How to add birthdays to Google Calendar

To add birthdays to Google Calendar, save them in Google Contacts or create birthday events in the mobile app. You can also make an ordinary event repeat every year with its own notification. Choose the route below based on where you want to keep the date.

On a computer: add the birthday through Google Contacts

Use this route when you already keep the person in Google Contacts.

1. Open Google Contacts and sign in.
2. Select the person.
3. Click Edit at the top right.
4. Add or correct their birthday in the contact details.
5. Click Save.

Google documents editing significant dates in its Contacts help page.

Next, open Google Calendar with the same account. Under My calendars, check Birthdays. Google says contact birthdays sync into Calendar. See its birthday calendar instructions.

On iPhone or Android: create a Birthday event

Google's current mobile instructions include a dedicated birthday option:

1. Open the Google Calendar app.
2. Tap Create, then Event.
3. At the top, select Birthday. On Android, swipe to find it.
4. Enter the name and birth date.
5. Review notifications. Use Add notification for another alert or remove an unwanted one.
6. Tap Save.

These steps are documented for iPhone and iPad and Android.

Without Contacts: make an ordinary yearly event

An ordinary repeating event is useful when you want to manage the birthday alongside your other calendar entries. Here are the computer steps:

1. Open Google Calendar and click Create.
2. Enter a title, such as “Sam's birthday.”
3. Set the date to Sam's next birthday.
4. Check All day so the birthday doesn't occupy a meeting time.
5. Open Does not repeat and choose an annual repeat frequency.
6. Check the repeat end setting so the series lasts as long as you intend.
7. Click Save.

Google explains the controls in its guides to creating an event and making it repeat. This creates an ordinary event on your chosen calendar; on the computer, Google says you can't create ordinary events in the special Birthday calendar.

Before entering everyone, try one person. Check the date in the following year and confirm that the repeat rule does what you intended. That catches a one-time entry before you build a whole list around it.

Set a birthday reminder on Google Calendar

For an ordinary event you've created on a computer:

1. Click the event, then Edit event.
2. Find Notifications.
3. Choose a notification or email and its lead time.
4. Click Add notification if you want another alert.
5. Click Save.

Google's notification guide documents these controls. If you're editing a repeating event, Calendar asks which events in the series the changes should apply to, as explained in the recurring-event guide.

Choose timing around what you need to do. For example, a week-ahead reminder could prompt you to order a gift, while a same-day reminder could prompt a call. Those are planning examples, so adjust them to your routine.

For desktop notifications, allow Calendar notifications in your browser and keep Google Calendar open. Google lists both requirements in its notification troubleshooting instructions.

If birthdays or notifications are missing

For a missing contact birthday, check the saved date, the Birthdays calendar's visibility and the relevant account under Sync from Contacts. These controls are covered in Google's birthday calendar guide.

For a missing alert on an ordinary event, reopen its notification settings. Confirm that an alert exists and that your browser permits it, following Google's notification guide.

Use one birthday as your test case. If you've entered the same person through several routes, identify which entry you're editing before changing anything.

A separate birthday list on your iPhone

If you'd prefer a list showing the days left for each person, Birthday Countdown keeps birthdays on your iPhone without an account. It doesn't integrate with Google Calendar or import calendar birthdays, so each person needs to be entered manually.

To add someone and configure a reminder:

1. Open Birthdays and tap + at the top right.
2. On New Birthday, enter First name, which is required, and select the day and month.
3. Open Reminders, tap +, configure the reminder and tap Save Notification.
4. Add an optional note or groups, then tap Save Birthday.

The app supports reminders on the day, 1 day, 3 days or 1 week before, or a custom number of days. You can choose the time and save more than one reminder per birthday. These are local iPhone notifications, so permission is required.

Birthday Countdown is free for up to 5 active birthdays; unlimited birthdays require Premium. It stores the day and month without a birth year or age, and it doesn't sync between devices.

For the Apple Calendar route, see how to add birthdays to iPhone Calendar. If you're choosing a separate app, the birthday reminder app checklist covers alert timing, manual entry and free limits.