Create a Calendar in Google Docs
You can create calendars in Google Docs that help you organize your schedule. You can make your own customized calendar or you can use existing templates to make it even easier. The files for these calendars are stored directly in your Google Drive. You can only do this from the Google Docs website, not from its mobile apps.
Steps
Creating a Customized Calendar
- Go to Google Docs. You can use any web browser to visit this site.
- Sign in. Under the Sign In box, type in your Gmail email address and password. This is your one Google ID for all of Google’s services, including Google Docs. Click the “Sign in” button to proceed.
- Upon logging in, you will be brought to the main directory. If you already have existing documents, you can see and access them from here.
- Create a new document. Click the large red circle with a plus sign on the lower right corner. A new window or tab will be opened with the web-based word processor.
- Insert a table. Click the Table option from the main menu bar, then click “Insert Table.” You need at least a 7 x 6 table to fit a generic calendar month. Click these dimensions for the table. The table will be added to your document.
- Name the month. On top of the table, type in the name of the month. For instance, “January.”
- Input the days. On the first row of the table, put the days of the week. You can start with Sunday or Monday, depending on your preference.
- Add the dates. Populate the rest of the table with the numbers 1 to 30 or 31, depending on the month. Make sure you’re putting them in their proper cells, matching the real-world dates.
- Repeat for all the months. Repeat adding a new table and filling them out for all the months in the year. When you’re done, you will have 12 tables for the 12 months in the year. You can create them one after the other, or you can put them one per page. It’s up to you how you design your calendar.
- Be creative in your customization. Tinker with what you can do to customize your calendar. Use boldfaced, italicized, or underlined text. Change the fonts and its size. You can also add images into the calendar by using the Insert option at the main toolbar at the top, or change the colors of the dates—highlight the date and then select the “A” with a black bar underneath at the top. A color palette will drop down. Select from the colors the one you want to use for the dates.
- Exit the document. When you’re done, you can just simply close the window or tab. Everything is saved. You can access your calendar file from Google Docs or Google Drive.
Creating a Calendar with Templates
- Go to Google Docs. You can use any web browser to visit this site.
- Sign in. Under the Sign In box, type in your Gmail email address and password. This is your one Google ID for all of Google’s services, including Google Docs. Click the “Sign in” button to proceed.
- Upon logging in, you will be brought to the main directory. If you already have existing documents, you can see and access them from here.
- Create a new document. Click the large red circle with a plus sign on the lower right corner. A new window or tab will be opened with the web-based word processor.
- Open the Add-on window. There’s no native template in Google Docs. However, you can install some add-ons that contain the templates that you need. For this instance, you need a calendar template. Click the Add-on option from the main menu bar, then click “Get Add-ons.” The Add-ons window will open.
- Search add-ons. Look for “calendar.” Type it in the search box on the top right corner of the window, and view the results matching your search.
- Install the add-on. Click the “Free” button right beside the selected add-on. Most of them are free. A good add-on that contains some calendar templates is Template Gallery by Vertex42.com. The add-on will be installed to your Google Docs.
- Browse the templates. Click the Add-on option from the main menu bar again. You will now see the add-on you just installed here. Click it then click “Browse Templates.” If you chose Vertex42’s add-on, you will see a lot of categorized templates under its gallery.
- Select a calendar template. Click “Calendars” from the template gallery. The names and previews of all available calendar templates will be displayed. You can choose from yearly or monthly calendars in various formats and templates. Click on the one you want to use.
- Copy to Google Drive. The selected template’s details will be displayed. You can read its description to see if its purpose meets your needs. A bigger preview will also be displayed so you can see it better. When you’ve decided on this, click the “Copy to Google Drive” button on the window. The template will be created as a new file under your Google Drive account.
- Open the calendar. Go to Google Drive, and you should see the file for the calendar you’ve just made as part of your files. Double-click on it to open it on a new window or tab. You now have your calendar.
