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Birthday Reminder

Guide

Google Calendar birthday reminders — complete guide

Google Calendar birthday reminders pull from your Google Contacts and show up as all-day events on each person's birthday. They're free and built-in — but they're also easy to miss, hard to customize, and silent if you don't open Google Calendar daily. Here's how to add, edit, and (if you want) replace Google Calendar birthday reminders with something more reliable.

How to add a birthday reminder to Google Calendar

To add a birthday reminder in Google Calendar: open contacts.google.com, pick the contact, click Edit, and fill in the Birthday field. Then in Google Calendar, open My calendars in the left sidebar and make sure Birthdays is checked. Birthdays from your Contacts will now appear as a dedicated birthday calendar in Google Calendar. You can also add a one-off birthday reminder by creating a yearly recurring Google Calendar event.

Why Google Calendar birthday reminders get missed

Google Calendar birthday reminders are all-day events, which means they don't trigger a notification by default on most devices. If you only check Google Calendar for meetings, you'll never see them. You can add email notifications per event, but the Birthdays calendar is read-only — you can't attach a reminder notification to the whole calendar. That's the single biggest reason people switch from Google Calendar birthday reminders to a dedicated birthday reminder app.

How to get email birthday reminders alongside Google Calendar

If you want to keep Google Calendar birthday reminders but also get an email a week before each birthday, Birthday Reminder is the simplest option. You add your contacts' birthdays once, choose a lead time (one day, three days, one week, two weeks, one month), and we email you. It takes about ten seconds per person and runs in parallel with Google Calendar.

How to delete birthday reminders in Google Calendar

To hide Google Calendar birthday reminders, uncheck Birthdays under My calendars. To remove a specific birthday, open the contact in Google Contacts and clear the Birthday field — the entry disappears from Google Calendar within a few minutes.

Frequently asked questions about Google Calendar birthday reminders

How do I add a birthday reminder in Google Calendar?

Add the birthday field to the contact in Google Contacts, then check the Birthdays calendar in Google Calendar under My calendars.

Why am I not getting Google Calendar birthday reminders?

The Google Calendar Birthdays calendar is read-only and does not send notifications by default. Use a dedicated birthday reminder app for email reminders.

How do I turn off Google Calendar birthday reminders?

In Google Calendar, open the left sidebar, find My calendars, and uncheck Birthdays.

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