Reader Q&A: Your Calendar Questions Answered

Q: Does manyCalendars work with Outlook desktop, or only the web version?

manyCalendars works with Outlook on the web (outlook.office.com and outlook.live.com). It does not interact with the Outlook desktop application directly, since browser extensions can only access content inside the browser. However, if your Outlook account is accessible via the web client, manyCalendars can sync events from that tab. Most Microsoft 365 accounts have web access enabled by default. If you are unsure, try logging into outlook.office.com. If your calendar shows up there, manyCalendars can read it.

Q: Can my manager or IT department see that I installed manyCalendars?

No. manyCalendars is a browser extension installed on your personal browser profile. It does not interact with your company's IT infrastructure, MDM (Mobile Device Management) systems, or admin consoles. Your employer can see what extensions are installed only if they manage your browser through enterprise policies. If you are using your own personal browser (not a company-managed one), the extension is invisible to your employer. Even on a managed browser, most organizations do not actively monitor extension installs unless they have a restrictive allowlist policy in place.

Q: What happens if I close a calendar tab that manyCalendars is syncing?

manyCalendars reads calendar data from open tabs. If you close a tab, manyCalendars retains the events it already synced from that tab, but it will not receive updates until the tab is reopened. Your unified view will still show the last-known events from that calendar. The next time you open that calendar tab, manyCalendars will sync again and update. For calendars connected via ICS feed, tab state does not matter since the feed is fetched independently.

Q: Does manyCalendars support recurring events?

Yes. Recurring events are synced just like any other event. When manyCalendars reads your calendar tab, it sees the events as they appear on the calendar grid, including all instances of recurring series. If a specific occurrence has been modified (say, one instance of a weekly standup was moved to a different time), manyCalendars picks up the modified instance as shown on the calendar. The recurrence rule itself is not parsed. manyCalendars reads what the calendar displays, which includes expanded recurring events.

Q: Can I use manyCalendars on my phone?

Currently, manyCalendars is a desktop browser extension available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. Mobile browsers on iOS and Android have limited or no support for browser extensions. We are exploring mobile options, but for now, manyCalendars is a desktop tool. The good news: since most contractors do their scheduling work at a computer anyway, this covers the primary use case. For on-the-go scheduling, the availability export feature lets you copy your free times and paste them into any mobile messaging app.

Q: Is my calendar data sent to any server?

No. manyCalendars is entirely local. Your calendar data is read from your browser tabs, processed in your browser, and stored in your browser's local storage. Nothing is transmitted to any external server. There is no account to create, no cloud sync, and no analytics on your calendar content. This is a core architectural decision, not just a feature. We built manyCalendars this way because contractors need to keep client information confidential, and the simplest way to guarantee confidentiality is to never let the data leave the machine.

Q: I have a question that was not covered here. Where do I ask?

Check the Help Center for detailed documentation on features and setup. If your question is not covered there, reach out through the contact form on the help page. We read everything and update docs based on common questions.

In the meantime, the best way to answer most questions about manyCalendars is to just try it. It is free, it takes two minutes to set up, and it does not require giving us your email, your data, or your firstborn. Install it here and poke around. Most questions answer themselves once you see it running.