Google SHEETS Tutorials

Organising data effectively is essential when working with Google Sheets. Whether you’re sorting performance figures, class lists, or creating randomised groups, Sheets offers flexible sorting and randomisation tools. In this post, we’ll walk through sorting your data numerically or alphabetically, sorting with and without headers, and look at how to randomise data. How to sort… Continue reading How to quickly sort data in Google Sheets

Filtering data in Google Sheets allows you to focus on what matters most in your datasets. Whether you’re identifying patterns, narrowing down results, or creating reusable views, filters are invaluable. In this post, we’ll explore how to use basic filters, filter by colour and condition, and harness the power of Filter Views to customise and… Continue reading Mastering Filters and Filter Views in Google Sheets

Google Sheets is like a book of grid-patterned pages, with each page represented as a tab at the bottom of your screen. These tabs act as individual pages, allowing you to organise different sets of data in one file. Let’s explore how to manage these tabs to make the most of your spreadsheets. How to… Continue reading Working with Multiple Sheets in Google Sheets

In this post, I’ll give you an overview of the ways of moving, copying, and pasting data in Google Sheets. Starting with the basics, we’ll then explore more advanced tips, such as paste special options and sequential numbering, to save time and streamline your workflow. Moving Cells You can move cells with two options: drag-and-drop… Continue reading Google Sheets: Moving, Copying & Pasting Data

Rows of data without clear formatting can be hard to read, especially in large tables. Your eyes can get lost in the grid, making it challenging to follow information across rows. Thankfully, Google Sheets offers an easy fix: Alternating colours. This tool not only makes your data visually appealing but also improves readability. Here’s how… Continue reading Alternating Row colours in Google Sheets

Cell references in formulas allow you to create dynamic calculations which can save you time and enable you to use the formulas across different cells. It’s important to learn that there are two main types of referencing, Relative and Absolute, along with a third which is a mixture of the two. As we’ll see in… Continue reading Google Sheets Cell References – Absolute & Relative

Following on from the my post on rows and columns, let’s look at some more ways to control rows and columns in Google Sheets for a more organized sheet layout. Selecting Multiple Rows or Columns There are two easy ways to select multiple rows or columns. If the rows or columns are next to each… Continue reading Manage Sheets rows & columns like a pro

In this post, I’ll walk you through essential techniques to customize rows and columns, from resizing and selecting entire rows and columns to splitting text into columns. Let’s dive into these to help you better structure your Google Sheets for ease of use and readability. Check out my video which goes through how to use… Continue reading Mastering Rows and Columns in Google Sheets

Google Sheets offers powerful tools to help you analyze, calculate, and visualize data through functions and formulas. In this post, I’ll cover the essentials of using formulas in Google Sheets and how using functions makes working with data a breeze. Values v Formulas: What’s the Difference? Cells in Google Sheets can hold values (like numbers… Continue reading Intro to Formulas and Functions in Google Sheets

Formatting data in Google Sheets When working with data in Google Sheets, formatting cells is key to making your spreadsheet clear and visually appealing. Whether you’re dealing with currency (e.g., $500 for rent), percentages (e.g., 15% for a discount), dates (e.g., 9/9/2024 for a deadline), or plain numbers (e.g., 123 for product quantities), applying the… Continue reading How to format data in Google Sheets

Cell formatting in Google Sheets is a simple but powerful way to make your data more readable and visually appealing. By customizing how your information looks, you can make patterns and insights stand out. Let’s dive into some key formatting techniques! For a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to apply these formatting techniques, check out… Continue reading Enhance your Google Sheets: Cell Formatting

Google Sheets is an incredibly powerful tool, capable of much more than just data entry. You can perform complex calculations, send emails, draw pictures, and even play games! However, before jumping into advanced functions, it’s important to start with the basics. Check out this video which covers all the basics: Creating a Google Sheet To… Continue reading Google Sheets – The Basics

Do you ever find yourself staring at a spreadsheet full of information, wishing there was an easier way to organize it? Well, fret no more! Google Sheets has a powerful tool called the Group By View that can help you quickly categorize and analyze your data in seconds. This post will walk you through the… Continue reading How to quickly group data in Sheets

Stop the Status Update Emails! Automate Notifications with Google Sheets. Tired of your team emailing you every time they complete a task? There’s a better way! Google Sheets can now send you automatic email notifications when data is changed, saving you and your team time. Learn how to set up this handy feature in this… Continue reading How to send automatic notifications from Sheets

In this post we’re going to see how to wrap text in Google Sheets, how to clip text, and how to just let it overflow, with the help of Nibbles the hamster and some revealing questions for our friends. Text overflow Normally, if you write too much in a cell you will see that it… Continue reading How to easily wrap text in Google Sheets

