by Daniel Alden

Created on: December 14, 2010   Last Updated: December 15, 2010

The iPhone has changed the way many people function in their daily lives. Among all the apps, the calender app is one of the most useful. However, many Windows users find themselves wanting the ability to sync their iPhone to their Outlook calender, so they do not have to juggle two calenders. Syncing an outlook calendar to an iPhone is not only possible, but it is also surprisingly easy to accomplish.

The first step to syncing an Outlook calendar to an iPhone is to make sure the user has all of the requirements. The user will need an iPhone, iTunes, an iPhone USB cable, and Microsoft Outlook 2003 or later. Be aware that “Windows Live Mail” and the Windows Vista program “Windows Calendar” are not Outlook based and cannot be synced with an iPhone. If the user has met all the requirements, it is time to move onto the next step.

Next, the user should make sure that they have the most recent version of iTunes installed. The easiest way to do this is to click “Help” on the iTunes menu bar at the top of the program. Once “Help” is clicked, the user should click on “Check for Updates” from the list. It will determine if iTunes is up to date or if an update is required. If an update is needed, the user should go to the official iTunes website and download the latest version of the software and install it.

Once the most recent version of iTunes is installed, it is time to plug the iPhone into the computer via the USB cable. By default iTunes is set to open when an iPhone is plugged into the computer. iTunes will detect the iPhone and start syncing apps to the device. The iPhone should be listed under “Devices” in the iTunes sidebar. The user should click the iPhone, which should have a name that was applied to it when it was originally synced. Upon clicking on the device, the menu for that iPhone will be displayed. Click on the “Info” button, which appears across the top. There will be an empty check box next to “Sync Calendars with.” The user should click the check box and select “Microsoft Outlook” from the list. Click the “Apply” button at the bottom right corner of the screen. From this point on, the iPhone should sync with the user's Outlook calendar whenever the device is synced with iTunes.

Completing these steps can take a huge headache away from iPhone owners who use Microsoft Outlook. It eliminates the need of managing multiple calendars and always needing to make sure everything is up to date. It is also another step in helping the iPhone simplify one's life.

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