How to Search, Share, Customize and Sync iPhone Calendar

To change the default alert time for iPhone calendar events, open Settings, tap Apps > Calendar > Default Alert Times, then tap Events, All-Day Events, or Birthdays and choose a time. The same screen has the Time to Leave switch. Week numbers and the other display options are one level up, on the main Calendar settings screen.

This guide walks through each Calendar setting, how to check that a change worked, how to reverse it, and what to do when a setting is missing or an alert never shows up. The steps follow Apple’s Change your Calendar settings on iPhone guide for iOS 27.

Before You Start

• iOS version: the steps below match Apple’s iPhone User Guide for iOS 27. Apple’s iOS 18 and iOS 26 guides use the same Settings > Apps > Calendar path.
• iOS 17 and earlier: there is no Apps menu. Apple’s iOS 17 guide says to go to Settings > Calendar instead. The option names on the Calendar screen are the same.
• What a default is: a default alert is the reminder Calendar adds for you when you create an event. You can still set a different alert on any single event.
• Nothing here deletes events. Every setting in this guide can be switched back from the same screen.

How to Change Default Alert Times

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap Apps, then tap Calendar. The apps are listed alphabetically.
3. Tap Default Alert Times. You will see three rows, Birthdays, Events, and All-Day Events, plus the Time to Leave switch.
4. Tap the type of event you want to change.
5. Choose when you want to be alerted. A checkmark shows your choice.
6. Tap the back arrow and repeat for the other event types if you want.

Each of the three event types keeps its own default, so you can get an early warning for timed events and a different reminder for birthdays.

Confirm it worked, or undo it

Open the Calendar app, create a test event, and look at its Alert row. It should show the time you picked. Delete the test event when you are done.

To undo the change, go back to Default Alert Times and pick a different option. The list normally includes None if you would rather add alerts by hand. Events that already exist keep whatever alert they have, so check important ones individually.

How to Change the Alert on One Event

A default is only a starting point. Apple’s Create and edit events in Calendar guide gives these steps for a single event:

1. Open the Calendar app.
2. Tap the event, then tap Edit.
3. In the event details, tap Alert.
4. Choose when you want to be reminded, such as At time of event or 5 minutes before.
5. Tap the checkmark or Done button at the top to save.

Depending on your iOS version, the event editor may also show a Second Alert row for an extra reminder. Apple’s current guide does not describe it, so treat it as optional if you see it.

How to Turn Time to Leave Alerts On or Off

Time to Leave is an alert that tells you when to head out so you arrive on time. Apple says that when an event has the address of its location, Calendar uses Apple Maps to look up locations, traffic conditions, and transit options to work out that time.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Apps, then tap Calendar.
3. Tap Default Alert Times.
4. Turn Time to Leave on or off. The switch is green when it is on.

The alert only makes sense for events with a location. An event with no address has nowhere to route to, so add the address in the event’s Location field if you want this reminder.

How to Change Calendar Notifications

Alert times control when you are reminded. Notification settings control how the reminder appears, and whether it appears at all. They live in a different part of Settings, which is why changing one does not fix a problem with the other.

These steps come from Apple’s Keep track of events in Calendar guide:

1. Open Settings and tap Notifications.
2. Tap Calendar.
3. Turn on Allow Notifications.
4. Choose where and how alerts appear: on the Lock Screen, in Notification Center, as banners at the top of the screen, and with or without a sound.
5. Scroll down and tap Customize Notifications to turn specific types, such as upcoming events or invitee responses, on or off.

If you want to change what else shows while the phone is locked, see how to show or hide notifications on the iPhone Lock Screen. To pick a different alert tone, see how to change an iPhone app’s notification sound.

Turn alerts on or off for one calendar

You can also silence a single calendar, such as a shared or subscribed one, without touching the rest. Apple’s Set up multiple calendars guide says to open the Calendar app, open the list of calendars, tap the info button next to a calendar, and turn Event Alerts on or off.

How to Show Week Numbers and Change the Display

Go to Settings > Apps > Calendar, then use any of these options:

Setting	What it does
Week Numbers	Shows the week number next to every week of the year.
Start Week On	Lets you choose which day the week begins with.
Week View Starts On Today	Shows the current day as the first day in Week view.
Alternate Calendars	Shows Chinese, Hebrew, or Hijri dates alongside the Gregorian calendar.

