Sheets

Create spreadsheets for your data and collaborate with your colleagues.

With Google Sheets, you can create and edit spreadsheets directly in your web browser—no special software is required. Multiple people can work simultaneously, you can see people’s changes as they make them, and every change is saved automatically.

Create a spreadsheet

On your computer, open a Google Sheets, Slides home screen.
Click Create .
At the top of the page, click Untitled document and enter a new title.

Import and convert an existing spreadsheet

Converting your file from another program creates a copy of your original file in a Docs, Sheets, or Slides format. You can then edit the file in your browser.

If you have existing files, you can import and convert them to Docs, Sheets, or Slides.

Go to Drive.
Click NewFile Upload.
Choose the file you want to import from your computer to add it to Drive.
In the Upload complete window, click Show file location .
Right-click the file and select Open withGoogle Docs/Sheets/Slides.

Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

Have a Microsoft file?

If you've already stored Microsoft files in Drive, you can also update them without converting them.

Work with your data

Add rows, columns, or cells

Add rows, columns, and cells:

Select the row, column, or cell near where you want to add your new entry.
Right-click the highlighted row, column, or cellInsertchoose where to insert the new entry.

Delete, clear, or hide rows and columns:

Right-click the row number or column letter.
Click Delete, Clear, or Hide.

Delete cells:

Select the cells.
Right-clickDelete cellsShift left or Shift up.

Move rows or columns: Select the row number or column letter and drag it to a new location.

Move cells:

Select the cells.
Point your cursor to the top of the selected cells until a hand appears.
Drag the cells to a new location.

Group rows or columns:

Select the rows or columns.
Click DataGroup rows or Group columns.

Freeze header rows and columns: Keep a row or column in the same place as you scroll through your spreadsheet. On the menu bar, click ViewFreeze and choose an option.

Copy, email, or publish your spreadsheet

Make a copy—Create a duplicate of your spreadsheet. This is a great way to create templates.

Download as—Download your spreadsheet in other formats, such as Excel or PDF.

Email as attachment—Email a copy of your spreadsheet.

Version history—See all the changes you and others have made to the spreadsheet or revert to earlier versions.

Publish to the web—Publish a copy of your spreadsheet as a webpage or embed your spreadsheet in a website.

Add options or checkboxes

You can specify options for the cells in a column. For example, a task status column might have the options Not started, In progress, or Complete. You can assign a color to each option so you can see overall progress at a glance. Or, you can use checkboxes to show that a task is complete.

Add a list of options

In Google Sheets, highlight the cell or range of cells where you want to add a list of options.
Click DataData validation.
Click Add rule.
Under Criteria, select Dropdown.
Enter your options.
(Optional) To assign color, at left, choose a color for each option.
(Optional) To add more options, click Add another item.
Click Done.

Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

Add checkboxes

On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
Select the cells you want to have checkboxes.
In the menu at the top, click Insert Checkbox.
To remove checkboxes, select the checkboxes you want to remove and press Delete.

Focus on tasks using filters

You can create filters so people can focus on the tasks assigned to them. For example, you might create a filter to show only the tasks for your sales team. The sales team can turn the filter on or off to see only their tasks or see all tasks in the project spreadsheet.

Important: When you add a filter, anyone with access to your spreadsheet will see the filter too. Anyone with permission to edit your spreadsheet will be able to change the filter.

On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
To create a filter, select an option:
- Select a range of cells, then click Data Create a filter.
- Right click on a cell or a range of cells, then click Create a filter.
To see filter options, go to the top of the range and click Filter .
- Filter by condition: Choose conditions or write your own custom formulas.
- Filter by values: To hide data points, uncheck the box next to the data point and click OK.
  To create a filter and filter by cell value, right click on a cell then click Filter by cell value.
- Search: Search for data points by typing in the search box.
- Filter by color: Choose which text or fill color to filter by. You can filter by conditional formatting colors, but not alternating colors.
To remove the filter, select an option:
- Click Data Remove filter.
- Right click on any cell then click Remove filter.

Once filtered, at the bottom right users can see the number of rows being displayed out of the total rows in the table.

Share a filter view

On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
Apply the filter view .
Copy the URL.
Share the filter view link.

Get notified about spreadsheet changes

If you need to know immediately when someone changes your spreadsheet, set up an email notification.

