As far as calendar apps go, Apple’s default Calendar app offers a heap of substance, but not a lot of style. Looking for ways to customize your Apple Calendar so it fits your aesthetic? Look no further! Here are some ways you can make your Apple Calendar pretty and functional.
Looking for more aesthetic calendar tips? Don’t miss our full guide on how to make your Google Calendar aesthetic!
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Set Up Apple Calendar
Before we dive into how to make your Apple Calendar aesthetic, let’s make sure your calendar is set up exactly the way you want it.
With Apple Calendar, you can choose:
- which day you want your week to start on (Sunday or Monday)
- the number of days displayed in a week (you can exclude weekends if you like)
- the start and end times in your Day view (for example, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM)
- the number of hours to show at a time (12 hours is the default)
- which calendar is your default (useful if you have multiple calendars)
All of these options can be updated in the app’s settings. If you’re setting up your calendar on a Mac, click “Calendar” in the top left-hand corner of your Mac’s menu bar, then click “Settings”.
Change the Colors of Your Calendars
Now that you’ve got Apple Calendar set up, it’s time to start customizing. The first thing to do is choose a color scheme for your calendars. We’ll show you some examples in just a sec — but for now, here’s a quick walkthrough on how to make your Apple Calendar more colorful.
How to change the color of your calendars on Mac:
- Right-click on the calendar you’d like to update.
- Choose one of the color options, or click “Custom Color”.
- If using a custom color, use the slider or color wheel to choose your color.
Note: Changing the color of a calendar displayed in Apple Calendar from another app, like Google Calendar, will also change the calendar color in that app as well.
Can you change the color of individual calendar events in Apple Calendar? Unfortunately, no — if you’ve created your Calendar in iCloud or the Apple Calendar app, your events will be the same color as your calendar. If you’ve connected a third-party calendar app, like Google Calendar, to your Apple Calendar account, any changes you make to the colors of your events in Google Calendar should also show up in Apple Calendar.
Aesthetic Color Palettes for Apple Calendar
Need some inspo? Check out our curated master list of aesthetic color palettes! Here’s a sneak peek at some of our fave color schemes for Apple Calendar (or any calendar app, really!).
Pastel Color Scheme
Hex Color Codes:
- #BEDAE3
- #C4E9DA
- #FED5CF
- #F1B598
- #D3C7E6
Inspired by our Aesthetic Pastel iOS App Icon Pack
Hearts Color Scheme
Hex Color Codes:
- #FBC5E2
- #CC3859
- #F82A8A
- #8E4FFB
- #CB4CDE
Inspired by our Aura Hearts Screensaver Pack
Can You Change the Red Accent Color in Apple Calendar?
Unfortunately, there’s no way to change Calendar’s default red accent color. This is the color of the current day marker in the Month view, as well as the time marker line in Day view (shown below).
This means that, whatever color scheme you choose, you’ll notice a dash of red here and there in Apple Calendar, so be mindful of that when choosing your palette.
Add Emojis to Your Calendar Names and Events
Now that you’ve chosen your color scheme, it’s time to make your Apple Calendar nice and colorful with emojis. You can type or paste emojis right into the titles of your calendars and events.
To ensure a matching aesthetic, try using emojis that are the same (or similar) colors as your preferred color scheme.
Alternatively, you can create a calendar theme by choosing emojis that match the theme you’re going for. Maybe you want a spooky Halloween-themed calendar, or maybe you’re looking for something cute and kawaii.
No matter your tastes, we’ve got you covered with some curated emoji combos that are sure to spruce up your cal!
