.add()

The .add() method of the Calendar class is used to manipulate and modify a Calendar instance by adding or subtracting a specified amount of time to/from a specific calendar field.

Syntax

myCalendar.add(field, amount)

• field: An integer constant representing the field to which the amount of time should be added or subtracted (e.g.,Calendar.YEAR, Calendar.MONTH, Calendar.DAY_OF_MONTH).
• amount: An integer value representing the amount of time to add or subtract from the specified field. A positive value adds time, and a negative value subtracts time.

Example

The example below demonstrates how to use the .add() method to manipulate a Calendar instance:

import java.util.Calendar;

public class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) {

    // Create a Calendar instance representing the current date and time
    Calendar myCalendar = Calendar.getInstance();

    // Add 2 years to the current date
    myCalendar.add(Calendar.YEAR, 2);
    System.out.println("Modified Date after adding 2 years: " + myCalendar.getTime());

    // Add 3 months to the current date
    myCalendar.add(Calendar.MONTH, 3);
    System.out.println("Modified Date after adding 3 months: " + myCalendar.getTime());

    // Subtract 10 days from the current date
    myCalendar.add(Calendar.DAY_OF_MONTH, -10);
    System.out.println("Modified Date after subtracting 10 days: " + myCalendar.getTime());
  }
}

Output for the above code will vary depending on the current date but will look similar to:

Modified Date after adding 2 years: Tue Sep 16 11:07:52 CEST 2025
Modified Date after adding 3 months: Tue Dec 16 11:07:52 CET 2025
Modified Date after subtracting 10 days: Sat Dec 06 11:07:52 CET 2025