Getting Started

Magical is a native macOS Google Calendar client for macOS 14 Sonoma or later on Apple silicon Macs.

Installation

Via Homebrew (Recommended)

Install Magical using the official Homebrew tap:

brew install --cask alxhslm/magic-apps/magical

Or tap the repository first:

brew tap alxhslm/magic-apps
brew install --cask magical

Direct Download (DMG)

1. Download the signed Magical.dmg disk image.
2. Drag Magical into your /Applications folder.
3. Launch Magical from Applications or Spotlight.

Adding Your First Account

On initial launch, Magical opens directly to Google sign-in:

1. Sign in with your Google Workspace or personal Google account.
2. Complete any required 2-factor authentication.
3. Magical loads your calendar schedule and synchronises your calendar events locally.

With a second account, Multiple Accounts covers adding it and what each one keeps separate.

Menu Bar & Desktop Modes

Magical operates in two complementary modes:

• Full Window: Standard desktop window with day, week, month and agenda views, a customisable toolbar and the account switcher.
• Menu Bar Assistant: A menu bar icon showing a countdown to your next meeting, opening into the calendar popover with video call join shortcuts.

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Working Offline

Magical keeps a local copy of your calendar so your schedule is always available:

• Always Visible: Even when your Mac has no Wi-Fi or is in airplane mode, your upcoming meetings, agenda and tasks remain visible in the menu bar popover and desktop widgets. Google Tasks covers the tasks half.
• Meeting Reminders Still Fire: Alerts are armed from the local copy of your calendar, so reminders arrive on time even when you are disconnected. See Meeting Alerts and Invitations.
• Instant Launch: The app opens straight to your schedule without waiting for a connection to load.

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What the notification permission enables, and what happens without it, is in Meeting Alerts & Invitations.

System Permissions & Startup

• Notifications: Granting notification permission enables meeting countdown alerts and 1-click RSVP buttons.
• Launch at Login: Enable this in Settings → General so your menu bar agenda and meeting countdown are ready as soon as you log into your Mac. See Settings Reference.
• Calendar Files: Set Magical as the handler for .ics files in Settings → General, so a calendar invitation you download opens in Magical, which asks which account to add it to. macOS has no single default-calendar role, so this is claimed per file type. See Settings Reference.