Google Calendar CalDAV Sync: How to Connect Any CalDAV Server

Google Calendar is one of the most widely used calendar platforms. But if you run a self-hosted calendar on a CalDAV server — whether it's Nextcloud, SOGo, Radicale, Baïkal, or a hosted service like Posteo — you've probably noticed: Google Calendar doesn't support CalDAV. Here's what that means and how to solve it.

Does Google Calendar support CalDAV?

The short answer: partially. Google offers a CalDAV interface that allows CalDAV clients (like Thunderbird or macOS Calendar) to connect to Google Calendar. This is described in Google's CalDAV documentation.

But this only works in one direction: clients pulling from Google. There is no way to push events from a CalDAV server to Google Calendar using CalDAV alone. Google's CalDAV endpoint is read/write for clients, but it doesn't act as a CalDAV client itself — it can't connect to your self-hosted server.

So if you want your Nextcloud, SOGo, or Radicale calendar to stay in sync with Google Calendar, you need a bridge.

What about the Google Calendar CalDAV URL?

You may have seen references to Google Calendar's CalDAV URL:

https://apidata.googleusercontent.com/caldav/v2/

This URL is intended for CalDAV clients (desktop or mobile apps) to access Google Calendar data. It does not enable server-to-server synchronization. You cannot point your CalDAV server at this URL to establish a sync — the protocol only works when a client connects to a server, not between two servers.

Why ICS subscriptions don't work

The next thing people try is ICS feed subscriptions. You export your CalDAV calendar as an ICS URL and subscribe to it in Google Calendar. The problems:

Read-only — you can only view events, not edit or create them
Delayed — Google Calendar refreshes ICS feeds every 12–48 hours with no way to force a refresh
One-way — changes in Google Calendar are never synced back to your CalDAV server

For anyone who needs up-to-date, two-way sync, ICS feeds are not a viable option.

The solution: CalDAVconnect

CalDAVconnect is a cloud service that connects your CalDAV server to Google Calendar via Google's Calendar API. It provides true bidirectional sync:

Create an event on your CalDAV server → it appears in Google Calendar within seconds
Edit an event in Google Calendar → the change syncs back to your CalDAV server
Delete an event on either side → it's removed on the other

How fast is it?

CalDAVconnect uses Google Calendar push notifications (webhooks) to detect changes on the Google side — syncing them to your CalDAV server within 1–2 seconds. For changes on the CalDAV side, CalDAVconnect uses efficient CTag-based polling, detecting and syncing changes within 7–8 seconds on average.

Compare that to the 12–48 hour delay of ICS feeds.

Which CalDAV servers are supported?

CalDAVconnect works with any standard-compliant CalDAV server:

Nextcloud — the most popular self-hosted productivity platform
SOGo — groupware with CalDAV and ActiveSync support
Radicale — lightweight, standalone CalDAV server
Baïkal — lightweight CalDAV/CardDAV server
Posteo — privacy-focused email provider with CalDAV
Fastmail — email provider with built-in CalDAV
mailbox.org — German email provider with CalDAV
Any other server that implements the CalDAV standard (RFC 4791)

Getting started

Setup takes about 5 minutes:

Create a CalDAVconnect account (free during the public beta)
Enter your CalDAV server URL and credentials
Connect your Google account via OAuth
Select which calendars to sync
Your first sync starts automatically

No software to install. No cron jobs. No configuration files.

Privacy and hosting

CalDAVconnect is hosted on Hetzner in Nuremberg, Germany. All calendar data is processed exclusively within the EU and encrypted at rest. CalDAVconnect is fully GDPR compliant.

Conclusion

Google Calendar doesn't support CalDAV natively — but that doesn't mean you're stuck with ICS feeds or one-way sync. CalDAVconnect bridges the gap with fast, bidirectional sync between any CalDAV server and Google Calendar. Try it free during the beta.