How to Export Your Moodle Calendar (and What It Misses)
Quick answer
In Moodle, open the Calendar and click Export calendar. Choose which events and time period to include, then either download an .ics file for a one-time import or copy the calendar URL for a live subscription in Google or Apple Calendar. Only activities professors created with dates are included.
Moodle has one of the more straightforward calendar exports of any LMS: a built-in Export calendar button that produces either a downloadable .ics file or a live subscription URL. If your professors use Moodle activities with dates, you can have your deadlines in Google Calendar in three minutes.
The usual LMS caveat applies with full force here, because Moodle courses vary wildly — some professors build every quiz and assignment as a dated activity, others upload a syllabus PDF and call it done. Here is the export process, plus the route that covers the gap.
Step 1: Open the Moodle calendar export
Log in to Moodle and open the Calendar — usually linked from your dashboard or the navigation block. Scroll to find the Export calendar button and click it.
Moodle asks two questions: which events (all events, course events only, or related categories) and which time period (recent and next 60 days, or a custom range). For semester planning, export course events for the widest range offered.
Step 2: Choose file download or live URL
Export gives you two outputs. The Export button downloads an .ics file — a snapshot you import once. The Get calendar URL option produces a live link containing a personal authentication token, which calendar apps can subscribe to so new Moodle events appear automatically.
Use the URL if your professors actively add dates during the semester; use the file if you just want a one-time dump. Treat the URL like a password — the token in it grants access to your calendar data, and if it leaks you can reset it from Moodle security settings.
Step 3: Import or subscribe in your calendar app
- Google Calendar, one-time: gear icon, Settings, Import & export, select the .ics file, choose a destination calendar, Import
- Google Calendar, live: sidebar plus sign next to Other calendars, From URL, paste the Moodle URL
- Apple Calendar, one-time: double-click the .ics file, or use File then Import on Mac
- Apple Calendar, live: File menu, New Calendar Subscription, paste the URL
What the export misses
The export contains Moodle activities with dates — assignment due dates, quiz closings, scheduled events. It contains nothing the professor left out: reading schedules, essay deadlines mentioned only in the syllabus, exams administered on paper. A one-time .ics export also freezes the moment you download it; date changes after that never reach your calendar.
So audit the result against each syllabus. If the syllabus lists twelve graded items and your export has five events, the other seven are your problem to place.
Covering the gap with the syllabus
The complete workflow is syllabus-first: extract every deadline from each syllabus into your calendar, then layer the Moodle subscription on top to catch changes. Manually, the extraction costs 15–30 minutes per course.
This is exactly what Classmaite automates: you drop in the syllabus PDF and it extracts the assignments, exam dates, grading breakdown, and reading schedule, then pushes them to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or an .ics file in about thirty seconds.
Frequently asked questions
How do I export my Moodle calendar to Google Calendar?
Open the Moodle Calendar, click Export calendar, and either download the .ics file and import it via Google Calendar settings, or copy the calendar URL and subscribe via Other calendars, From URL for a live feed.
Is the Moodle calendar URL safe to share?
No. The URL contains a personal token that exposes your calendar events to anyone who has it. Keep it private, and reset the token from your Moodle preferences if it leaks.
Why is my exported Moodle calendar missing deadlines?
The export only includes activities professors created with dates in Moodle. Deadlines that exist only in the syllabus — readings, papers, in-class exams — never make it into the export and must be added from the syllabus.