Week numbers are handy when your workplace or school plans by numbered weeks. To confirm the change, open the Calendar app and look at a month. To undo it, turn the Week Numbers switch off again.

Default Calendar, Event Length, and Location Suggestions

Three more defaults sit on the same Settings > Apps > Calendar screen:

• Default Calendar: tap it and select the calendar that new events should be added to. This matters when you have several, such as work and personal. Apple notes that you can always move an event to a different calendar after you create it.
• Duration for New Events: tap it and choose a length of time. New events start with that length, and you can still adjust any event.
• Location Suggestions: turn it on or off to choose whether Calendar suggests a location when you create an event.

Choose the Default Calendar in the Older iPhone Menu

On the historical iPhone 5 with iOS 7 layout, open Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars, scroll to the Calendars section and choose Default Calendar. Select the intended calendar and check its selection mark. Current iOS uses Settings > Apps > Calendar > Default Calendar; intermediate layouts put Calendar directly in Settings. Create a test event and inspect its Calendar field to verify the destination, changing it before saving if needed. Return to Default Calendar and select your former choice to reverse the default. Existing events are not automatically moved between calendars, and an unavailable account calendar needs its account/sync settings checked separately.

How to Keep Calendars in Sync

To keep the same events on every device signed in to your Apple Account:

1. Go to Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud.
2. Tap See All next to Saved to iCloud.
3. Tap iCloud Calendar and turn on Use on this iPhone.

For Google, Microsoft Exchange, or Yahoo calendars, go to Settings > Apps > Calendar > Calendar Accounts > Add Account, tap the service, and sign in. For a CalDAV account, a calendar hosted on your own or your employer’s server, tap Add Other Account instead.

Some accounts do not support push, which means new events are not sent to your phone the moment they change. For those, Apple says to open Calendar Accounts, tap Fetch New Data, and choose a schedule. With Automatically, new data downloads when the iPhone is charging and connected to Wi-Fi. To sync with Outlook, see how to sync your Outlook calendar with iPhone.

Create a Separate Calendar on iPhone

Open the Calendar app, tap Calendars > Add Calendar, then choose Add Calendar for a new editable iCloud calendar rather than Add Subscription Calendar. Enter its name, choose a color and the intended account where offered, then tap the displayed Done/checkmark control to save. Apple’s multiple-calendars guide distinguishes those choices. Return to Calendars, select the new calendar so it is visible, and create a test event with that calendar selected in the event’s Calendar field. Save and reopen the event to confirm its destination. Creating an event with the main + button alone does not create a new calendar. Check iCloud account/sync setup above if the option is unavailable or the calendar needs to appear elsewhere; creating it does not automatically share it with another person.

Share an iCloud Calendar on iPhone

For an iCloud calendar on an iPhone 15 or another iPhone, open Calendar > Calendars and tap the info (i) button beside the intended iCloud calendar. Choose Add Person, enter the person’s name or email address, then use the displayed Done or older Add control to send the invitation. A selected contact needs an email address. Apple’s calendar-sharing guide describes private sharing with other iCloud users; a Google or Outlook calendar uses its provider’s sharing controls. Confirm the invitee accepts and sees the intended calendar.

Return to Calendars > that calendar’s info button > the person’s name and turn Allow Editing off for read-only access or on when you intend to permit edits. Check the setting and, with the invitee, verify access. The person’s Delete control stops sharing with that person; it is different from Delete Calendar. Public Calendar and Share Link expose a separate read-only subscription link, so do not use that option for a private schedule. Sharing an entire calendar is also different from inviting someone to one event.

Share a Calendar in the Older iOS 7 Layout

On an iPhone 5 with the historical iOS 7 layout, open Calendar > Calendars > Edit and choose the intended calendar under iCloud. Under Shared With, tap Add Person, enter the person’s iCloud email address, and tap Add. Tap Done on the calendar details, Edit Calendars and Calendars screens to return to the calendar. The recipient needs an iCloud account and must accept the invitation. Check the participant list and have them open the calendar; confirm whether they have permission to edit before expecting both people to change events. This shares the selected calendar rather than every calendar or one event. For current iPhones and stopping access later, use the iCloud sharing instructions above.

