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GCal guide

Change colors and backgrounds

Choose an accent color, use a built-in background, or add your own images.

Calendar backgrounds require Premium. Accent colors are also available with Classic access. Feature availability

Choose an accent color

  1. Open Settings → Appearance.
  2. Under Accent Color, choose a preset or use Custom Color.
  3. Return to the Google Calendar window to see the result.

Add a background

  1. In Settings → Appearance, turn on Calendar Background.
  2. Choose a background from the library. Use Show All to browse the rest of a collection.
  3. To use your own image, choose Add Background under My Backgrounds. Follow the picker to supply the images for the appearances you want.

Use images with quiet areas so event names remain readable. You can turn Calendar Background off to return to the plain calendar.

GCal Appearance settings with a red accent and a selected landscape background, shown in the Google Calendar window behind it.
Choose an accent color and background in Settings → Appearance to personalize your Google Calendar window. Select the image to view it full size.

If the appearance has not changed

Check the main Google Calendar window, rather than the menu-bar agenda. If a background download fails, try again when you are online. The browser extension has its own settings; changing its appearance is a separate step.

Keep exploring

Use Google Calendar enhancementsPersonalize calendar views, check availability, and duplicate events with optional enhancements.Set up the browser extensionBring GCal’s calendar appearance and selected enhancements into your browser.Customize the Dock iconKeep the date visible and choose a Dock style that suits your Mac.