How to sync various calendars with Qminder. Set-up. How it works. Data availability and sync details.
What is calendar sync?
Calendar sync allows individual users to connect their external calendar (Google, iCloud, Office 365, Exchange, or Outlook) with Qminder to better manage appointment availability. This feature is personal — only the logged-in user can activate or disconnect their own calendar. Admins or managers cannot set this on someone else’s behalf.
Qminder uses Cronofy, a secure third-party service, to access calendar data and maintain compliance with all privacy standards.
Calendar sync serves two main purposes:
- Avoid double-booking: Any time slot marked as busy in your external calendar will automatically be made unavailable for appointments in Qminder.
- Centralized overview: Your Qminder appointments will show in your external calendar, giving you a complete view of your day or week.
Example: If you're the only clerk available for a specific service, and your calendar shows a meeting from 10:00–11:00, that time will be hidden from the visitor booking calendar. If other clerks also offer the service, the time may still appear as available for them.
How it works
Calendar sync works on a bi-directional basis:
- From external calendar → Qminder: Your external calendar is used to mark time slots as busy. These slots are hidden from visitors and not bookable. These events are not visible in Qminder (even to you).
- From Qminder → external calendar: Qminder appointment events assigned to you will appear in your external calendar. These include appointments booked by visitors and those created manually by staff in the Qminder Calendar view.
You can only sync one external calendar account at a time. Qminder supports the following platforms:
- Google Calendar
- iCloud
- Office 365
- Exchange
- Outlook
How to sync and disconnect your calendar
Sync your external calendar
- Go to the My Availability settings in the Calendar View in Qminder.
- Scroll to the Calendar sync section.
- Click Connect your calendar.
- Choose your platform (e.g., Google Calendar).
- Review and accept the Cronofy Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
- Log in to your external calendar account and approve access permissions.
- Once connected, you’ll see your calendar platform and account listed under the Calendar sync section.
Note: Only one calendar integration can be active per user. Permissions allow Cronofy to read and manage events created by Qminder — not full access to your calendar.
Disconnect your external calendar
- Navigate to Calendar sync in Qminder.
- Click Disconnect.
- The sync will be removed. Any synced Qminder events will disappear from your external calendar.
- External busy times will no longer affect your Qminder availability.
What event data is accessed?
Qminder reads only the time blocks marked as busy or unavailable in your external calendar.
- Qminder never accesses: event titles, descriptions, invitees, or other sensitive data.
- External calendars show:
- Time of the appointment
- Name of the service
- A link to open the appointment ticket in Qminder
No external calendar events are visible in Qminder. Your privacy and confidentiality are fully preserved.
Managing appointments with synced calendars
When calendar sync is active:
- Qminder appointments assigned to you appear in your external calendar.
- External calendar events block time in Qminder, making those periods unavailable for bookings.
⚠️ Important: Editing or deleting a Qminder appointment must be done in Qminder.
If you try to update or delete a synced appointment from your external calendar, the change will not apply. Instead:
- Click the event in your external calendar.
- Use the provided link to open the appointment in Qminder.
- Make changes directly in Qminder.
Calendar sync troubleshooting & sync delays
- Calendar sync typically updates in real time, but delays may occur depending on the provider.
- If you don't see appointments syncing properly, disconnect and reconnect the calendar.
Limitations
- Only events assigned to you are shown in your external calendar.
- You can’t view or manage others' appointments via sync.
Have questions or need help configuring it?
Reach out to our support team or your account manager — we’re happy to help.