How to Add Birthdays to Google Calendar (and Actually Get Reminded)
Google Calendar can show birthdays in two ways: from your Google Contacts, or as an event you create yourself. They look the same on the calendar, but they behave differently when it comes to reminders. If you have ever seen a birthday on your calendar only after the day had passed, this is why.
Method 1: Show birthdays from Google Contacts
If a contact has a birthday saved, Google Calendar can show it automatically.
- Open Google Contacts, open the person, and click Edit.
- Add their Birthday and save.
- In Google Calendar, make sure the Birthdays calendar is ticked in the left sidebar on desktop, or switched on under your account in the app's menu.
This is quick if your contacts already have birthdays saved. The catch is reminders: the Birthdays calendar does not always let you add your own notifications, so birthdays can appear without any alert at all.
Method 2: Create a yearly birthday event
This takes a minute longer and gives you full control over the reminder.
- Click the date (or tap + on your phone) and create an event called, for example, "Mum's birthday". Some versions of the app show a dedicated Birthday option when you tap +.
- Tick All day.
- Set it to repeat Annually.
- Add notifications. A week before gives you time to buy a card. The day before is a good second one.
- Save.
Because it is your own event, the notifications you set will go off every year.
How to set a default birthday reminder
If you create many birthday events, put them on their own calendar (for example "Family birthdays") and give that calendar a default all-day notification in Settings, under Settings for my calendars, then All-day event notifications. Every birthday you add there gets the reminder automatically.
Why birthday reminders still get missed
All-day event notifications usually arrive at a fixed time, often early in the morning or the evening before, and they are easy to clear with everything else. If a birthday really matters (a parent, a partner, a close friend), a notification can be too quiet. Our guide to Google Calendar notifications not working covers the common reasons alerts never show up.
Get a phone call for the birthdays you cannot forget
DoNotify connects to Google Calendar and calls your phone for the events you choose, reading out the event title. Set it for the handful of birthdays that matter and your phone will ring that morning saying "Mum's birthday". You get 14 calls free with no card.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get birthday reminders in Google Calendar?
Create the birthday as an all-day event that repeats annually and add notifications to it. Birthdays shown from Google Contacts do not always let you add your own notifications.
Why are birthdays not showing in my Google Calendar?
Either the Birthdays calendar is switched off, or the contact does not have a birthday saved in Google Contacts. Check both.
Can Google Calendar remind me a week before a birthday?
Yes, if you create the birthday as your own event. Add a notification and set it to one week before.
How do I add a birthday to Google Calendar on my phone?
Tap the + button and create an all-day event (or choose Birthday if your app shows it), set it to repeat every year, add a notification, and save.
Can I get a phone call for a birthday reminder?
Not from Google Calendar itself. DoNotify connects to your calendar and calls your phone for the events you pick, including birthdays.
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