How do i get calendar invites to open and update icloud calendar instead of my local outlook account?

Question

I recently started using iCloud for my calendar and have installed the MS Outlook iCloud plug in, but whenever I receive calendar invitations in any of the mail accounts I have configured in Outlook, only my local calendar on my computer is being updated.   How do I set up Outlook to have incoming calendar invitations update my iCloud calendar?   I even tried opening the iCloud website, but all calendar items there also show up as .ics files, which automatically open in MS Outlook on my computer and again update only my local calendar (personal folders).   I also tried setting the default data file in MS Outlook to the iCloud data file, but when I did that, Outlook gives an error message advising against setting the iCloud calendar as the default.   I'm at a total loss and would GREATLY appreciate any advice anyone might be able to provide.    Thanks to all for your time!

Answer 1

Hi Marknoon,
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
In order to resolve this issue where you are unable to use iCloud calendars in Outlook, please follow the steps below, ensuring you follow them in order and testing after each step.
Troubleshooting on Microsoft Windows (Microsoft Outlook)
If you're having trouble with iCloud Calendar on a PC (with Outlook 2007 or later), try each of these steps, testing after each to see if the issue is resolved.
Note: iCloud Control Panel does not support Outlook 2010 Personal Edition. When using iCloud Control Panel 2.0 and later, iCloud Calendar event descriptions in Outlook 2010 do not support text formatting (bold, italics, or underline), HTML, images, or attachments. The contextual menu (right-click) has also been disabled.
Verify that you are using a Windows configuration supported by iCloud.
Make sure that your computer is online. Attempt to view www.apple.com. If you can't connect to the Internet, your iCloud calendars and events will not update in Outlook. Learn about troubleshooting your Internet connection.
Open a secure website to test if ports 80 and 443 are accessible. Outlook requires port 443 access to iCloud to push and fetch updates to and from the iCloud Calendar servers.
Verify that your iCloud member name is entered into the iCloud Control Panel window. Learn about setting up iCloud on Windows.
Close and reopen the iCloud Control Panel.
Make sure that iCloud is not your default account in Outlook:
In Outlook 2013 and 2010, select File > Info > Account Settings > Data Files. If iCloud is listed as the default account in the Comments column, select a different account and click Set as Default.
In Outlook 2007, select File > Data File Management > Data Files. If iCloud is listed as the default account in the Comments column, select a different account and click Set as Default.
If you recently made changes in Outlook and they are not updating on your other devices or vice versa, click the Refresh button in Outlook.
Turn iCloud Calendar off and back on:
Close Outlook.
Open the iCloud Control Panel:
In Windows 8.1, go to the Start screen, click the down arrow  in the lower-left corner, then click the iCloud app.
In Windows 8, go to the Start screen, then click the iCloud tile.
In Windows 7, choose Start menu > All Programs > iCloud > iCloud.
Deselect the checkbox next to Mail, Contacts, Calendars & Tasks, and click Apply. Wait a few seconds, then replace the checkmark and click Apply.
Open Outlook and test to see if the issue has been resolved.
Make sure that the iCloud Outlook Add-in is active within Outlook. (Learn more about managing Add-ins with Microsoft Outlook.)
Outlook 2013 and 2010:
Open Outlook 2013 or 2010.
Click the File menu.
Click Options in the left panel of the Outlook window.
Click Add-Ins in the left panel of the Outlook Options window.
Look at the list of add-ins beneath "Active Application Add-Ins" and verify that "iCloud Outlook Add-in" is listed.
Outlook 2007:
Open Outlook 2007.
From the Tools menu, choose Trust Center.
Select Add-ins from the left column.
Look at the list of add-ins beneath "Active Application Add-Ins" and verify that "iCloud Outlook Add-in" is listed.
Restart your computer. This may sound simple, but it reinitializes your network and application settings and can frequently resolve issues.
Note: When enabling Mail, Contacts, Calendars & Tasks in the iCloud Control Panel, part of the setup process is to copy your Calendars data from the default Outlook .pst file to iCloud, then remove the Calendars from the .pst file by placing them in the Deleted Items folder in Outlook. The Calendars data is then stored in the iCloud data set within Outlook so that changes can be pushed to and from Outlook by iCloud. Make sure that you're looking for your data within the iCloud folder in Outlook after enabling Calendars in the iCloud Control Panel. The deleted files can be seen by viewing Deleted Items within your Outlook Folder List. This is not iCloud removing your data. iCloud simply copies your data into the iCloud data set and then removes the local Calendars data by placing it in the Deleted Items folder.
iCloud: Troubleshooting iCloud Calendar
Take care,
Alex H.