Opening and automatically adding an .ics appointment in Outlook 2010

you should be able to open an ics from anywhere and open it in outlook - if its a multiple event ics, it will open in a new calendar - you'd need to import if you want it in your default calendar.

Thanks Diane,

I wish that worked. The icon in the email appears as an unassociated file type. Does that mean that I need to associate it with Outlook, Outlook Calendar, Outlook Calendar Event? I think it doesn't get down to that level of granularity.

But thanks for trying.

Joe

I also have this problem, and its been a few months since this topic fizzled.

I am using office 2010, and when I received an invite from Google, it didn't just open and set up an appointment, as I thought it would.

I followed up on Diane's question, and I think I see why the conversation stopped. Diane, there is no direct way to see this in internet options. You have to go to the programs tab, and under Internet Programs, click 'select programs'. Then it launches another control panel called set default program, where you select the program as microsoft outlook. Then I chose "choose defaults for this program' and found that .ics - the Icalendar file type - is associated with outlook (since it's checked).

But, now that I've answered your troubleshooting step, the question remains: why doesn't this .ics automatically set the calendar invite up? It complained that there was no previewer.

In the course of writing here, as often happens when I take the time to document an error, it fixed itself. The mailserver went offline, and when I returned to reload the email, and double clicked the ics file, then it opened and completed the calendar update.

It's as if it was unprepared for the first touch of an ics file, and then loaded a resource so it was ready on second try. It'd be interesting to hear the developer side of the issue. Why are we getting this hicup?

Are you using imap? It's very possible the entire message wasn't downloaded immediately - Outlook can't do anything with it until its downloaded.

Previewing is a different issue - you need a previewer installed and AFAIK, there isn't one. (I don't have one either.)  When no previewer is installed you need to double click to open the ics to see it.

Maybe I'm being obtuse and just not asking the right question. How, in Outlook 2010, do I import an .ics calendar. I cannot find File/Import and Export anywhere. And I've used Outlook since 1993, so I've been there done that alot.

Thanks

I had same issue.

.ics was not associated to Outlook. 

I changed to Outlook and now the Icon for the appoinment looks and acts normal.

in explore tools, folder options, file types.

scroll down to .ICS and click change. choose Outlook.

This is frustrating me also.  It takes WAY to much time to save the ics file and then import it into the calendar. 

Up to a couple weeks ago it imported automatically!  I changed an add on and it hasn't worked since.  Unfortunately, I don't remember which add on it was.  Are there any add on's that affect ics import? 

Also, I didn't understand the instructions from  NICKLOMA.  Tools in Internet Explorer?  I don't see anything that had Folder Option to select.

I'm not certain if this will remediate your issue with the add-in, however...

The tools menu isn't in Internet Explorer, it's in File Explorer. You can also get there by going to the Control Panel and pasting the following path in the address bar: Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Default Programs\Set Associations

Another option to reach Set Associations is to type File Associations in the command line and it will bring up a list as below. You want to select the "Make a file type always open in a specefic program"

In here you'll want to locate .ics and make certain that the default program is set to Outlook. If the Current Default is something other than Microsoft Outlook, just select the Change program button and when it asks you to choose the program you want to use to open this file, use the Browse button to locate the executable (for 32 bit Office 2010 on an 64 bit version of Windows, the file is typically located at C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14\Outlook.exe). Once you have selected the file, select OK, ensure that "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" is checked, select OK, select Close and your File Association will be set.

Again, this may not resolve your issue but hopefully it will help you locate the Set Associations Control Panel Item to verify that it is set correctly.

WB

Rather than using File Associations to check for ics specifically, use Set Default Programs and make sure Outlook is the default for everything.  In control panel, search for "Default programs", select Outlook and click Set as default. Use Choose defaults if you want to see what defaults Outlook can have.  You can also get there from Internet explorer's Tools,  Internet Options, Programs tab, click Set Programs, then Set Default link at top. Find Outlook, make it the default.

Why we recommend creating new threads rather than hijacking really old threads: things change. The common version of Windows in use changes. Settings and dialogs in Windows changes.  You also have the opportunity to say which version of Windows you use, which greatly affects the steps necessary to find dialogs.  Way back when this thread was first posted (and still true if you use older versions of Internet Explorer),  Internet Options, Programs tab listed the defaults for calendar, contacts etc.