If you’ve clicked a calendar subscription link and seen two URL options — one starting with webcal:// and one starting with https:// — you might have wondered which to use. The short answer: use webcal:// for Apple Calendar and Outlook, and https:// for Google Calendar.
webcal://?webcal:// is a URL scheme designed specifically for calendar subscriptions. It works exactly like https:// under the hood — the same .ics file is transferred — but when you click or paste a webcal:// link, your operating system recognizes it as a calendar subscription and opens it in your calendar app instead of a browser.
On a Mac or iPhone, clicking a webcal:// link automatically prompts Apple Calendar to subscribe. On Windows, Outlook intercepts the link. This makes webcal:// convenient for direct subscriptions.
https:// for calendar feeds?An https:// calendar feed is a standard web URL that returns an .ics file. Any application can fetch it — calendar apps, browsers, scripts, automation tools. It’s the universal format.
Google Calendar requires https:// because it fetches calendar feeds server-side (from Google’s own servers, not your device), so the webcal:// scheme — which is a client-side signal to open a local app — doesn’t apply.
| Calendar app | Use this format |
|---|---|
| Apple Calendar (Mac) | webcal:// or https:// |
| Apple Calendar (iPhone / iPad) | webcal:// (tap to open directly) |
| Google Calendar | https:// only |
| Microsoft Outlook (Windows) | webcal:// or https:// |
| Microsoft Outlook (Mac) | webcal:// or https:// |
| Sharing a link via email or message | https:// (works everywhere) |
| Using in a script or automation | https:// |
No. Both URLs return the exact same .ics calendar data. The only difference is how the link is handled by your device. webcal:// is a signal to open a calendar app; https:// is a signal to fetch a web resource. The actual calendar events are identical.
“Unable to load calendar” in Google Calendar. You’re probably using the webcal:// URL. Switch to the https:// version — Google Calendar only accepts https://.
The link opens in my browser instead of Calendar. The URL is using https:// and your browser doesn’t know to hand it off to a calendar app. Use the webcal:// version instead, or paste the URL manually into your calendar app’s “New Calendar Subscription” dialog.
“This URL doesn’t appear to be a valid calendar” in Apple Calendar. Make sure the URL uses https:// (not plain http://) — most feeds require a secure connection.
Both. Every Calendar Combine merged feed shows a webcal:// link and an https:// link on your dashboard. Copy whichever one matches the calendar app you or your subscribers use.
→ Step-by-step subscribe instructions for every major calendar app
Google Calendar fetches subscribed feeds on its own schedule — typically every 12–24 hours — rather than checking in real time, and there's no setting to control this on Google's side. Calendar Combine's Pro plan refreshes the underlying merged feed every 15 minutes, but Google Calendar still has to run its own next fetch to pick up the change.
No. webcal:// isn't a separate transport protocol — it's a signal that tells your operating system to hand the URL to a calendar app instead of a browser. The actual data transfer still happens over HTTPS underneath, using the same encryption. Neither format is more or less secure than the other; they differ only in how your device chooses to open the link.
Your Calendar Combine feed URL stays the same indefinitely unless you regenerate it from your dashboard. Some third-party feed providers do rotate or expire their URLs, though — if a subscription suddenly stops working, check with that source directly.
Yes. Subscribing is read-only and doesn't consume a “seat.” Add the same webcal:// or https:// URL to as many devices and calendar apps as you like — your phone, your laptop, a shared family iPad — and each one fetches and displays the same feed independently, on its own refresh schedule.
Calendar Combine generates both webcal:// and https:// links for your merged feed. Free for up to 3 sources.