ICal sync with Outlook 2011

bogus36 wrote:

The service pack finally came out that is supposed to allow Outlook 2011 to sync with ICal (for those of us not using exchange). However, I have no idea how to get it to do this. I have turned on "sync services" on Outlook. But, I can't find anything on ICal that will allow me to import from Outlook.

Did you sync some other app, for example Entourage, before? If not, then try going back to Outlook and turn OFF Sync Services. Launch iSync (in your Applications folder) and in Preferences, check the box next to Enable syncing on this computer. Quit. Return to Outlook Sync Services and select the items you want to sync.

HTH

The correct way to initiate the sync is through the Outlook 2011 program.

Navigate to Outlook, then to Preferences.

In the following pop-up window, select the option for Sync (it might be labeled Sync Services)

When selecting what to sync in your Outlook (in the left side column) make sure to check both your exchange account and the ...(on my computer) accounts (in the right side column)

Once these settings are complete, in a few minutes, your computer will be syncing between Outlook and iCal.

_________________________________________________________________________

**** Services (...hehehehehe..... I can't help it, the first two letters are my initials)

Has anyone gotten this sync to work, I just ended up with multiple occurences of all day events in my outlook 2011 calendar, I gave up and am going back to Entourage 2008, hopefully Microsoft will get it fixed some day!

Finally! This worked for me!

+Try deleting these files in your User’s Library/Preferences folder:+

com.microsoft.Outlook.SyncServicesPreferences.plist

com.microsoft.SyncservicesAgent.plist

+You will need to reactivate Sync Services in the Outlook Preferences pane.+

Thanks. 😁

When I try to go to

Tools

Sync Services

A box comes up with nothing inside it It says select the accouncts to Sync but there is no options the box is blank and there is not even text in there ! Plz someone help

Thanks heaps - this worked for me I know have all my events etc in iCal from Outlook - very simple solution

cheers

heather

I have tried to do the aforementioned solutions, but there are no files in my user/library/preferences folder titled

com.microsoft.Outlook.SyncServicesPreferences.plist

com.microsoft.SyncservicesAgent.plist

(There are lots of other files with the com., but not these)

Same here, cant get it to work either. Using Google calendar, synchs with iCal and Blackberry perfectly...

Mentioned files are not in there in my install either.

Have the latest SP installed, Synch window is all set correctly. Nothing in Outlook Calendar
Its just unbelievable that 1,5 years down the road they still have not implemented the CalDEV...
I am at the point to move back to Apple Mail, iCal... unless someone knows a wroking solution for this...

Guido. You said "I am at the point to move back to Apple Mail, iCal... unless someone knows a wroking solution for this..." - well be careful.

I too was completely exasperated by the poor functionality of Outlook 2011 and decided to go native - i.e. only use Mac mail and calendar. Here are the problems I had:

- Mac iCal isn't compatible with most of the known world. If you invite people to meetings then most of them (those who use Outlook) won't be able to respond to your invitations nor process your acceptance/rejections. The net result is that it's impossible to manage a business calendar with iCal.

- if you are lucky, and all your contacts use Macs, iCal will still annoy you by sending updates to all attendees no matter how small a change you make to an entry - e.g. changing category. You never get an option to just send it to one person, or not send it at all.

- no ToDo list in Mac: strictly speaking this isn't true, but if you want to synch ToDos with mobile devices (iPhone) then you'll have to buy an app to do this.

- Mac Mail.... not bad, but no distribution lists. You can create a category, but it's not really a distribution list and if you are easiy annoyed then they will annoy you.

I tried, I really did, for about 3 months to use the Mac mail and calendar but in the end, after missing client meetings and annoying people by sending them up to 20 invitations for the same meeting, I've gone back to Outlook 2011.

It's unbelievable that Apple's native mail and calendar apps are so poor, but I don't think they'll ever change.

I'm in the same boat. I went through the steps to sync, but nothing shows up in my Outlook calendar. Kinda lame, really. I usually love Apple but staying with CalDEV AND not having an integrated Outlook-type program is just hubris.

This is completely ridiculous. iCloud, iCal, iSync, Sync Services, etc. Both Microsoft and Apple have failed miserably with creating a sharable calendar for business that works seamlessly across all devices. All I want to do is get my old calendar from my PC to my Macbook and then share it with people who are non-Mac users in my business and also allow them to creat events. Evidently neither is possible with Outlook and Mountain Lion.

If anyone knows of a third party software that would allow me to do this I would appeciate any suggestions.

Apple uses the same industry standard, cross-platform calendar protocol (CalDAV) as most of the rest of the online calendar industry. Only Microsoft are dragging their feet by not supporting CalDAV in their products.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Outlook#Calendar_compatibility

CalDAV support is built-in to OS X, iOS, Android and other mobile OSs. There may be alternative Windows based calendar applications that also support CalDAV.

Microsoft would prefer you use their own proprietary Exchange system, which Apple has built support for into OS X and iOS.

Julian - you might be correct, but the fact that 90%+ business users use Outlook make it the de-facto standard - and Eddie has a valid point. When my clients (they *all* use outlook) can't respond to invitations or I can't process the invitations and replies they send to me then I have two possible responses:

1. tell them to complain to Microsoft and change mail/calendar systems or I won't be doing business with them any more;

2. buy outlook 2011 and use the same standard that everyone else uses, regardless of who's implemented the spec. correctly, so that I can manage my business with them.

If they did flip to Mac they'd probably flip back pretty quicky because iCal and Mac Mail are just not good enough to use as business tools (see my rant earlier - which did not even mention the Mac mail account password problem).