Smith Mac Users

iCal is a simple, well-designed calendar program, but it can be a nightmare if you lose your database.

It’s easy to make a backup of your iCal calendars, and if you’re so inclined, the Unofficial Apple Blog published a great tutorial on using AppleScript to backup iCal.

Backup iCal 2 (Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger)

Choose File > Back up Database. Then name the backup file and choose where you want to keep it on your hard disk or network drive.

To restore your calendars and to-do items (you will loose all changes made after the backup), choose File > Revert to Database Backup and select the backup file.

Backup iCal 3 (Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard)

Choose File > “Back up iCal.” Then name the backup file and choose where you want to keep it on your hard disk or network drive.

To restore your calendars and to-do items (you will loose all changes made after the backup), choose File > Restore iCal and select the backup file.

Automatically Backup iCal with your Data

If you would like a more automated backup system for your calendar, but don’t want to write an AppleScript to do it for you, you can use iBackup to backup your files, calendars, and other settings all at once.

There are instructions for setting up an automatic, incremental backup using iBackup on TARA. Once you setup your iBackup backup profile, iCal is listed under Settings (step 9 of Initial Backup & Setup).