You’ll know exactly what’s changed and who to ask for details.

Set up email notifications

On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
At the top, click Tools Notification settings Edit notifications.
In the window that appears, select "when" you want to receive notifications. Notify you when:
- Any changes are made: Set notifications when someone makes a change to a spreadsheet.
- A user submits a form: Set notifications when someone fills out a form.
In the window that appears, select "how often" you want to receive notifications. Notify you with:
- Email - daily digest: Send a daily summary of all changes.
- Email - right away: Send an email for every change.
Click Save.

Find and update data

Searching for data and updating it doesn’t have to be time-consuming. You can quickly find and update text or numbers in Sheets.

In Sheets, open a spreadsheet and click EditFind and replace.
Next to Find, enter the text or numbers that you want to find.
Next to Replace with, enter the new data.
Next to Search, choose the sheets that you want to search.
(Optional) To refine your search, select additional options.
You can make your search case-sensitive, find exact matches, use regular expressions, or search within formulas.
Choose an option to replace the data:
- To replace instances one at a time, click FindReplace.
- To replace all instances, click Replace all.

Protect data from being updated

If you don’t want people to change the content in a spreadsheet, you can protect it. This shouldn’t be used as a security measure. People can print, copy, paste, and import and export copies of a protected spreadsheet. Only share spreadsheets with people you trust.

Tip: If "Protected sheets and ranges" isn't visible, you're likely in Microsoft Office editing. To use sheets and ranges protection, convert your file to Google Sheets. Learn about Microsoft Office editing and how to convert Microsoft Office files.

Important: When you protect a sheet, you can’t:

Simultaneously lock the formatting of cells and allow users to edit input values
Protect data with a password

Open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
Click Data Protect sheets and ranges. A box will open on the right.
Click Add a sheet or range or click an existing protection to edit it.
To protect a range, click Range. To protect a sheet, click Sheet.
- Range: To change or enter the range you’re protecting, click the spreadsheet icon and highlight the range in the spreadsheet.
- Sheet: Choose a sheet to protect. If you want a set of cells to be unprotected in a sheet, check the box next to "Except certain cells."
Click Set permissions or Change permissions.
Choose how you want to limit editing:

To show a warning when anyone makes an edit: Select "Show a warning when editing this range." It doesn’t block people from editing, but they’ll see a message asking them to confirm if they really want to make an edit.
To choose who can edit the range or sheet: select "Restrict who can edit this range." Choose:
- Only you: Only you (and the owner if you’re not the owner) can edit the range or sheet.
- Only domain: If you use Google Sheets for work or school, only people in your domain can edit the range or sheet. This option is only available when everyone in your domain can edit the spreadsheet.
- Custom: Only the people you choose can edit the range or sheet.
- Copy permissions from another range: Reuse the same permissions you set up on a different set of cells or sheet.

Click Save or Done.

To see protected cells, click View Show Protected ranges. A striped background will appear over the cells.

Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

Automate tasks with macros

Save time by automating repetitive tasks with macros in Google Sheets. Say you need to format new data imports or build the same chart across multiple sheets of quarterly data. Repeating the same steps manually can take hours. Use a Sheets macro to record these actions and easily use them again without having to write code.

On your computer, open a spreadsheet at sheets.google.com.
At the top, click Extensions Macros Record macro.
At the bottom, choose which type of cell reference you want your macro to use:

Use absolute references: The macro will do tasks on the exact cell you record. For example, if you bold cell A1, the macro will only ever bold cell A1 regardless of which cell you clicked.
Use relative references: The macro will do tasks on the cell you select and its nearby cells. For example, if you record bolding cells A1 and B1, the macro can later be used to bold cells C1 and D1.

Complete the task you want to record. When you’re done, click Save.
Name the macro, create a custom shortcut, and click Save.

Note: When you create a macro in Google Sheets, an Apps Script is created. To edit this Apps Script, at the top, click Tools Script editor.

To perform a macro, click Extensions Macros the macro you want.

Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

Add your logo to the sheet

Make your spreadsheets look consistent and professional by putting your organization’s logo at the top of invoices. Just add the image to the top row. Set the row to "freeze" so it remains visible as you scroll.