Troubleshooting Calendar Settings and Alerts

I cannot find Calendar in Settings

On iOS 18 and later, Calendar is inside Apps near the bottom of the main Settings screen. On iOS 17 and earlier, it is in the main Settings list. You can also type Calendar in the Settings search field.

I set a default alert but get no reminder

Work through these checks in order:

1. Go to Settings > Notifications > Calendar and make sure Allow Notifications is on, with at least one place to appear selected.
2. Tap Customize Notifications on that screen and make sure upcoming events are turned on.
3. Open the event and check its Alert row. An event created before you changed the default may have no alert.
4. In the Calendar app, tap the info button next to the event’s calendar and make sure Event Alerts is on.
5. Check whether a Focus is silencing notifications. See how to turn on Do Not Disturb on iPhone for where that control lives.

Time to Leave alerts never appear

Confirm the Time to Leave switch is on and that the event has a real street address in its Location field, since Apple ties the feature to the event’s address and Apple Maps. If Calendar has been denied access to your location, it may not be able to work out travel time from where you are. Apple’s Location Services article shows the path: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, then tap the app and choose an option.

New events land in the wrong calendar

Change Default Calendar in the Calendar settings. For an event that is already in the wrong place, Apple says to tap the event, tap Calendar, and select the calendar to move it to.

Sync iCloud Calendar Between iPhone and Mac

Use the same Apple Account on both devices and connect them to the internet. On an iPhone 15 with iOS 17 or later, open Settings > your name > iCloud > See All or Show All, select iCloud Calendar and enable Use on this iPhone. In the Calendar app, tap Calendars and select the calendars in the iCloud section.

On the Mac, open Apple menu > System Settings > your name > iCloud. For macOS 15 or later, choose See All beside Saved to iCloud and enable Calendars. For macOS 13.3–14, use Show All or Show More Apps under Apps Using iCloud; macOS 13–13.2 exposes the Calendars switch directly. Older macOS uses System Preferences and its Apple ID or iCloud pane. Apple’s Calendar setup guide covers the version differences.

Select the same calendar in Mac Calendar’s sidebar. Create a test event in an iCloud calendar and verify it appears on both devices. Edits and deletions also synchronize. If it is missing, check the account, calendar and connection. Enabling iCloud does not automatically transfer events from Google, Outlook or On My Mac calendars.

Search for an Event in iPhone Calendar

Open Calendar, tap its Search button (magnifying glass) and enter part of the event’s title, location, invitee information or notes. Tap the matching result and check its date and calendar before editing it. Apple’s Calendar search guide identifies the searchable information. On the historical iOS 6 iPhone 5 layout, open List view and use its Search All Calendars field, then select the matching event. That older control differs from the current search button. If nothing matches, try a shorter term and check that the account and calendar containing the event are configured and synchronized using the steps above. Searching does not add an unconfigured account or recover a deleted event.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does changing the default alert time update events I already created?

Do not count on it. A default alert is applied when an event is created, so open any important existing event, tap Edit, and set its Alert yourself.

Why do birthdays have their own alert setting?

Apple lists Birthdays, Events, and All-Day Events as three separate rows under Default Alert Times, so each can have a different reminder. Birthdays come from the Birthdays calendar, which Apple says pulls from your Contacts.

Can I turn off Calendar alerts completely?

Yes. Go to Settings > Notifications > Calendar and turn off Allow Notifications. Your events stay in the app, but the iPhone stops notifying you about them. Turn the switch back on to restore alerts.

Can Siri suggest events and learn from my calendar?

Yes. Go to Settings > Apps > Calendar > Siri. Show in App lets Siri suggest events it finds in Mail, Messages, and Safari, such as flight and hotel bookings. Learn from this App lets Siri make suggestions in other apps based on how you use Calendar.

Do these settings also apply to my iPad or Mac?

The settings in this guide are changed on the iPhone itself. Events sync through iCloud or your calendar account, but check the Calendar settings on each device rather than assuming they match.

Next Step

Set your three default alert times first, then create one test event to confirm the reminder arrives the way you expect. After that, these guides cover related iPhone settings:

• How to remove holidays from the iPhone calendar
• How to change your ringtone and sounds on iPhone
• How to sync your Outlook calendar with iPhone