In this post, we’re going to look at how we can search in Google Sheets for specific text, numbers, formulae, and links. Search in Google Sheets Here we have a list of customers and we want to find any called “pott”. Press Ctrl + F and the search box will appear. Type in the search… Continue reading How to search in Google Sheets

In this post, we’re going to learn how to sort in Google Sheets. We’re going to see how we can sort data in one or more columns, and look at the different options that are available. How to sort data by one column Here we have a list of students’ exam results, which is a… Continue reading How to sort in Google Sheets

In this short post, we’re going to look at how to randomize a list of names. For example, a teacher may want to change the order of a group of students. First, select the cells you want to randomize. Then right-click on the range and then click View more cell actions > Randomise range. Alternatively,… Continue reading How to randomize a list in Google Sheets

In this post, we’re going to look how to merge cells, which combine cells multiple cells into one cell. This allows you to format the cell and can simplify your data and make it easier to read and understand. It’s often used for headers in tables or where you have long text which goes across… Continue reading How to merge cells in Google Sheets

In this post, we’re going to look at how to remove duplicates from a list in Google Sheets. This will remove complete rows if they are found to contain a duplicate value. List with duplicated data Here, I have a list of imaginary subscribers and I want to remove any where the email address is… Continue reading How to remove duplicates in Google Sheets

When working with spreadsheets we want to be able to enter data as quick as possible and to make it as easy as possible. Here, we’re going to delve into two practical methods for seamlessly integrating calendars into your spreadsheet cells. By utilising smart chips or data validation, I’ll show you how to speed up… Continue reading How to add a calendar in a cell – Sheets

In a bustling year of developments, the Google Workspace team introduced numerous new features and improvements across their suite of apps. Here’s a concise summary of my top picks that affected Sheets, Docs, Drive, and the new AI Bard. Sheets New functions Another 11 brand-new functions were added to Sheets, including LET, TOROW, TOCOL, WRAPROWS,… Continue reading Summary of Google Workspace 2023 new features (Pt 1)

In today’s digital era, efficient communication is vital for success, whether you’re a professional, marketer, or simplifying email outreach. Picture effortlessly sending personalized emails to many recipients, transforming each message into a custom experience. No need to imagine— in this post you’ll learn how to use mail merge in Gmail and Google Sheets, a game-changer… Continue reading How to use Mail Merge in Gmail to email multiple people

In this post, we’re going to look at how to set up data validation in Google Sheets as a whole and how it can be used to validate different types of data being entered and make it easier for the user to enter the data. This expands on my post, where I looked at creating… Continue reading How to set up data validation in Google Sheets

Drop-down menus in Google Sheets allow the user to select specific options in a cell which controls what they input into the cells. It also makes it easier and quicker to input the data. When you click on the cell, you will be presented with lovely looking options to click on. Previously, to add a… Continue reading How to easily add drop-down menus in Google Sheets

In this post, we’re going to look at how to create a timeline in Google Sheets, which automatically creates a timeline from a set of data. Short on time? Here’s a quick video to show you how to do it: Action plan A common use of this is to visually see the actions in a… Continue reading How to easily create a timeline in Google Sheets

In this post, we’re going to look at several useful Google URL tricks which allow us to quickly do a whole range of things, like quickly create documents, provide links to copy master templates, and from a link automatically download a PDF version of a document, and many more. We’re going to look at….. Useful… Continue reading Learn useful Google URL tricks to make your online easier

Here, we’re going to see how we can automatically format rows on a Google Sheet when a Google Form response is submitted. When the form responses come in normally, they have the default format below. But I want them to be formatted as below. So, changing the cell backgrounds to red, only showing the day… Continue reading Automatically format rows for Google Form responses

In this post, we’re going to see how we can very quickly format multiple Google Sheets with a little help from Apps Script. The idea of this post, came from the Department of Education in Hawaii, where they have about 300 schools and a guy who works there told me he had to format about… Continue reading Quickly format multiple Google Sheets with Apps Script

In this post, we’re going to look at how we can quickly access Google Meet directly from Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides. From April 2022, Google added the ability to open a Meet directly from a Sheet, etc and where the Meet will then appear in the sidebar, allowing you to collaborate on the document… Continue reading Using Google Meet directly from Sheets Docs & Slides

In this post we’re going to look at how we can get data from an Excel spreadsheet and import some of it into a Google Sheet. As an example, we’re going to upload an Excel which contains the current month’s royalty data from Amazon and add it to a central sheet which contains all the… Continue reading Importing Amazon royalty data from Excel to Google Sheet

