Guides / Next-Up List and Calendar Actions
How do I combine my work and personal Google calendars on a Mac?
Sign in with each Google account on your Mac and turn on its calendars, and every event lands in one view. The built-in route is System Settings, then Internet Accounts, adding each Google account with Calendars switched on. If your employer blocks that, share the work calendar to your personal account or subscribe to its ICS link instead. Either way, check that each calendar's time zone is right before you rely on it.
Three ways to see both calendars at once
Work and personal Google calendars usually live in separate accounts, so nothing merges them for you. Which fix fits depends on how locked down your work account is.
- Add both accounts to macOS. Open System Settings, choose Internet Accounts, add each Google account and leave Calendars on. Apple Calendar then shows both. It is the most direct route, but it only helps apps that read the system calendar.
- Share one calendar into the other. In Google Calendar on the web, share your work calendar with your personal address, or the reverse. Many company admins limit sharing outside the organization, so this can be blocked.
- Subscribe with an ICS link. Google can give you an iCal address for a calendar, and you paste it into another calendar app as a subscription. It is read-only, so you cannot accept or move events from the copy, and it can lag behind real changes.
- Sign in directly in a menu-bar app. Let one app hold several Google logins and read each calendar itself. That is the route the rest of this guide follows.
Step by step: one menu-bar list across every account in Donna
Donna is a Mac menu-bar assistant for meetings. Her calendar features are on the free plan, with no card and no trial, and Google Calendar works with multiple accounts and multiple calendars.
- 1. Download Donna from the download page and install it. You need macOS 13 (Ventura) or later, on Apple silicon or Intel.
- 2. Sign in with Google Calendar using your work account and approve calendar access.
- 3. Sign in with Google Calendar again using your personal account. Multiple accounts are welcome, so repeat this for a side-project or client account if you have one.
- 4. If you have a calendar that is not on Google, such as a Fastmail calendar, drop in its iCal link. Apple Calendar and any iCal/ICS feed are supported.
- 5. Look at the menu bar. Your next three meetings show up in one ranked list with a live countdown, whichever account each one came from.
- 6. Make a test event on each calendar and confirm both appear. If one is missing, open Google Calendar on the web first to confirm the event exists on that account.
Google Calendar sync is two-way, so what you do in the list is reflected in the calendar itself.
What a combined list does for you
Once both accounts feed the same list, a clash between a work call and a dentist appointment is visible at a glance instead of buried in two tabs.
- RSVP and reschedule from the menu bar. Answer an invite from either account without opening Google Calendar.
- Nudges before every meeting. Five minutes ahead you get a nudge with Join and Snooze, then the call opens.
- The right app and the right browser profile. Donna reads the conferencing link on each event and opens Google Meet, Zoom or Microsoft Teams at start time. If your work Meet lives in one Chrome profile and your personal one in another, auto-open targets the right profile.
- An agenda each morning. The day's agenda greets you at first unlock. See how to show your agenda when you unlock your Mac.
For the countdown itself, see how to get a next meeting countdown in your Mac menu bar.
Keeping work and personal apart where it matters
Merging calendars in one list does not mean merging everything else. Donna reads the calendar, never the inbox. She touches mail only when you ask for a follow-up email.
That follow-up is a Pro feature and needs macOS 26. The draft opens addressed to everyone on the invite, from the account the meeting was on. That is Gmail for Google Calendar meetings. A work meeting stays a work draft and a personal one stays personal. You read it over and send it yourself.
Limits to know about
- Calendar support today is Google Calendar and Apple Calendar (iCal/ICS feeds). Outlook and Microsoft 365 Calendar are planned, not available yet.
- Some company admins restrict which apps can sign in to a work Google account. If the sign-in is refused, ask your IT team before trying a workaround.
- Windows is coming soon. Today Donna is Mac only.
Details on how calendar data is handled are on the Privacy Policy page. Recording, transcripts and summaries are Pro features, covered on the pricing page.
Try Donna. Records, transcribes and summarizes your meetings on your Mac, with nothing sent to a server.
Frequently asked questions
Can I add more than two Google accounts?
Yes. Multiple accounts are welcome, so sign in with each one the same way. All of their meetings feed the same menu-bar list.
Does combining calendars cost anything?
No. The Next-Up list, nudges, RSVP and reschedule, and Google Calendar and Apple Calendar with multiple accounts are all on the free plan. It is $0 forever, with no card required.
Will this work with my Outlook or Microsoft 365 work calendar?
Not yet. Outlook and Microsoft 365 Calendar are planned, with no date. For now you can connect Google Calendar accounts and iCal/ICS feeds.
Does Donna read my work email?
No. She reads your calendar, not your inbox. She only touches mail when you ask for a follow-up, and then she opens a pre-filled draft for you to send.
If I RSVP from the menu bar, does Google Calendar update?
Yes. Google Calendar has full two-way sync, so an RSVP or reschedule you make from the menu bar shows up on that account's calendar.