Add an image to a spreadsheet

On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
Click the cell where you want to add an image.
Click Insert Image.
Select to place your image in the cell or over the the cells. Cells with an image cannot also have text.
Choose an image or take a snapshot.
Click Open or Select.

Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

Add checkboxes to spreadsheets

Use checkboxes to make Google Sheets more interactive. You can use checkboxes with charts, filters, pivot tables, and formulas.

On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
Select the cells you want to have checkboxes.
In the menu at the top, click Insert Checkbox.
To remove checkboxes, select the checkboxes you want to remove and press Delete.

Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

Color-code your tabs

If you create multiple sheets in your spreadsheet file, you can change the color of each sheet's tab to quickly tell them apart.

On a sheet tab, click the Down arrow .
Click Change color and select a color.
(Optional) To choose a custom color, click Custom and select a color using the sliders or by entering a color number.

Color-code data updates

Create a list of options for entering data in a cell or range of cells. Then assign a color for each option so you can get a quick visual summary at a glance.

Use conditional formatting

In Google Sheets, highlight the cell or range of cells where you want to add a list of options.
Click DataData validation.
Click Add rule.
Under Criteria, select Dropdown.
Enter your options.
(Optional) To assign color, at left, choose a color for each option.
(Optional) To add more options, click Add another item.
Click Done.

Standardize data entries with lists

Reduce the chance of data-entry errors by limiting choices in Sheets. For example, if you have a status column, you can give choices, such as Done, In Progress, and Not Started. You specify the options and they appear in a drop-down list in each cell in the column.

Create a list for data validation

In Sheets, open a spreadsheet.
Select the column where you want to add the options.
Click DataData validation.
Next to Criteria, select List of items.
Enter the valid options separated by commas.
Make sure the Show dropdown list in cell box is checked.
Select Show warning or Reject input to specify what happens if someone enters an invalid option.
(Optional) To show a message to assist with validation, check the Show validation help text box and enter a message. For example: Please enter a valid value (Done, In Progress, Not Started).
Click Save.
(Optional) To see the choices, click the arrow in a cell under the column.

Validate email addresses

If your data involves entering email addresses, reduce entry errors by validating the email format in Sheets.

Use data validation for email addresses

In Sheets, open a spreadsheet.
Select the column that will contain the email addresses.
Click DataData validation.
Next to Criteria, select Textcontains.
In the text box next to contains, enter @.
Select Show warning or Reject input to specify what happens if someone enters an invalid option.
(Optional) To show a message to assist with validation, select Show validation help text and enter a message. For example: Please enter a valid email address, such as xxx@xxx.xxx.
Click Save.

Split data into columns

You can split clearly defined data, such as text separated by commas, into separate columns in Sheets. For example, a single column with Last name, First name data can be split into 2 columns: Last name and First name.

On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.

If the data’s already in the sheet, select the cells you want to split.
If the data isn’t in the sheet yet, paste it.

At the top, click Data Split text to columns.
To change which character Sheets uses to split the data, next to "Separator" click the dropdown menu.
To fix how your columns spread out after you split your text, click the menu next to "Separator" Detect automatically.

Note: After you paste the data, you can click Paste Split text to columns.

Swap rows and columns

If you want to rotate what you have in columns to rows, or vice versa, you can do that using the TRANSPOSE function in Sheets. For example, you might want to swap column headings with row headings.

In Sheets, open a spreadsheet.
In an empty cell, type =TRANSPOSE.
In parentheses, enter the references to the rows or columns that you want to transpose.
Press Enter.

For example:

To transpose rows 1 and 2 of columns A through E, you enter: =TRANSPOSE(A1:E2).

Space rows & columns evenly

In Sheets, you can resize all rows, or all columns, to use the same amount of space.

Evenly space rows & columns

On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
Select the rows or columns you want to resize.
Tip: To select all rows and columns in the sheet, click the button in the top left corner of the sheet.
To resize rows:
- Point to a row border on the numbered row bar. The pointer changes to a vertical arrow.
- To change the height of selected rows, drag the row border in the row bar.
To resize columns:
- Point to a column border on the column-heading bar. The pointer changes to a horizontal arrow.
- To change the width of selected columns, drag the column border in the heading bar.

Automatically expand cells to show content

In Sheets, you can format cells to automatically expand to show content. You can also set content to flow into adjacent empty cells without expanding cell size.

