Office and email
Make a “Busy”-only copy of your calendar (.ics)
- Runs in your browser
- No sign-up
- Your calendar is never uploaded
Preview of the first 10 events
| Starts | Title before | Title now | Repeats | Removed |
|---|
Times are shown as written in the file. “Title before” is shown only on this screen; it isn’t in the download.
Drop in a calendar file exported from Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar. You get back a copy where every event keeps its time, repeats and time zone, but its title becomes “Busy” and its description, location, attendees, organizer, links and attachments are gone. Import that copy into your other calendar so people see when you’re busy, not what you’re doing.
How it works
- Export your calendar as an .ics file. Google Calendar: Settings → Import & export → Export (unzip the download; each calendar is one .ics file). Classic Outlook for Windows: open the calendar, then File → Save Calendar and More Options → Whole calendar. Apple Calendar: File → Export → Export…
- Drop the file above. Your browser reads it; nothing is uploaded.
- Every event’s title becomes “Busy”. DESCRIPTION, LOCATION, ATTENDEE, ORGANIZER, URL and ATTACH are removed, along with other text that can hold details: HTML notes from Outlook, video-call links, categories, comments and reminders.
- Times stay exactly as they were. Start, end, duration, repeat rules (RRULE, RDATE, EXDATE), changed or cancelled occurrences, all-day events and the time zone blocks (VTIMEZONE) are copied unchanged. Each event gets a new ID, so the copy never clashes with the original.
- Download and import the “-busy.ics” file into the other calendar, as described below.
Import the busy copy into Google Calendar or Outlook
Import into a new, empty calendar. Then you can delete the whole busy copy in one step and import a fresh one when your schedule changes.
Google Calendar (on a computer)
- Open Google Calendar, click the gear icon → Settings.
- Create the empty calendar: Add calendar → Create new calendar, name it (for example “Busy – work”) and click Create calendar.
- Click Import & export → Select file from your computer and choose the “-busy.ics” file.
- Under Add to calendar, pick the new calendar, then click Import.
New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web
- Open the Calendar and choose Add calendar in the left pane.
- Choose Upload from file → Browse and pick the “-busy.ics” file.
- Choose which calendar to add the events to, then click Import.
Classic Outlook for Windows
- Click File → Open & Export → Import/Export.
- Choose Import an iCalendar (.ics) or vCalendar file (.vcs) → Next, and pick the “-busy.ics” file.
- Click Open as New to get a separate calendar (or Import to add the events to your main calendar).
FAQ
Is my calendar uploaded anywhere?
No, the file is read and changed by your browser on your device, and this page sends nothing to any server.
Do repeating events still repeat?
Yes, the repeat rules, skipped dates, moved occurrences and time zone blocks are copied unchanged, so a weekly meeting stays weekly in the busy copy.
Will the busy calendar update when my schedule changes?
No, the download is a snapshot of the file you dropped in, so repeat the steps when your schedule changes, or see Paid version, above, for automatic sync, now in development.
What exactly is removed?
Each title becomes “Busy”, and descriptions, locations, attendees, organizers, links, attachments, video-call links, categories, comments and reminders are removed, while times, repeats, status and time zones stay.
Why are some events left out?
Events marked “Free” (shown as available, such as holidays and birthdays) are left out by default because they don’t block your time; untick the box to keep them.