How to Change the Default Event Color in Google Calendar

Google Calendar offers powerful features to streamline your scheduling, like the 10 awesome Google Calendar features you should try and seamless syncing across devices. Learn how to sync Google Calendar with all platforms if needed. It's the most intuitive way to organize your day, though syncing can sometimes trip users up.

That said, Google Calendar has a few quirks. The interface can feel cluttered, and custom tweaks are often needed.

As a longtime user, one frustration was every new event defaulting to purple—I prefer red. Fortunately, there's a simple fix to set your preferred default color.

New events inherit the color of their assigned calendar. This is clear with multiple calendars, but less obvious if you use just one.

Here's how to do it:

1. In the left sidebar, click the arrow next to your calendar and choose your desired event color.
2. Repeat for any additional calendars.
3. When creating an event, select the appropriate calendar (skipped if you have only one).

With one calendar, events automatically use its color—no selection needed.

Enhance your setup further with 7 incredible Chrome extensions for Google Calendar.

Hope this helps! Share your Google Calendar tips in the comments.