If you have a column of data that includes a variety of emails, Sheets will show a “Convert to people chips” suggestion when you click into your data range. By hovering over that indicator, you can preview the suggestion and then convert your data to people chips in one click. Additionally, you will be able to choose to show people chips as email addresses or in the Surname, Name format
You can now reference tables in Sheets more easily by referring to single and multiple columns e.g. =Table1[[#ALL],[Column 1]]) and =Table1[[#ALL],[Column 1]:[Column 2]]
Reference the full table, including column headers using #ALL
Reference table headers using #HEADERS
Reference table footers/totals using #TOTALS
Reference all table data without headers and footers using #DATA
Sheets users can now add smart chips that pull information from third party apps into their sheets. You can also paste third-party chips inserted in Docs directly into a spreadsheet.
Find out more in our how-to video:
You will now be able to allow for multiple selections within a dropdown in Google Sheets. This functionality is useful in scenarios when multiple project milestones, statuses, or teams are applicable for one item.
Now when you convert a range to a table, Google Sheets will automatically choose column types for you, which you can change if required. You can also drag values down to autofill cells and expand the table automatically. Finally, you can now easily add columns or rows to your table from a button at the edge of the table.
Find out more in our how-to video:
If your sheet contains columns of data with a set number of values, Sheets will show a Convert to dropdown chips suggestion when you click in the range. By hovering over the indicator, you can preview the suggestion and convert to dropdown chips in one click.
Find out more in our how-to video:
You can now convert any range of data in Google Sheets to a table to organise the data with column types, filter colours, dropdown menus and more. Above the table, you will see a menu option to manage table-level settings and take action e.g. to create a filter view for the table. You can also easily group data in the table based on a selected column.
Find out more in our how-to video:
You can now convert any range of data in Google Sheets to a table to organise the data with column types, filter colours, dropdown menus and more. Above the table, you will see a menu option to manage table-level settings and take action e.g. to create a filter view for the table. You can also easily group data in the table based on a selected column.
Find out more in our how-to video:
Conditional notifications will allow you to create rules in your Sheets that send email notifications when certain criteria are met, such as a value changing in a cell or range. You will receive an email alert when the change is made, and be told who made the change, and can also configure notifications to be sent to other people that the sheet is shared with.
Find out more in our how-to video:
You can now add an emoji reaction to a comment in Google Sheets to quickly and creatively express your opinions about spreadsheet content.
In addition, the Rating smart chip allows you to add a rating via a number of stars - 1 to 5 - to indicate a preference towards an option.
Find out more in our how-to video:
Currently, Google timeout any queries that take longer than 5 minutes for Connected Sheets. This has been extended from 5 minutes to 10 minutes for BigQuery and Looker, which means Connected Sheets users will be able to analyse data from queries that scan even larger data sets in Sheets.
You can now add emojis to a Google Sheet by typing @emoji and choosing the emoji you wish to add.
You will now have the option to insert a link and press the tab key to convert the link into a smart chip in Google Sheets. Access this feature when you copy and paste email addresses or links to Google Drive files, Google Maps places, or Youtube videos into a Sheet.
You can now add YouTube vid@eo smart chips to show the title, description and a video preview when you hover over the link.
You can also add multiple smart chips to a single cell by typing @ and choosing the type of smart chip you wish to insert.
Find out more in our how-to video:
To make it easier to find commands in Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, a new tool search will be available in the command bar of these apps. This can be used to find a specific tool, and will also show suggested actions while you are creating your document.
When you apply a filter to a list of data, you will now see a summary of the filter in the bottom-right corner of the screen. This summary will show you how many rows are currently displayed of the total. You can also now apply filters by right-clicking over a range of cells, then choosing the required Filter command.
Google have introduced three new smart canvas features in Google Sheets,
The Place chip lets you add a location to your sheet, and open the location directly in Google Maps to see a preview of the location and view directions.
