Navigation & Getting Started

There are several ways you can start a Google Sheet!

Directly from your Google Drive

From your app launcher (waffle)

Going directly to sheets.google.com

Read the labeled items below to understand the navigation of the Google Sheets interface.

  • Click into the title to rename the document.

  • Click the star icon to add the file to your Starred list in Google Drive.

  • Click the folder icon to move the file into the desired folder in your Google Drive.

🔸From the File menu, you can:

      • Share the file

      • Make a Copy

      • Download the file as a PDF, PNG, etc.

      • Publish to the Web

      • Access Version History

      • Print

🔸From the Edit menu, you can:

      • Undo/Redo

      • Cut/Copy/Paste

      • Find & Replace

      • Delete rows & columns

🔸From the View menu, you can:

      • Freeze rows or columns

      • Show gridlines & protected ranges

      • Show formula bars/formulas

      • Zoom

🔸From the Insert menu, you can add:

      • Rows and/or columns

      • Charts, images, drawings, & forms

      • Functions

      • Links

      • Checkboxes

      • Comments

      • New sheets

🔸From the Format menu, you can adjust:

      • Theme

      • Text formatting options

      • Text wrapping and rotation

      • Conditional formatting

      • Column colors (alternating colors)

🔸From the Data menu, you can:

      • Sort columns A-Z or Z-A

      • Create filters

      • Create pivot tables

      • Protect sheets and ranges

      • Access column stats

      • Split text to columns

      • Trim whitespace

      • Group/Ungroup cells

      • Access data connectors

🔸From the Tools menu, you can:

      • Create a form

      • Access script editor and macros

      • Spell Check

      • Enable/disable autocomplete

      • Access notification rules

      • Protect sheet

      • Alter accessibility settings

      • View the activity dashboard

🔸From the Add-Ons menu, you can:

      • Get, access, and manage add-ons that enhance Google Sheets

🔸From the Help menu, you can access:

      • Help, training, and updates on Google Sheets

      • Keyboard shortcuts for Docs

  • Google Sheets' quick access toolbar allows you to format your spreadsheet easily. The image above describes the function of each icon.

  • Comment History - Clicking the comment icon will allow you to review any/all comments made within the spreadsheet where you can either reply or resolve the comments. You can also alter comment notifications and/or create a new comment.

  • Share - Clicking the blue share button will allow you to share the document with individuals or as a link with viewer, commenter, or editor rights.

  • The toggle arrow on the far right side of the toolbar hides the upper menus of Google Sheets.

  • Click the arrow once to hide the menus. Click it again to show the menus.

  • The Add Sheet button provides the ability to add additional sheets to your spreadsheet.

  • Right-clicking on a sheet's tab provides options to:

      • Delete or duplicate the sheet

      • Rename and/or change the color of the sheet

      • Protect or hide the sheet

  • The Explore tool allows users to analyze data more quickly with suggestions for charts and pivot tables.

  • Formatting suggestions may also be available for the spreadsheet through the Explore tool.

  • Data will need to be included in the Sheet for the Explore tool to work!

Basic Formatting within Google Sheets

More Essential Tips & Tools for Google Sheets

Tips for Working in Sheets

Merge Cells

Sometimes you will want to combine cells in a Google Sheet. Follow these easy steps to merge any cells in a spreadsheet.

  1. Select a cell to start

  2. Drag your cursor over all the cells which you want to be merged.

  3. Select the Merge button from the main toolbar (you use this button to un-merge cells as well).

  4. Your cells are now merged and you are free to format the merged cells any way you wish by adding borders and/or color.

This is a screen shot of the merge cell button in Google Sheets.
This is a GIF animation showing how to merge cells in Google Sheets and then fill the merged cells with different colors.

Freeze/Unfreeze Columns or Rows

When a spreadsheet contains a lot of data, scrolling through the data becomes problematic when you can no longer see the column or row headings. Follow the steps below to freeze a column/row.

  1. Highlight the row or column that you wish to freeze/unfreeze.

  2. Select "View" from the main menu bar and "Freeze"

  3. Select row or column and how many you wish to freeze/unfreeze.

This is a screen shot of the dropdown list that appears in Google Sheets when the "View" tab is selected.  The list includes: Freeze, Gridlines, Protected Ranges, Formula Bar, Show Formulas, Hidden Sheets, Zoom, and Full Screen.  Freeze is selected and emphasized and the screenshot further shows the options to Freeze: No rows, 1 row, 2 rows, Up to current row (1), No Columns, 1 column, 2 columns, and Up to current column (A).
This is a GIF animation showing how to Freeze a row and a column in a Google Sheet of random student data.