How to use the ics to csv converter
- Choose an .ics calendar file (exported from a calendar program) or drop it on the box. It can be up to 25 MB.
- Decide whether the end of an all-day event should show its last day, which most people expect, or the day after, as the file stores it.
- Check the counts and the preview of the first events, and read any warnings about dates that could not be understood.
- Use Download CSV to open the table in a spreadsheet, or Copy as tab separated text to paste it straight into one.
What each row contains
Each event in the file becomes one row with fourteen columns: the summary, start, end, whether it is an all-day event, the time zone, location, description, status, repeat rule, the occurrence it changes, organizer, categories, link and unique id. Line breaks inside a description are kept in the CSV, and long lines that the calendar format folds over several lines are joined back together. Text escapes such as \n and \, are turned back into real line breaks and commas.
Alarms inside an event and the time zone definitions at the top of the file are skipped, so a reminder's text never lands in the description column. The count of BEGIN:VEVENT lines is shown beside the number of events, so you can see that none were missed.
Times, repeats and safety
Times are shown as written in the file and are not converted to your time zone. The time zone column says whether a time is UTC, tied to a named zone or "floating" without any zone. An event that repeats is one row that shows its repeat rule, for example FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=MO. It is not expanded into every date, so the CSV lists the series once, along with any single occurrences that were changed.
To keep a spreadsheet from running text as a formula, any cell that starts with =, +, - or @ gets an apostrophe in front of it in the CSV. To go the other way, the Add to Calendar Link Generator makes links that add an event, and the CSV to Excel tool turns a table into a workbook.
More file tools
To convert other files or inspect an image, try the Image Histogram Viewer, Reduce Image Colors Tool and PowerPoint Text Extractor.
Assumptions and limits
- The file is a standard iCalendar (.ics) text file. Up to 20,000 events are listed.
- Dates and times are shown as the file states them, with no time zone conversion.
- Repeating events are not expanded, and recurrence exceptions are not applied.
- The file is processed in your browser and is never uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
Why does an all-day event end a day later in the file?
Calendar files store the end of an all-day event as the first day after it. The option on the page subtracts a day so the end column shows the last day of the event.
Where is every date of my weekly meeting?
A repeating event is listed once, with its repeat rule. Expanding it into every date depends on rules such as exceptions and the end of the series, which this tool does not apply.
What does floating mean in the time zone column?
The event has a clock time with no time zone attached, so it is meant to be the same local time wherever the calendar is opened.
Why does a summary start with an apostrophe?
It began with =, +, - or @, which a spreadsheet could take for a formula. The apostrophe makes the cell plain text and does not show in most programs.