Do you get fed up with doing the same monotonous tasks over and over again on your spreadsheets? Well, there’s one thing that may save you time – Macros. These record you doing actions on your sheets, then with a click of a button you can repeat those actions in seconds. Here, we’re going to… Continue reading How to automate Google Sheets tasks with Macros

In this post we’re going to make an attendance system using Google Forms and Sheets. The user will fill in the attendance on the form (possibly on their mobile) and the data will then be stored and organised automatically per student. This will also use a Form add-on called FormRanger to easily populate a Google Form… Continue reading Forms & Sheets – Attendance System

Grouping and ungrouping columns Sometimes we have large spreadsheets where we want to work with only certain rows or columns. Sheets gives the option to group rows or columns, allowing you with one click to show and hide numerous rows and columns, rather than having to go into the menus and hide the ones you… Continue reading Google Sheets – Grouping rows and columns

In this post, let’s look at various ways you can modify the rows and columns on your sheet. Part 1 (this post) Changing the row size of rows and columns (to fit data / manually / enter size) Selecting a whole row or column Inserting and deleting a row or column Inserting and deleting specific cells… Continue reading Google Sheets – Controlling Rows & Columns (Part 1)

Once you’ve added your data onto a sheet, you’ll probably want to format it in some way. In this post, we’ll look at formatting data in Sheets. By default, numbers entered are considered just that, normal numbers, but sometimes you want specific types of numbers, e.g. percentages, currency, dates, times, scientific, numbers to certain decimal points.… Continue reading Google Sheets – Formatting your data

The fundamental building blocks of any spreadsheet are the cells. So clearly, it’s important to understand how to use them well. In this post, I will focus on the various ways you can format cells, so that the cells display the information you want, visually look professional and most importantly, will help you understand your… Continue reading Google Sheets – Cell formatting

It’s common to use questionnaires at the end of a course to get feedback on the course and teacher. When you have a lot of teachers, it can be hard work analysing that feedback and splitting into the different teachers. Here we’re going to look at how we can automatically send the individual feedback to… Continue reading Questionnaires – Automatically send feedback to individuals

Here we’re going to make a simple book inventory, where we’ll be able to control the location of the books and also find out where a book is. This uses a mixture of GAS code and Sheets functions. We’ve got 3 sheets: Front page – This is what the user will see and use. In… Continue reading Create a Book inventory with Google Sheets & Apps Script

In this post, we’re going to look at how to use INDEX and MATCH to look up data and see how it can be more powerful than the commonly used VLOOKUP. In a previous post, we looked at how we can quickly look up tables for certain information, using the VLOOKUP function. This function is… Continue reading Google Sheets – INDEX and MATCH (VLOOKUP alt.)

Following on from my post on the basic date functions, let’s look at some really useful functions that work with dates, namely: WEEKDAY, WORKDAY, NETWORKDAYS, EDATE and EOMONTH, plus we’ll see an example with the CHOOSE function. With these we’ll: Find out the day of the week of a particular date Work out a deadline date Work… Continue reading Sheets Functions – WEEKDAY, WORKDAY, NETWORKDAYS, EDATE, EOMONTH

When working with tables in a spreadsheet, we often want them to be easy to read and understand. To help us, Sheets has a quick little tool, which allows us to add alternating colours to the rows of our data, making them not just prettier but much easier to read, whilst being really quick to… Continue reading How to add alternating row colours to Google Sheets

In this post, we’re going to look at two key ways you can add extra information to your sheet, without affecting the format of your sheet: Notes and Comments. Sometimes people confuse these, as they both give extra information in the cells, but there is a clear difference between the two. The key difference is:… Continue reading Google Sheets – What’s the difference between notes & comments?

Sometimes we spend time colouring in our sheets so that the data is more visible, in a way that it can be read and understood really quickly and that the most important points can be ascertained with ease. Wouldn’t it be great if Sheets could colour your data automatically, depending on a set of conditions? Well,… Continue reading Google Sheets – Conditional Formatting & custom formulas

Let’s look at how you can filter your data to show a particular aspect of it. There are two ways to do this: Filter (by value & by condition) Filter View Filter – By value If we have a set of data, we can add some filters to enable us find the information we want. In… Continue reading Google Sheets – Filtering your data

In this post, let’s look at how we can move, copy and paste our data on the sheet, starting with the basics and then introducing some lesser-known methods that will save you time and effort. Moving cells (drag & drop, cut & paste) Copying and pasting cells Paste special (values, format, all except borders, formulas, transpose)… Continue reading Google Sheets – Moving, copying & pasting data

Let’s look at some further ways you can control your rows and columns: Selecting multiple rows or columns There are two ways to select more than one row or column. First, if the rows or columns you want to select are all next to each other, then simply click on the first one and drag… Continue reading Google Sheets – Controlling rows & columns (Part 2)