# Calendar files and subscription links

Written by Geeta Thakker
Updated 2026-09-19

A calendar file adds a saved event; a subscription follows a calendar feed. Use a subscription only when your instructor provides a genuine calendar feed URL.

## Choose the right method

Most learners can keep track of a workshop by adding its confirmed sessions individually. Follow [Add workshop sessions to your calendar](/help/articles/adding-calendar-events) for that approach.

If a workshop organizer supplies a subscription URL, add it through your calendar’s subscription feature. A normal workshop page, video-call link, or confirmation email address is not a calendar feed.

## Calendar-specific help

- [Apple Calendar](/help/articles/apple-calendar)
- [Google Calendar](/help/articles/google-calendar)
- [Outlook Calendar](/help/articles/outlook-calendar)

## Check for changes

Subscription refresh timing is controlled by your calendar provider. A change may appear on explainx before it reaches your calendar. Use the workshop dashboard and instructor announcements to check the latest schedule.

Treat a private subscription URL like a private invitation. Do not paste it into a public help comment or share it outside your cohort. If no feed is provided, create individual events instead of trying to construct a subscription URL yourself.