Calendar Problems

How to Fix Duplicate and Incorrect Colors in SharePoint Calendar

Elise Williams Oct 10, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to remove duplicate event bands and correct overlapping category colors in a SharePoint calendar.

How to Fix Duplicate and Incorrect Colors in a SharePoint Calendar

Product: SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Managing multiple calendar views or overlays where categories are color-coded.
Observed behavior: Events appear duplicated or display every color simultaneously because the primary calendar overlaps with configured color views.

Before you start

Verify that you have Edit or Design permissions for the SharePoint site to modify the calendar overlays and view settings.

Solution 1Recommended

Disable the Always Display Primary Calendar Option

Turn off the primary calendar display in your overlay settings to prevent duplicate bands and allow your categorized colors to display correctly.

When using calendar overlays to color-code events in SharePoint, leaving the default primary calendar enabled causes the system to render the same event twice: once in the default color and once in the overlay category color.

Access Calendar Settings

Navigate to your SharePoint calendar, click the Calendar tab in the top ribbon, and select Calendar Overlays.

Turn Off Primary Calendar

Locate the setting that configures the primary calendar to always display alongside overlays and turn this option off.

Refresh and Verify

Save your changes, return to your main calendar view, and refresh the webpage to ensure that each event only displays one color band without duplication.

Disable the Always Display Primary Calendar Option

View Corrected: Your calendar should now cleanly display single events with their correctly assigned category colors.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why are my SharePoint calendar events showing up twice?

This typically occurs when you have set up calendar overlays to assign colors, but the original primary calendar view is still set to display. Turning off the primary calendar in the overlay settings resolves the duplication.

How do I change the color of a specific event category in SharePoint?

To color-code categories, you need to create a custom view for each category and then use the Calendar Overlays feature in the Calendar ribbon. Inside the overlay settings, you can assign a specific color to each custom view.

Does changing the primary calendar overlay settings affect all users?

Yes. When you modify the calendar overlay settings or the primary calendar view at the list level, the changes are applied globally to that specific view, updating the appearance for everyone who accesses it.

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