Emoji Combos by Color
Pink Emoji Combo 💕 🧠 🌸 🩰 🎀 💓 🐷 🦩 💗 🌷 👛 🎟️
Yellow Emoji Combo 💛 🌻 🍋 ⭐ 🟡 ✨ ☀️ 🐤 📒 🌙 🍌 🐥 🧀 🔆 🌟 🐱 💫 🧈 🧽
Blue Emoji Combo 🦋 🐳 🌊 🏙️ 🐬 🧊 🫐 💙 🌀 📘 💎🚰 💠
Green Emoji Combo 🌿 💚 🌱 🍀 🐸 🐢 🍏 🍃 🥑 🌳 🟢 🌵 🥝 🍵 🐉 ☘️ 📗 🍐 🥦 🦎 🎋 ☘ 🐍 🥬 🌲 🥒 🐛 🎄 🔋
Purple Emoji Combo 💜 🧞♀️ 🎆 🔮 🍇 👾 ☂️ 🟣 🟪 💟 🦄
Red Emoji Combo 🎈 🍓 🍒 🍄 🌹 ❤️ 🏓 📌 💄 💋 🧲 🍷 🔴 🏮 ❤️🔥 👺 ♨️ 💮 🌶 🧰 🥊 🦞 ☎️ 🍅📍💢
Orange Emoji Combo 🦊☄🍊 🎃 🏀 🥕 🍁 🥧 🍑 🥮 🧡 🌇
Brown & Neutral Emoji Combo 🤎 🚪 🧸 🍂 🍪 ⏳ 🏹 🙈 🦇 🟤 🍗 🪵 🐿 🥔 🥜 🍞
Black Emoji Combo 🖤 🕷 🐈⬛ ♠️ ♣️ 🏴 ⚫ ✒️ ♟️ 💣 🐃 🦨 ⌚ 🕋 🎱 🐧
White Emoji Combo 🤍 ☁️ 🕊️ 🥡 🏳 🌧️ 🤍 📃 ⚪ ❔ ❕ 🎧
Gold Emoji Combo 🏆 🔑 🛎 🔱 🪐 🍺 🎷 📀 👑 🍯
Gray & Monochrome Emoji Combo 🐘 🦾 🌪 🪙 📃 ⚓ 🎧 🐻❄️ 🌫 🦏 🪨 🐀 🕯 🎙️ 💿
Emoji Combos by Theme
Ocean Theme Emoji Combo 🌊 🐳 🐬 💙 🩱 🔵 🐟 💦 🏄♂️ 🧊 🐋 🌌
Kawaii Theme Emoji Combo 🎀 🍬 💗 🦄 👚 🍰 🍓 🥛 💟 ✨
‘80s Theme Emoji Combo 🛼 🏋🏻♀️ 🎹 🦹♀️ 🟣 💓 🌟 🧑🎤 🌸 🪩 🕺
‘90s Theme Emoji Combo 👩🏻🎤 👖 🕹️ 💾 📻 📼 📺 🌐 🌀 〰️ 📟 📸 📹
Lofi Theme Emoji Combo 💜 🎆 🔮 👾 ☂️ 🟣 🟪 💟 ☯️ 💆🏻♀️ 🪁
Summer Theme Emoji Combo ☀️ 🌻 🍦 🌊 👙 🏖️ 🏝️ 🏊♀️ 🤿 🐚 🩳 🩴
Fall Theme Emoji Combo 🍂 🍁 🎃 🕷️ 🕸️ ☕️ 🧡 🧸 🌅 🐈 🟠 🧟♀️ 🧝♂️
Pastel Theme Emoji Combo 🍬 🌸 🍡 🧚🏻♀️ 🫧 🩰 🍧 🪷 🎐 🍰 💗
Change the Text Size
Did you know you can change the size of your calendars and events in Apple Calendar? While you can’t choose a custom text size, you can zoom in or out of your calendar on Mac to ensure you can see all the text in those beautified calendar events.
To zoom in or out of your Apple Calendar, simply use one of the following keyboard shortcuts:
- Zoom in: Cmd +
- Zoom out: Cmd –
Type the plus or minus sign repeatedly to keep zooming in or out. Alternatively, you can change the text size by clicking “View” in your Mac’s menu toolbar, then clicking “Make Text Bigger” or “Make Text Smaller”.
Hide Your Calendar List
Think your calendar view is looking a little squished? For a little more breathing room, you can hide your list of calendars, located in the app’s left-hand sidebar.
To hide your calendar list in Apple Calendar, click “View” in your Mac’s menu toolbar, then click “Hide Calendar List”.
That’s a wrap on our guide to making your Apple Calendar look nicer and a little more colorful! What’s your favorite tip? Did we miss an Apple Calendar trick? Let us know in the comments!
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