Summary

Google Sheets is a powerful, cloud-based alternative to Microsoft Excel. While power users might notice the absence of complex VBA macros, Google Sheets handles 99% of daily business math with ease. Plus, multiple people can edit the exact same spreadsheet simultaneously without locking each other out. This guide covers the essentials of getting started.

Before You Start

• You must be signed into your company Google account.
• You must have an active internet connection to create a new sheet.

Instructions

1. Creating a New Sheet

A new sheet saves itself to Google Drive from the moment you name it.

1. Open your web browser (Google Chrome is recommended).
2. Go to sheets.google.com.
3. Click the large + (Blank) button at the top to start a new spreadsheet.
4. Pro Shortcut: Open a new browser tab and type sheet.new to instantly generate a blank spreadsheet.
5. Click Untitled spreadsheet in the top-left corner and type a name for your file. It saves automatically to Google Drive.

2. Freezing Rows and Columns

If you have a massive list of data, you want the "Header" row (e.g., Name, Date, Amount) to stay visible as you scroll down.

1. Click on View in the top menu.
2. Hover over Freeze.
3. Select 1 row (to freeze the top row) or 1 column (to freeze the far-left column).
4. Visual Shortcut: Look at the empty gray square in the very top-left corner of the grid (above row 1 and left of column A). It has thick gray borders. You can click and drag that thick gray border down to instantly freeze rows.

3. Basic Formulas (Autosum)

Formulas in Google Sheets work exactly the same way they do in Microsoft Excel.

1. Click on the empty cell directly below a column of numbers.
2. Type =SUM(
3. Click and drag your mouse over the numbers you want to add together.
4. Press Enter.
5. Smart Fill: Google Sheets has built-in AI. Often, when you start typing a formula, a gray box will appear predicting what you are trying to calculate. You can press Tab to accept the suggestion.

4. Sorting and Filtering Data

If you want to sort a list alphabetically without messing up the data, you should use a Filter.

1. Click any single cell inside your data set.
2. Click Data in the top menu.
3. Select Create a filter.
4. Small green funnel icons will appear at the top of every column.
5. Click the funnel icon on the "Last Name" column, and select Sort A → Z. The entire spreadsheet will reorganize itself safely.

5. Sharing the Sheet

Sharing decides whether someone can read the sheet or change it.

1. Click the large green Share button in the top-right corner.
2. Type the name of a coworker.
3. Choose if they should be a Viewer (read-only) or an Editor (can change data).
4. Click Send.

Troubleshooting

Symptom / Error	Potential Cause	Solution
Formula shows #ERROR! or #NAME?	Typo	Check the formula bar at the top. You likely misspelled the formula (e.g., typing =SUUM instead of =SUM)
I need to open an Excel (.xlsx) file	Compatibility	You can upload an Excel file directly to Google Drive and double-click it. Google Sheets will open and edit it natively
Coworker accidentally deleted my data	Collaboration	Click File > Version history > See version history. You can restore the spreadsheet to exactly how it looked 5 minutes ago

Related Articles

• How to Use Google Docs: The Basics
• How to Use Google Drive: The Basics
• How to Export Data to Excel/CSV

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