Google Sheets How-Tos, Help & Tips

1) Set Up Your Sheet Like You Actually Plan to Use It

Start with structure: headers, ranges, and “future-you” clarity

• Use clear headers (each column needs a header if you want clean pivot tables and reliable filters).
• Turn your dataset into a “table-like” block: one header row, no blank columns inside the data, consistent data types per column.
• Name key ranges (optional but powerful): it makes formulas easier to read and reduces “What does A2:K5000 even represent?” moments.

Freeze, filter, and make navigation painless

• Freeze header rows so labels stay visible while you scroll through 2,000 rows of reality.
• Use filters for quick slicing, and consider Filter views when you share a sheetso you don’t ruin someone else’s view while you investigate.
• Use “Create a filter” + a consistent header row to keep sorting and filtering stable.

Protect what matters (without becoming the Spreadsheet Police)

If multiple people edit the sheet, protect the “don’t-touch-this” parts:
lock formulas, totals, dashboard cells, and lookup tables. That way your sheet doesn’t break because someone typed “banana” into a revenue column.

2) Formula Basics That Prevent 80% of Mistakes

Relative vs. absolute references (aka: the $ sign that saves careers)

When you copy formulas, references move unless you lock them. Use:
$A$1 to lock row and column, $A1 to lock column, and A$1 to lock row.

Use cell references (not hard-coded numbers) whenever possible

Hard-coding values makes your sheet fragile. Instead of =B2*0.08 (and forgetting what 0.08 is),
store tax rate in a cell like E1 and use =B2*$E$1.

Common “starter” functions you’ll use constantly

• SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, COUNTA
• IF, IFS, AND, OR
• ROUND, ROUNDUP, ROUNDDOWN
• TODAY, NOW (useful… and sometimes annoying)

Mini example: order totals with tax and shipping

Let’s say you have:

• B = Subtotal
• C = Shipping
• E1 = Tax rate (e.g., 0.08)

This stays stable when copied down because the tax rate is locked.

3) Level Up Your Sheets With Power Functions (Without Getting Weird About It)

QUERY: the “mini database” function hiding in plain sight

If your dataset is clean (headers, consistent types), QUERY can filter, sort, and aggregate in one go.
Think of it like asking your sheet a question: “Show me these columns where this condition is true.”

That last number (1) tells Sheets you have one header row.

FILTER: fast filtering that updates automatically

Great for dashboard panels: “Show high-value paid orders” or “Show tasks due this week.”

ARRAYFORMULA: stop copying formulas down 5,000 rows

If you find yourself dragging the fill handle like you’re painting a fence, it might be an ARRAYFORMULA moment.

This multiplies columns B and C for every row that has data in A.

Lookups: VLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, and newer options

Lookups connect data between tableslike matching a SKU to a price list or a campaign name to a budget.
If you use VLOOKUP, remember it searches the first column of the range.

REGEX functions: clean and categorize messy text

• REGEXMATCH: test if text contains a pattern
• REGEXEXTRACT: pull out the part you need
• REGEXREPLACE: remove or reshape text

Example: extract a 5-digit ZIP code from an address cell:

Named functions / LAMBDA: reusable logic without a 200-character monster formula

If your team repeats the same logic everywhere (e.g., scoring leads, categorizing traffic sources),
consider named functions so your sheet reads like a sentence instead of a spell.

4) Data Cleanup and “Make This Sheet Behave” Tips

Remove duplicates, trim spaces, and standardize entries

• Remove duplicates when consolidating data dumps.
• TRIM removes extra spaces: =TRIM(A2)
• SPLIT breaks text into columns: =SPLIT(A2, " ")
• Text to columns style cleanup is often faster than manual edits.

Dropdowns (data validation) to prevent “creative spelling”

If a column should only contain a few values (Status = New / In Progress / Done),
use data validation with an in-cell dropdown. Many teams now use dropdown chips for cleaner UI.

• Create dropdowns via menu options (like inserting a dropdown) or via data validation rules.
• You can enable/disable dropdown chip suggestions depending on your workflow preferences.

Conditional formatting: highlight what matters automatically

Conditional formatting is the closest thing Sheets has to a neon sign that screams “LOOK HERE.”
Use it for overdue tasks, negative margins, duplicate values, or outliers.

Example: highlight rows where the due date in column D is past today and status (column E) is blank.