On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
Select the cells you want to format.
Click FormatWrapping, then select an option:
- Overflow—Allow content to flow into adjacent empty cells. Overflow saves vertical space and shows as much content as possible.
- Wrap—Automatically expand cells to show all content. Wrap lets you view all content in selected cells.
- Clip—Hide content that doesn't fit in existing cells. Clip shows only the content that fits in the cell.

Remove duplicate data & spaces

Duplication errors and spaces are a common problem that can be costly and easy to miss, especially in big data.

Remove unwanted, duplicate data. Cells with identical values but different letter cases, formatting, or formulas are considered duplicates.
Remove extra leading spaces, trailing spaces, or excessive spaces from your data. This helps reduce problems when searching for data strings.

Remove duplicate data

In Sheets, open a spreadsheet.
Select the data range that you want to remove duplicate data in.
Click DataRemove duplicates.
Select which columns to include and whether the data has headers.
Click Remove duplicates.
In the status window, click OK.

Remove extra spaces

In Sheets, open a spreadsheet.
Select the data range that you want to remove extra spaces in.
Click DataTrim whitespace.
Nonbreaking spaces aren’t trimmed.

Format currencies in your spreadsheet

If you’re working with international teams or clients, you can add international currencies to your financial spreadsheets in Google Sheets.

On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
Highlight the data you want to format.
Click Format Number.
Click Custom currency.
Search in the menu text box to select a format. You can also add your own custom currency format into the text box.
Click Apply.

You can also change a few properties about the currency (for example, how many decimal places to show) by clicking the drop-down menu in the right corner of the input box and choosing a desired option.

Summarize data with pivot tables

Pivot tables in Sheets help you summarize data, find patterns, and reorganize information. You can add pivot tables based on suggestions in Google Sheets or create them manually. After you create a pivot table, you can add and move data, add a filter, drill down to see details about a calculation, group data, and more.

Summarize thousands of rows of data, such as sales each year segmented by region.
Drill down to analyze a region. Use a pivot table to see the total of each region’s sales. Then, get a breakdown of individuals and their sales for that region.
Try it now: Pivot tables template
On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
Select the cells with source data you want to use. Important: Each column needs a header.
In the menu at the top, click Insert Pivot table. Click the pivot table sheet, if it’s not already open.
In the side panel, next to "Rows" or "Columns," click Add, then choose a value.
1. Sometimes, you'll see recommended pivot tables based on the data you choose. To add a pivot table, under "Suggested," choose a pivot table.
2. High confidence pivot table suggestions will be automatically inserted upon pivot table creation.
3. To turn off pivot table suggestions:
  1. At the top, click Tools Suggestion controls.
  2. Turn off Enable Pivot table suggestions.
In the side panel, next to "Values," click Add, then choose the value you want to see over your rows or columns.
You can change how your data is listed, sorted, summarized, or filtered. Next to what you want to change, click the Down Arrow .

Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

Visualize data with charts

Summarize data in your spreadsheet with a chart.

Make your data visual so that others can understand it quickly.
Create charts based on your data that you can use in reports and presentations.

Create a chart

On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
Select the cells you want to include in your chart.
Click Insert Chart.

Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

Insert a chart in your presentation

On your computer, open a document or presentation in Google Docs or Google Slides.
Click Insert Chart From Sheets.
Click the spreadsheet with the chart you want to add, then click Select.
Click the chart you want to add.
- If you don't want the chart linked to the spreadsheet, uncheck "Link to spreadsheet."
Click Import.

Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

Navigate data with links

Make it easy to navigate your data In Sheets by adding links. Clicking the link can go straight to a specific range of cells. For example, you could link a sales table summary to the relevant financial data you want to highlight

Link to a range of cells

Open a Google Sheet.
Click the cell you want to link.
Click Insert Link Select a range of cells to link .
Select the range of cells you want to link to.
Click Ok Apply.

Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

Work with functions

Your most important Excel functions exist in Sheets, too. Here’s a few of the things you can do.

For the full list of Google Sheets function list please go to: https://support.google.com/docs/table/25273
To update Google sheet's location & calculation settings based on time zone or language please go to: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/58515#change_function_language&zippy=

Collaborate with your team

Share your spreadsheet

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