iCloud: Resolving duplicate calendars after setting up your calendar application for iCloud Calendar

iTunes 10.7 or earlier will allow you to enable iTunes sync for Calendars even if you are already using iCloud Calendar on your computer. iTunes syncs your data via USB or Wi-Fi when enabled. iTunes 11 will not sync your Calendars if you have enabled iCloud in iCloud System Preferences (on a Mac) or in the iCloud Control Panel (on Windows) to avoid possible duplication.

Note: Although iTunes 10.7 and earlier provides a warning to help you avoid possible data duplication, in some cases iTunes sync may still be on after you enable iCloud in iCloud System Preferences (on a Mac) or in the iCloud Control Panel (on Windows).

You can continue to sync and back up your iOS devices with iTunes. Simply do not use iCloud and iTunes sync for the same data types. For example, you can use iCloud to manage your calendars while still using iTunes to sync your contacts, music, apps, and so on.

• To use iCloud to update your Calendars:

Disable syncing Calendars in iTunes.

1. Connect your iOS device to your computer via the supplied USB cable.
2. Open iTunes.
3. Select your iOS device in the Source List.
4. Click the Info tab.
5. Make sure the checkbox next to "Sync iCal Calendars" or "Sync Calendars" is deselected.

• To use iTunes syncing to update your Calendars:

Disable iCloud Calendar in the iCloud System Preferences and/or iCloud Control Panel.

1. Open System Preferences (or Control Panel if you are using a PC).
2. Click iCloud (if you are using a PC, you may need to open the Network and Internet Control Panel section first).
3. Deselect the checkbox next to Calendar.
   • If you are using a Mac, this action will result in your iCloud Calendar information being removed from your computer as described in iCloud: Calendar & reminder data removed from iCal when disabling iCloud Calendar. Make sure you have backed up your calendars prior to taking this action.
4. If you are using a PC, click Apply.
5. Close the iCloud System Preferences pane or iCloud Control Panel.

You can either hide or delete the duplicate calendars. Deleting calendars has the inherent risk of deleting data you don't want to delete so simply hiding calendars may be a safer solution for you.

• To hide duplicate data:
  1. Click the Calendars button in the top-left corner of Calendar or iCal to display the Calendar list.
  2. Under the On My Mac section, remove the checkmarks from the boxes next to all your calendars.
  3. Examine Calendar or iCal and make sure the events that you expect to see there are still displayed. If they are not, your data may not have been merged successfully. If this is the case, you may want to move any calendar data that only exists in the On My Mac section (the events that are now hidden) using the steps in this article.
• To remove duplicate data, follow these steps:

Important: It is recommended that you back up your data before doing this. See iCloud: How to back up iCloud data for instructions.

1. Click the Calendars button in the top-left corner of Calendar or iCal to display the Calendar list.
2. Under the On My Mac section, remove the checkmarks from the boxes next to all your calendars.
3. Examine Calendar or iCal and make sure the events that you expect to see there are still displayed. If they are not, your data may not have been merged successfully. If this is the case, you may want to move any calendar data that only exists in the On My Mac section (the events that are now hidden) using the steps in this article.
4. Click one of your unchecked calendars to highlight it.
5. From the Edit menu, choose Delete.
6. Confirm that you want to delete the calendar.
7. Repeat for each calendar under the On My Mac section that was duplicated.

Note: Do not delete any calendars that appear under SUBSCRIPTIONS or ICLOUD, or any other synced account's calendars to resolve duplicates (such as the ones shown in this example):



For more information about subscribed calendars, see this article.

You can either hide or delete the duplicate calendars. Deleting calendars has the inherent risk of deleting data you don't want to delete so simply hiding calendars may be a safer solution for you.

• To hide duplicate data:
  1. Open Outlook and click on your Calendars in the left panel.
  2. Remove the checkmarks next to any local calendars that appear here. These are typically under the My Calendars section of Outlook Calendar. Calendars that appear under the word iCloud are what is stored with iCloud.
  3. Examine Outlook and make sure the events that you expect to see there are still displayed. If they are not, your data may not have been merged successfully. If this is the case, you may want to try the merge again. To do this, deselect the "Calendar & Tasks" option in the iCloud Control Panel. Then, click Apply and reselect the "Calendar & Tasks" option in iCloud Control Panel and click Apply.
• To remove duplicate data, follow these steps:

Important: It is recommended that you backup your data before doing this. See iCloud: How to back up iCloud data for instructions.

1. Open Outlook and click on your Calendars in the left-hand panel.
2. Remove the checkmarks next to any local calendars that appear here. These are typically under the My Calendars section of Outlook Calendar. Calendars that appear under the word iCloud are what is stored with iCloud.
3. Examine Outlook and make sure the events that you expect to see there are still displayed. If they are not, your data may not have been merged successfully. If this is the case, you may want to try the merge again. To do this, deselect the "Calendar & Tasks" option in the iCloud Control Panel. Then, click Apply and reselect the "Calendar & Tasks" option in iCloud Control Panel and click Apply.
4. Right-click one of your unchecked local calendars and select Delete Calendar.
   Note: Outlook does not allow the deletion of the default "Calendar" file. Other calendars within this collection should be able to be removed according to your permissions.
5. Confirm that you want to delete the calendar.
6. Repeat for each local calendar that was duplicated.