Mac calendar not syncing? Here's how to fix it
Events missing, duplicated, or stuck — the most common fixes.
You created an event on your phone, but it's not showing up on your Mac. Or your Google Calendar events disappeared. Calendar sync issues are frustrating because you can't trust your schedule. Here are the most common causes and fixes.
1. Check that the calendar account is connected
Go to System Settings → Internet Accounts and verify your Google, iCloud, or Exchange account is listed. Click on it and make sure the “Calendars” toggle is enabled.
If the account isn't there, add it. If it's there but calendars are disabled, toggle them on.
2. Check calendar visibility in Apple Calendar
Open Apple Calendar and look at the sidebar (press ⌘⌥S if it's hidden). Each calendar has a checkbox. If a calendar is unchecked, its events won't show — even though they're still synced.
3. Force a calendar refresh
In Apple Calendar, go to Calendar → Preferences → Accounts and set “Refresh Calendars” to “Every minute” or click the refresh button. You can also quit and relaunch Calendar.app to force a sync.
4. Remove and re-add the account
If events are stuck or showing duplicates, the nuclear option works: go to System Settings → Internet Accounts, remove the problematic account, then add it back. This forces a full re-sync.
Your events aren't deleted — they live on the server (Google, iCloud, Exchange). Removing the account just clears the local cache.
5. Check for app-specific issues
If you use a third-party calendar app alongside Apple Calendar, make sure it reads from the macOS calendar store (EventKit) rather than syncing directly with Google or Outlook. Apps that use EventKit automatically get whatever macOS has synced — no additional sync configuration needed.
How Dot handles sync
Dot reads directly from the macOS calendar store, so it always shows the same events as Apple Calendar. If your events sync to macOS, they show up in Dot automatically — no extra accounts, no separate sync, no configuration.
If your calendar sync is working in Apple Calendar but events are missing in another app, that app might be using its own sync. Dot avoids this problem entirely by relying on macOS.
Try it free
Dot has a 14-day free trial. One-time purchase — no subscription.
