Our 2-way sync with Google Calendar will allow you to view your non-client events and client appointments in one place. This guide will cover the following:

• Syncing your SimplePractice calendar with Google Calendar
• Using the 2-way sync with Google Calendar
• Scheduling clients using Google Calendar
• Removing the 2-way sync
• Making sure your calendar isn’t visible to the public

Note: To learn how to resolve calendar sync issues, see Troubleshooting calendar sync issues.

Note: Our calendar sync feature is only offered on the Plus plan. To learn more about our subscription plans, see Which subscription plan is right for me?

Syncing your SimplePractice calendar with Google Calendar

Important: If you have any existing SimplePractice Google Calendar 2-way syncs enabled, please delete them prior to following the steps below. For instructions, see Removing the 2-way sync.

• Navigate to Settings > Calendar.
• Toggle Calendar Sync on.
• Select your preferred Name Format from the dropdown menu, then click Save.
  • This will affect how names display on your external calendars.
• Click Connect Google Calendar.

Important: All appointments entered in your SimplePractice calendar for 30 days prior to the date of the sync and onwards will be published to your Google Calendar once you authorize the connection. Any Telehealth appointments scheduled with your SimplePractice calendar will be included in the sync, along with their associated secure video links. This means that you can access the links to join Telehealth appointments directly from your Google Calendar.

• Next, you'll see a pop-up message. Click Log Into Google.
• You'll next see the Google login page. If you're currently logged into your Google account, you'll see your account listed. 
  
• If you don't want to use the account listed, click Use another account.
• If you're not logged in, you'll see a Google login screen where you can type in your Google Account Email and Password to sign in.
• Click Allow. Google will ask you to give access to SimplePractice to sync your calendar. Depending on your Google settings, you may see more items in this list.

Note: This step is necessary to make sure your connection is secure.

• You'll return to the SimplePractice Calendar Settings page, where you'll see the message that SimplePractice is connected to your Google Calendar.
• Open your Google Calendar. If your SimplePractice appointments don't appear right away in Google, just refresh the page.

Using the 2-way sync with Google Calendar

After you sync your SimplePractice calendar with Google Calendar, a new calendar will appear in your My calendars section called SimplePractice.

You'll also see that all of your SimplePractice appointments now appear in Google in the same color. Any changes you make in the SimplePractice Google Calendar will reflect in your SimplePractice calendar.

Important: With our 2-way calendar sync feature, only changes you add to the SimplePractice Google Calendar will appear in SimplePractice. The other calendars listed under My calendars aren’t part of the 2-way sync.

Scheduling clients using Google Calendar

Any appointment you create on your SimplePractice calendar within Google will appear as a non-client Other appointment in your SimplePractice account. To do so, follow these steps:

• Create an event in Google Calendar in the time slot that you'd like to reserve for your client.
  • This event can include instructions like "Schedule client for therapy". You'll then see this event saved to your Google Calendar:

• Return to your SimplePractice calendar. You'll see that this event was created as an Other appointment: 

• Delete the Other appointment and create a new client appointment in its place that includes all of the necessary details.  
• You'll see the new client appointment you created appear in your Google Calendar through the sync.

Modifying appointments in Google

As long as your appointment isn't locked in SimplePractice, you'll be able to move it around in Google by clicking and dragging the appointment in the calendar. This change will be reflected on your SimplePractice calendar.

Recurring series

Recurring appointment series need to be created in SimplePractice first; however, you can adjust the appointment times in Google Calendar once you’ve created them. You can learn more here: Scheduling, editing, and deleting appointments.

Once you create the series, all appointments will appear in your Google Calendar.

Note: If a recurring series is created in Google Calendar, it will be automatically deleted in both Google and SimplePractice. However, once you’ve created the appointments series in SimplePractice, you can make adjustments to individual appointments from Google Calendar. Keep in mind, making changes to an individual appointment will separate it from the regular recurring series, while leaving the rest of the series unaffected.

Removing the 2-way sync

You can remove the sync either in SimplePractice or directly from your Google calendar. Here's how:

In SimplePractice

• Navigate to Settings > Calendar
• Click the red Disconnect Google Calendar button

In Google Calendar

• In your My Calendars list, click the X icon to the right of the SimplePractice option.
• Click Remove calendar at the bottom of the page.
• Select Yes to confirm, and then click Delete for everyone as shown below.

Note: After disconnecting in SimplePractice or deleting in Google, your connection will immediately break and all of your SimplePractice appointments will no longer appear in Google. You'll also receive an email confirming the disconnection. 

Making sure your calendar isn’t visible to the public

In Google Calendar, you have the option to make any of your calendars available to the public. To ensure your SimplePractice calendar is not available to the public and that you’re protecting your client data, you can follow these steps:

• Navigate to Google Calendar
• Click the gear icon > Settings
• Click SimplePractice under Settings for my calendar
• Unselect the box for Make available to public under Access permissions

Note: The settings on this page will save automatically. 

When clients receive reminder emails, your SimplePractice calendar will not appear as public information. This calendar will only be visible to you.