When every event looks the same, picking out an appointment takes more effort than it should. Google Calendar lets you change a whole calendar’s default color or give individual events their own shades. Start with the color you want to change below, from calendar and event colors to the background and text.
Change a whole calendar’s color on the web
This sets the calendar’s default color. To give a single event its own color, change that event separately.
Open Google Calendar in your browser. Find the calendar under My calendars on the left. Click its Options button, shown as three dots. Select a color from the palette.
For a custom shade, click Add custom color, shown as a plus sign, in the same menu. Choose your custom color.
Give one event a different color
Right-click the event in Google Calendar on the web. Select a new color from the menu. Use an individual event color to make an appointment stand out within a calendar that otherwise shares one default color.
Choose custom event colors and labels
You have more choice than the older event palette offered. Google Calendar supports 24 default event colors and up to 200 custom event colors for personal Google accounts, Google Workspace, and Workspace Individual.
To reach the color controls on the web, open an event. Click Edit. Select the current color beside the calendar name.
Within that selector, choose a default color, assign an existing label, or create a new label. For an additional color, use the RGB color picker. Click Save to save the event.
Create custom colors on the web for use in both the browser and Google Calendar’s mobile apps. Create a label on a computer first before applying it on your phone.
Edit event colors on Android, iPhone, or iPad
This changes an individual event’s color in the Google Calendar app. Open the Google Calendar app. Tap the event you want to recolor.
Tap Edit. Scroll to the color selector. Select a color. Tap Save.
To apply a label you previously created on a computer, tap the current label near the bottom of the event editor. Choose an existing label. Tap Save to apply it.
If the event repeats, choose which occurrences change
For a recurring event, use the web editor to control how widely the color change applies.
- 1.Open an occurrence of the event in Google Calendar on the web.
- 2.Click Edit.
- 3.Select the current color beside the calendar name.
- 4.Choose the color or label you want.
- 5.Click Save.
- 6.Choose which events in the series receive the update.
Recolor holidays and birthdays
These controls change the category’s color; individual holidays cannot have separate colors. On the web, find your holiday calendar on the left. Click its Options button. Select a new color for the holiday calendar.
For holidays on Android, iPhone, or iPad, open Menu in the Google Calendar app. Tap Settings. Choose Holidays. Select a new color.
For birthday colors in the mobile app, return to Settings. Tap Birthdays. Choose the color you want for birthdays.
Create separate calendars for work, family, and other categories
Use separate calendars when you want each category to have its own default color. Create them in a browser, and the resulting calendars are also available in Google Calendar’s mobile apps.
Beside Other calendars on the web, click Add other calendars. Select Create new calendar. Enter a name for the category. Enter its description.
Click Create calendar. Find the new calendar under My calendars. Open its Options menu. Assign a color to the calendar.
Create that category’s events in the new calendar.
Adjust the background color
On the web, open the Settings gear and select Appearance. Choose Light, Dark, or Device default. The last option follows your device’s theme. Click Done to apply the change.
On Android, open Menu → Settings → General → Theme in Google Calendar. Select Dark to use a dark background.
On iPhone and iPad, Google Calendar follows the system theme. Open your device’s Settings → Appearance → Dark. On iOS 26 and earlier, the path is Settings → Display & Brightness → Dark.
Switch between white and black event text
On the web, event text color uses a color-set setting that requires an explicitly selected light background.
- 1.Open the Settings gear and select Appearance.
- 2.Set the background to Light.
- 3.Select Modern (with white text) or Classic (with black text).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can other people see the event colors and labels I choose?
Event colors are not shown to other people unless they have permission to make changes to the calendar. Labels are visible to you and people with Make changes to events or Make changes and manage sharing access.
Do I need Time Insights to use custom event colors?
No. Time Insights has separate eligibility requirements for work or school accounts. Google provides no admin control for the custom event colors feature.
Can I choose an event color while creating the event on my phone?
Yes. In the Android app, you can choose a color while creating an event.
Can I print my calendar in color?
Yes. On the web, open Settings. Select Print. In Print preview, open Color & style. Select Full color. Click Print. This option is part of Print preview and controls how your printout looks.
