Seeing every holiday two or three times in your calendar app is one of the most common questions we get. The good news is that Hebcal itself almost never sends duplicate events. Duplicates nearly always mean that Hebcal events have ended up in your calendar app more than once, and cleaning that up is usually quick.
Here are the most common causes, from most to least likely.
1. You subscribed more than once
This happens easily. You might have subscribed on your phone and again on your computer, or subscribed a few years ago and then again after changing a setting. Each subscription is its own calendar, so each one shows its own copy of every event.
First, look at your list of calendars:
- Google Calendar: look under Other calendars in the left-hand column.
- iPhone and iPad: tap Calendars at the bottom of the Calendar app.
- Outlook: look under My calendars and Other calendars in the folder pane.
If you see more than one Hebcal calendar (they often have names like “Jewish Holidays” or “Hebcal” followed by a city), remove the extras:
2. You subscribed and also imported a file
If you ever clicked Download and opened the file, those events were copied directly into your own calendar, mixed in with your personal appointments. They aren’t connected to Hebcal anymore, so they never update, and removing a subscription won’t remove them.
A good clue is that the extra copies appear in the same color as your personal calendar. To remove imported events:
Please note that selecting and deleting many events at once only works in classic Outlook for Windows. In the new Outlook and Outlook on the web, imported events have to be deleted one at a time, which is one more reason we recommend subscribing.
3. Two different Hebcal calendars overlap
Sometimes people have two separate Hebcal calendars that are both doing their jobs. For example, a holiday calendar and a yahrzeit calendar might each be set to show the Hebrew date every day. Or a Shabbat times calendar and a Custom Calendar might both include candle-lighting times. In that case, nothing is broken. Decide which calendar should show each kind of event and turn that option off in the other one.
4. It’s actually a reminder
Yahrzeit and anniversary calendars can include an optional “Calendar reminder day before” event, which can look like a duplicate the day before the yahrzeit. If you’d rather not have it, uncheck that option on the Yahrzeit + Anniversary Calendar page. See how to make changes to a yahrzeit calendar.
5. Your iPhone is showing the Hebrew date on its own
Apple’s Calendar app has a built-in feature called Alternate Calendars. When it’s set to Hebrew, your iPhone shows the Hebrew date in small Hebrew letters underneath each day in the month view. Several people have noticed this for the first time after updating to iOS 26.
This setting comes from Apple, not from Hebcal. Turning it off won’t remove or change any of your Hebcal holidays, candle-lighting times or yahrzeits. To turn it off:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Apps, then Calendar.
- Tap Alternate Calendars.
- Choose Off.
If you like having the Hebrew date there, you’re welcome to leave it on. Just read the next section so you don’t end up seeing it twice.
6. It’s something else!
Still seeing double after checking all of these? Please contact us and tell us which calendar app you use. A screenshot of your list of calendars is a big help.