar<\/strong> uses the Google Calendar<\/strong> and Outlook Calendar<\/strong> also support the By default, the “Subscribe to Calendar”<\/strong> feature only syncs current and future events<\/strong> from your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A common misconception is that The Events Calendar actively pushes<\/strong> events to external calendars like Google Calendar or Outlook. However, that\u2019s not how it works. Instead, external calendars pull<\/strong> events from your site at regular intervals using the subscription URL provided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Including past events in this sync could mean external calendars attempting to fetch large amounts of data<\/strong>, which may lead to sync failures<\/strong> or performance issues<\/strong>. To keep things running smoothly, only current<\/strong> and upcoming events<\/strong> are included by default.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you need past events in your calendar sync, you might want to explore the Advanced iCal Export v2<\/a><\/strong> extension\u2014just keep in mind that doing so comes with some potential risks.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Our plugin cannot control which program opens a specific file or link on a user\u2019s device \u2014 This behavior depends on the device, program, and individual settings. If users are relying on default apps to open those links, they typically shouldn’t encounter any issues. Here’s how you can ensure the correct program is used. <\/p>\n\n\n\n MAC \/ iOS<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 – Find or download an .ics file and select that file <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve made changes to an event and want to see them reflected in your calendar subscription, you might expect the update to appear right away. However, after noticing the changes haven’t taken effect, you delete the calendar and resubscribe\u2014only to find that the old event details are still showing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In general, this delay happens because of the feed being cached. For example, for Google Calendar, the calendar feed should refresh within 24 hours, at which point the updates will appear. Even if you remove the subscription and add it again, Google continues to use its stored data rather than fetching the latest version immediately. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Some platforms have restrictions on displaying future events. For instance, both Outlook and Google Calendar impose limitations when subscribing to an iCalendar feed, typically syncing events only up to 6 months ahead. This restriction helps reduce data load and ensures efficient syncing. Unfortunately, this is not something we can change on our end. If you have subscribed to your calendar feed with Google Calendar or Outlook, but the events still don’t show up after a day, then probably something is blocking the request coming from Google and Outlook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you run a membership site or require login from your visitors to be able to see the content of your site, that could also block the calendar subscriptions, since Google or Outlook are not able to provide login details to your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To circumvent the blocking of the calendar feed, make sure to put it on a whitelist to allow access to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A firewall acts as a security barrier that monitors and filters incoming and outgoing network traffic to protect systems\/ websites from unauthorized access and cyber threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Export .ics file<\/strong> uses the https<\/code> protocol to download a static .ics<\/code> file. You can manually import it into your calendar, but it won\u2019t update automatically\u2014any changes made after downloading won\u2019t sync.<\/p>\n\n\n\nhttps:\/\/demo.theeventscalendar.com\/events\/list\/?ical=1<\/a><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
webcal<\/code> protocol, which informs the browser to hand it over to the application that handles webcal files.<\/p>\n\n\n\nwebcal:\/\/demo.theeventscalendar.com\/?post_type=tribe_events&ical=1&eventDisplay=list<\/a><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
webcal<\/code> protocol<\/span>, recognizing it as a calendar feed. They automatically fetch updates from the URL at regular intervals.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nPast Events<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Link Not Opening in the Expected Program\/Service<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Windows<\/strong>
1 – Go to Windows Settings > Apps > Default Apps
2 – Scroll down to the bottom and click on Choose Default Apps by File Type<\/strong>
3 – Scroll down until you see .ics, You will see a list of apps available to handle these files, such as the Outlook app. Set the app of your liking as your default app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.theeventscalendar.com\/kb\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Windows-ics.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
2 – Go to the top left corner and click on File > Get Info
3 – Click on Open with, choose the app, and click on Change All<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.theeventscalendar.com\/kb\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_20250129_180410-1024x933.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nCalendar Subscription Isn\u2019t Updating Immediately<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Calendar Stops Loading Events After Six Months<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Over time, new events will continue to load and update your calendar, ensuring you always have a rolling 6-month view of events.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nEvents Not Showing Up in Google or Outlook<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Membership Plugin or Login Gate<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Firewall<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.theeventscalendar.com\/kb\/uploads\/2023\/12\/sysinfo-default-php-time-zone.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.theeventscalendar.com\/kb\/uploads\/2023\/12\/event-time-and-time-zone.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.theeventscalendar.com\/kb\/uploads\/2023\/12\/event-time-and-time-zone-in-block-editor.jpg\")