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Google Calendar

How to Color-Code Events in Google Calendar

Google Calendar gives each calendar one default color, but individual events can override it. Combined with smart filtering, this lets you see your week at a glance.

Step-by-step

  1. Click any event to open it (or create a new one).
  2. Click the Default color dot next to the calendar name in the event editor.
  3. Pick one of the 11 named colors (Tomato, Tangerine, Banana, Sage, etc.).
  4. Save. The event now displays in the new color regardless of which calendar it lives on.
  5. To change a whole calendar's default color, hover the calendar name in the sidebar, click the three-dot menu, and pick a new color.

A simple color system

Many productivity-minded users adopt a rule like: red for deadlines, blue for meetings, green for personal/family, yellow for travel, gray for tentative. The same colors sync to Apple Calendar and Outlook so the visual language stays consistent everywhere.

Limitations

You can't define custom hex colors — only Google's 11 named ones. For finer control, the Chrome extension G-calize adds more colors and per-calendar overrides, but it only works in the Google Calendar web UI.

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Why is my event always the default color?
Either you didn't save after changing the color, or you're looking at a synced view (Apple Calendar) that doesn't show Google's per-event colors. Both apps work, but per-event colors are easiest to manage on calendar.google.com.
Do color changes notify other guests?
No — colors are stored per viewer. Each guest sees the color they personally assigned.