Learn how to move, copy, and duplicate events in the Calendar app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac to stay organized across all your different calendars.
One nice thing about the Calendar app is that you can connect multiple calendars to it. So, if you use Google Calendar or Exchange, for instance, you can access those along with iCloud Calendar in the same app.
However, with multiple calendar access comes the difficulty of organizing events. You might add an event only to realize it’s in the wrong calendar account. At the same time, you may want an event to show up on more than one calendar, so copying or duplicating the event would be useful.
To help you do all three — move, copy, and duplicate events — we’ve compiled this helpful tutorial.
On Mac
Open the Calendar app on your Mac and do the following.
Move an event
1) Select the calendar with the event you want to move. If you’re in Day view, select the event, and you’ll see the information on the right. If you’re in Week or Month view, select the event and click Edit > Show Inspector from the top menu bar.
2) You’ll see a color-coded drop-down box. This shows the color of the calendar the event currently belongs to. In the details section of the Day view, you should also see the calendar name with the color. Click that drop-down box and choose a different calendar.
Move using drag-and-drop: You can also move an event to another calendar by selecting it and then dragging and dropping it into a different calendar in the Calendar List.
Note: You can’t move events that are part of subscribed or smart calendars, such as Birthdays and Country Holidays.
Copy events to another calendar
It’s easier to copy events to another calendar on Mac than you probably think. Copying and pasting an event using these steps will save all information for the event, except for the date and time.
1) Head to the event in Calendar on Mac and select it. Then, either right-click on the event or click Edit from the menu bar and pick Copy.
2) Select the calendar you want to copy the event to.
3) Place your cursor on the date and time you want the event. Either right-click on the event and pick Paste Here or click Edit > Paste from the menu bar.
You’ll now see the same event copied to another calendar.
Duplicate an event
Another option for copying an event to another calendar is using the Duplicate action. While similar to Copy, Duplicate will make a copy of the event and keep the date and time.
1) Either right-click on the event or click Edit from the menu bar and pick Duplicate.
2) You’ll see a duplicate of the event pop onto the calendar right next to the original event.
3) Use the instructions above to move the event to another calendar by opening the event information or using drag-and-drop.
On iPhone and iPad
Moving events on your iPhone or iPad is just as easy as it is on your Mac. Open the Calendar app on your iOS or iPadOS device and follow these steps.
Move events to a different calendar
Select the event, tap the Calendar field, and choose a new calendar. The calendar you pick will have a checkmark next to it.
Copy events
1) Touch and hold an event in the iOS Calendar app and tap Copy from the menu.
2) Go to the desired calendar day and tap the plus button (+) at the top.
3) You’ll see a suggestion from the clipboard under the Title event. Tap it, and it will fill in the details. Make any necessary adjustments, then click the checkmark icon to save.
Duplicate an event
It’s super easy. Just touch and hold an event and tap Duplicate from the menu.
Do you frequently need to move or copy calendar events? If so, do you have any helpful tips to add?
More on managing Calendar events: