The fastest way: add it directly in the event creation box

Open Google Calendar on your computer or phone. Click the Create button (the plus sign in the top left). Type the person's name and "birthday" in the title field — something like "Sarah's birthday" or "Mom's birthday" works fine.

Click on the date field and select the date of birth. Google Calendar will automatically set it as an all-day event. Before you save, scroll down and check the Does not repeat dropdown — change it to Yearly so the birthday shows up every year without you having to re-enter it.

Click Save. The birthday now appears on your calendar every year on that date. You can add a note in the description field if you want to remember their age or a gift idea, but that step is optional.

Key Takeaways

  • Create a new event, type the person's name and "birthday", pick the date, and set it to repeat yearly before saving.
  • Google Calendar treats birthdays as all-day events that repeat automatically each year once you set the yearly recurrence.
  • You can add notes or reminders to birthday events so you get a notification a day or a week before.
  • Birthdays added this way sync across all your devices if you use the same Google account on your phone, tablet, and computer.

Adding a reminder so you don't forget

When you create or edit a birthday event, scroll down to the Notifications section. By default, Google Calendar sends no reminder. Click Add notification and choose when you want to be reminded — common options are 1 day before, 1 week before, or 2 weeks before.

Pick the type of reminder you prefer. Notification sends a popup on your device. Email sends a message to your inbox. If you want both, click Add notification again and set a second one. Save the event when you're done.

Importing birthdays from your contacts

If you have birthdays stored in Google Contacts, you can display them on your calendar without creating separate events. Open Google Calendar settings by clicking the gear icon in the top right, then select Settings. On the left sidebar, click Other calendars.

Scroll down to Subscribe to calendar and look for Birthdays in the list. Click it to add the Birthdays calendar to your view. Now all birthdays from your contacts appear automatically on your calendar. This is different from creating individual events — Google pulls them from your contacts list and updates them if you change a birthday there.

If the Birthdays calendar doesn't appear in the list, make sure you have at least one contact with a birthday saved. Add a birthday to any contact in Google Contacts, wait a few minutes, and the Birthdays calendar option should show up.

The difference between contact birthdays and calendar events

When you add a birthday to a contact in Google Contacts, it stores the date with that person's information. If you turn on the Birthdays calendar in Google Calendar settings, those dates show up automatically. You don't create separate events — Google pulls them in.

When you manually create a birthday event in Google Calendar (the first method above), you're making a standalone event that lives only in your calendar. It doesn't connect to your contacts. Both methods work; the choice depends on how you like to organize information. If you use Google Contacts regularly, the Birthdays calendar is simpler because you update birthdays in one place and they appear in both Contacts and Calendar.

Editing or deleting a birthday you've added

Click on the birthday event in your calendar. A popup appears with the event details. Click the pencil icon to edit or the trash icon to delete. If you set it to repeat yearly and you only want to remove one year's instance, click This event when prompted. If you want to remove the birthday from every year, click All events.

If you added the birthday through the Birthdays calendar (from your contacts), you won't see a delete option in the calendar event itself. Instead, open Google Contacts, find the person, and remove or change their birthday there. The calendar updates automatically within a few minutes.

Using Google Calendar on your phone

The Google Calendar app on Android and iPhone works the same way as the computer version. Tap the plus button at the bottom to create a new event. Enter the name and "birthday", tap the date field to pick the birth date, and make sure to set it to repeat yearly before you save.

Reminders work the same way — tap Add notification and choose when you want to be reminded. If you've already added birthdays on your computer, they sync to your phone automatically as long as you're signed into the same Google account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see how old someone will be on their birthday?

Google Calendar doesn't automatically calculate age in the event title or details. You can add it manually in the description — type "Turns 35" or "35th birthday" in the notes section when you create the event. Some people include the birth year in the title itself, like "Sarah's birthday (1989)".

What if I don't know the year someone was born?

You can still add the birthday with just the month and day. When you create the event, pick any year and set it to repeat yearly. The event will show up on the correct date every year. If you later find out their birth year, edit the event and update it.

Do birthdays from my phone contacts automatically show up in Google Calendar?

Only if those contacts are saved in Google Contacts. Birthdays from your phone's native contacts app (Apple Contacts on iPhone, Samsung Contacts on Android) don't sync to Google Calendar unless you've also added them to Google Contacts. You can manually add them to Google Contacts, or create them directly in Google Calendar.

Can I color-code birthdays differently from other events?

Yes. Click on a birthday event and look for the colored circle icon. Tap it to choose a color. You can assign the same color to all birthdays so they stand out from work meetings or other calendar items. The color choice is saved for that specific event.

Will my family members see the birthdays I add to my calendar?

Only if you share your calendar with them. By default, your calendar is private. If you want family members to see the birthdays you've added, open Calendar settings, find the calendar you want to share, and click the three-dot menu next to it. Select Settings and sharing, then scroll to Share with specific people and add their email addresses.