On June 6, 2006, Google released a spreadsheet product as a "limited trial" to a small group of users. Such limited testing stayed and Google Sheets is now widely used as a secondary feature of Google Docs. The product looks like a simple version of Microsoft Excel with some internet-enabled features such as easy collaboration. Getting started with Google Sheets is easy and fairly intuitive.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Open a spreadsheet
Step 1. Access Google Sheets
Find the app by navigating to Google Sheets. You can also click the grid menu in the upper right corner of the screen while on the Google home page, your Gmail account, or any page with Google search results. Select Documents from the menu and then click on the menu with three horizontal lines in the upper left corner of the Documents page. Spreadsheets should appear as the second option from the top and you can click it. Finally, you could access Spreadsheets from Google Drive by clicking on the "My Drive" drop-down menu. Spreadsheets will appear as one of the options.
Step 2. Open a new spreadsheet
Google will display a variety of templates under the text "Create a spreadsheet." The most basic option is the "Blank" sheet, but you can also open templates designed for budgets, calendars and other uses. Click on "More" to see several additional templates.
Step 3. Rename the spreadsheet
New spreadsheets begin with italicized text that says "Untitled Spreadsheet" in the upper left corner of the screen. Just click on that text, replace it with the title you want to save the document with, and then press Enter.
Step 4. Open an existing spreadsheet from your computer
You could see a list of Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets documents already located below the available templates. These are documents that are already stored in the "My Drive" section of Google Documents. If you want to open a spreadsheet that is not in My Drive, click the folder icon in the upper-right corner of the screen (it will say "Open a file" when the cursor hovers over it). You will find the option "Upload" on the right and this will allow you to drag and drop files from your computer or select a file from the folder lists.
Part 2 of 3: Use Google Sheets
Step 1. Enter data in rows or columns
Note that you can label the first cell of rows and columns, putting the text of the initial cells in bold to distinguish them from the numerical data that follow. You will find columns that go up to the letter Z and up to 1000 rows initially.
You can also add more rows by dragging to the bottom and clicking the "Add" button. It will be followed by a text box (and a text that says "more rows at the end") that allows you to specify how many rows you want to add
Step 2. Adjust the rows and columns
To manipulate entire rows (delete, hide, copy and paste, etc.), just right-click on the row number and select your preferred function from the menu that appears. To perform similar functions to entire columns, click the drop-down arrow that appears when the cursor hovers over the letter in that column.
- You could also move, or delete a row or column by selecting its number or letter (respectively) and selecting the "Edit" tab from the toolbar.
- You could add a new row or column to a specific location by selecting any cell and clicking the "Insert" tab on the toolbar. You will see options to insert rows or columns above or below and to the right or left of the selected cell.
Step 3. Add formatting to cells, rows, or columns
To format an entire row or column, select its corresponding number or letter. To format a single cell, select it. Once you've selected your desired dataset, you could click on the "Format" tab or select one of several formatting options (Font, Font Size, Bold, Italic, etc.) along the bar. of tools.
- The "Format" tab and toolbar will also allow you to determine the alignment and wrapping for text or data within a cell, row or column.
- When selecting several cells (horizontally or vertically), you will also discover the option to "Merge cells" both in the "Format" tab and in the toolbar.
- To adjust the way numbers are represented within a cell, row or column, note that there is a subsection "Number" under the "Format" tab. This allows you to display the numbers in a variety of ways (currency, percentages, etc.). You'll also notice several commonly used number formatting options throughout the toolbar, as well as a small drop-down menu with additional number formats.
Step 4. Organize the data
After selecting your desired set of data from specific cells, rows or columns, then you may have to sort or filter that data by clicking on the "Data" tab. You can even give data ranges reference names.
Step 5. Insert graphics
Various graphical representations can be helpful when trying to help others better understand your data. You can find the option to place graphics, images, links, shapes and drawings near the bottom of the drop-down menu that will appear after selecting the "Insert" tab.
Step 6. Perform functions
Google Sheets ability to perform calculations is one of its most useful capabilities. You will find the "Function" option under the "Insert" tab and on the far right of the toolbar. Clicking the button on the toolbar will reveal several commonly used functions (SUM, AVERAGE, etc.) along with an option for “More functions” at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
- Google Sheets offers most of the same features that users find in Microsoft Excel, so it should look quite familiar to those who have already experimented with the program.
- More advanced users can also create their own functions using Google Apps Script. You can find a more complete tutorial on how to do it here:
Part 3 of 3: Save and Share Spreadsheets
Step 1. Finalize your spreadsheet
Although Google Sheets automatically saves drafts, you may want to rename or make a copy before sharing the document with others. You can find these options under the "File" tab.
Step 2. Share your spreadsheet
You can find the "Share" function under the "File" tab and as a blue button in the upper right corner of the screen. Select the "Share" option and enter the email addresses of those you want to access the spreadsheet. You will notice that you can determine if others can edit, comment or just view the document. You'll also see an option to create a shareable link that you can distribute separately.
Step 3. Download the spreadsheet
If you wish to have a copy of the spreadsheet locally on your computer, select the "Download" option under the "File" tab. You will have several options including the ability to download the document as a Microsoft Excel file (.xls) or as a PDF.
Step 4. Mail your spreadsheet
You will find this option under the "File" tab. You could email collaborators (those you have chosen to share the spreadsheet with) or email the spreadsheet to others as an attachment.