Why it matters to you
The Google Calendar design refresh doesn’t just look better — it could help you be much more productive, too.
Google Calendar is a seriously awesome tool, but the desktop version of the app has felt a little outdated over the past few years. Well, folks, that’s finally changing — Google is pushing out an updated version of Google Calendar on desktop that makes heavy use of Google’s material design language.
We first knew that a Calendar redesign was in the works earlier this year when Google showed off a 2017 product roadmap, so it’s not a surprise — but it’s still nice to see the redesign.
There are a few key changes that Google has made to the desktop version of Calendar. For starters, the website now smartly adjusts depending on the size of your computer screen, which is pretty helpful for those that like a windowed approach to their desktop. Like the previous version of Calendar, you’ll get a view of the month on the top left, under which is a list of the different calendars you have access to. On the top right you’ll find settings and a search bar, as well as a drop-down menu to change the view. The rest of the screen shows your events.
The changes aren’t just aesthetic either — you can also now do things like add links to relevant documents and spreadsheets, so if you’re creating meetings with other people within a company, you can add documents that might be helpful.
Like the previous version of Calendar, you can view your events by day, week, month, year, or four days at a time. The “Day” view allows you to view different calendar side by side, too, which could be very helpful for those that manage multiple calendars at a time.
The redesign is certainly well overdue — the apps for Calendar have featured Google’s material design for some time now, so it’s nice to see Google bringing the desktop version in line with the mobile version.
The update to Google Calendar is rolling out to G Suite users now, and G Suite admins can enable the new calendar by hitting the “Use New Calendar” link in the top right-hand corner of the interface, or you can hit this link.