Apply it to the full row range (like A2:F) so the whole line lights upnot just one cell.

5) Pivot Tables, Slicers, and Dashboards That Don’t Embarrass You

Pivot tables: summarize big data without writing ten formulas

Pivot tables turn raw rows into insight: totals by month, revenue by channel, tickets by owner, you name it.
Key rule: your source data needs headersevery column.

1. Select your dataset (including headers).
2. Insert a pivot table (often via the Insert menu).
3. Add fields into Rows/Columns/Values and adjust aggregations (SUM, COUNT, etc.).

Slicers: interactive filtering for charts and pivot tables

Slicers are the dashboard-friendly way to filter without digging into menus.
Add one for a pivot table or chart and let viewers filter by Region, Channel, Owner, Date rangewhatever fits.

Pro tip: keep slicers near the top-left of a dashboard so users don’t play “Where’s Waldo?” with your controls.

Charts and sparklines for quick visuals

Charts are great when you’re presenting trends. Sparklines are great when you want tiny visuals inside cellslike a mini trend line next to each product.

Use sparklines carefully: they’re amazing… until your sheet looks like a stock market ticker from 2008.

6) Collaboration, Sharing, and Version History Without Panic

Sharing permissions: the difference between teamwork and chaos

• Viewer: can see, can’t change (safe).
• Commenter: can leave notes and suggestions (good for review).
• Editor: can change things (use intentionally).

Comments and assignments

Comments are underrated. If you tag someone in a comment, it becomes a lightweight task system:
“@Name can you confirm this value?” is a lot better than “Hey did you see my spreadsheet from last Tuesday?”

Version history: undo time like a spreadsheet wizard

If something breaks (or someone “helpfully” deletes a tab), use version history to review prior edits and restore a previous version.
There’s even a handy shortcut for viewing version history in many cases.

7) Automation: Macros, Apps Script, and Custom Functions

Macros for repeated steps

If you repeatedly do the same actionsformatting a report, cleaning a weekly export, building the same chart layoutmacros can save time.
Record once, replay whenever your spreadsheet déjà vu returns.

Apps Script: when you need Sheets to do more than Sheets-y things

Apps Script lets you automate workflows, build custom menus, and create custom functions.
Example use cases:

• Send an email summary when a status changes
• Validate new rows on form submission
• Generate a weekly report tab automatically

Custom functions (simple example)

You can write a custom function and call it in a cell like a built-in formula.
Keep in mind: custom functions are best when they’re deterministic (same input → same output) and not reliant on lots of external services.

If your use case requires triggers, menus, or access to services, you’ll likely build a script function that runs from the menu or a trigger instead.

Keyboard shortcuts that genuinely save time

• Show the shortcut list: Ctrl + /
• Search menus: Alt + /
• Open version history (often): Ctrl + Alt + Shift + H
• Insert new sheet (commonly): Shift + F11

8) Troubleshooting: Fix Errors Like You Meant to Do That

Common errors and what they usually mean

• #DIV/0! dividing by zero; wrap with IFERROR or check the denominator.
• #N/A a lookup didn’t find a match; check exact values, extra spaces, or use fallback logic.
• #VALUE! wrong type (text where number expected, etc.).
• #REF! broken reference (deleted cells, IMPORTRANGE permission not granted, etc.).

Practical fixes that work in real spreadsheets

• Use IFERROR to keep dashboards clean: =IFERROR(VLOOKUP(...), "Not found")
• When lookups fail, test with =LEN(A2) and =TRIM(A2) to catch invisible spaces.
• If a sheet is slow, reduce volatile functions, avoid referencing entire columns unnecessarily, and keep complex array formulas scoped to real ranges.

IMPORTRANGE tips (because it’s useful and occasionally dramatic)

IMPORTRANGE is fantastic for pulling live data across spreadsheets, but it requires access permission the first time you connect.
Pair it with QUERY or FILTER to import only what you actually need.

9) A Quick Note on AI Help Inside Sheets (If Available to You)

Some Google Workspace users have access to AI assistance (often branded around Gemini) inside Sheets for tasks like generating formulas, creating tables,
or cleaning data. Availability depends on your account and planso if you don’t see it, you’re not “doing it wrong,” you just might not have it enabled.

Even if you do have AI features, treat them like a fast intern: helpful drafts, but you still check the math.