How to Specify Default Reminders in Google Calendar

Here's how to set a default method and time for all future events in Google Calendar. You may choose up to five for each color-coded calendar.

Choose a Calendar Notification Method

To set the default method and timing of reminders for any Google Calendar:

1. Open Google Calendar and select the Settings gear.

2. Choose Settings.

3. Select the calendar you want to edit from the left side of the screen under Settings for my calendars.

4. Scroll down to the Event Notifications section and click Add a Notification.

   Alternatively, click Event Notifications under the calendar name on the left side of the screen.

5. For each new alert, you have three choices to make:

   • Notification or email.
   • A number.
   • A unit of time. You can choose between minutes, hours, days, and weeks.

   The maximum time for a notification is four weeks, regardless of which unit of measurement you use. The other limits are 0 to 40,320 minutes, 0 to 672 hours, and 0 to 28 days.

6. In the All-Day Event Notifications section, choose how you want to be alerted to events that occur on specific days without specific times.

   You can only receive notifications for all-day events up to four weeks (or 28 days) in advance, but you can specify the time the notification arrives.

7. Select Remove notification (the X icon) to remove an unwanted reminder.

These default settings affect all events within their respective calendars. But, reminders you specify individually as you set up a specific event will override your default settings. In other words, you can set up a different notification for a particular event when you first create it in the calendar, and it will override your default settings.