Expanded date capabilities allow you to enter dates quickly using @ as the entry point. You can enter @today, @yesterday, @tomorrow and @date to choose a specific date from the date picker.
Finance chips allow you to add financial entities such as stocks, mutual funds and currencies.
Find out more in our how-to video:
There is a new-look share button near the top-right corner of the screen, along with the Meet button, comments and last edit button. The activity dashboard can now be viewed via the Tools menu. Comments now show in a different shade to make them easier to view in a document, without disrupting document flow.
Find out more in our how-to video:
With Connected Sheets, you can now explore with data from Looker - Google Cloud's modern business intelligence platform. This gives you access to 50+ data sources, including BigQuery, Cloud SQL, Snowflake, and Redshift.
Once connected to a Looker instance, you'll be able to analyse data using pivot tables, charts, formulas and more. Your data will be fully secure, and you will always have access to the latest version of your data.
Google Sheets has added some more functions to help with advanced analysis:
EPOCHTODATE: Converts a Unix epoch timestamp in seconds, milliseconds, or microseconds to a datetime in UTC.
MARGINOFERROR: Calculates the amount of random sampling error given a range of values and a confidence level.
TOROW: Transforms an array or range of cells into a single row.
TOCOL: Transforms an array or range of cells into a single column.
CHOOSEROWS: Creates a new array from the selected rows in the existing range.
CHOOSECOLS: Creates a new array from the selected columns in the existing range.
WRAPROWS: Wraps the provided row or column of cells by rows after a specified number of elements to form a new array.
WRAPCOLS: Wraps the provided row or column of cells by columns after a specified number of elements to form a new array.
VSTACK: Appends ranges vertically and in sequence to return a larger array.
HSTACK: Appends ranges horizontally and in sequence to return a larger array.
You can now add drop-down chips to your spreadsheets to allow editors to choose from a selection of values. In addition, all drop-downs and data validation rules are managed via a single pane in Sheets.
Find out more in our how-to video:
If you join a Google Meet meeting from a Google Doc, Sheet or Slide, you can now quickly share the current file with meeting attendees. A link will appear in the meeting chat, and you will be able to choose how meeting attendees will be able to access the file.
Find out more in our how-to video:
Timeline view allows you to track and visualise your tasks in Google Sheets. Once you have the correct information in your sheet - such as the task title, start date, end date and duration, you can show your list as a timeline.
Find out more in our how-to video:
Smart chips have been available in Google Docs for some time, and can now be used in Google Sheets to add links to people, files and events.
Find out more in our how-to video:
Named functions allow you to create custom functions to use in your Google Sheets. You can add arguments, help text and descriptions to ensure they are easy for colleagues to use too.
Find out more in our how-to video:
As well as named functions, Google has announced 9 additional new functions for Sheets.
LAMBDA Function
MAP Function
REDUCE Function
MAKEARRAY Function
SCAN Function
BYROW Function
BYCOL Function
XLOOKUP Function
XMATCH Function
XLOOKUP has been available in Microsoft Excel for some time, and makes the VLOOKUP function more powerful, providing similar capabilities to MATCH and INDEX.
The syntax for XLOOKUP is
=XLOOKUP(lookup_value, lookup_range, return_range, optional_if_not_found)
The dialog box for sharing docs, sheets and slides has been improved to include all sharing options in a single screen.
Find out more in our how-to video:
When you insert a formula that Google Sheets detects may be improved, a suggestion box will appear with details on a new formula that can replace the current one. You can accept or reject the new formula and learn more about why it was suggested.
Find out more in our how-to video:
You can now join a Google Meet call directly from Google Docs, Sheets and Slides. From the Google Meet icon, click on Join the call to quickly join and present a document, spreadsheet, or presentation to all attendees, allowing everyone in the meeting to collaborate while having a conversation.
Find out more in our how-to video:
Google has recently increased the cell limit in a Google Sheet from up to 5 million to up to 10 million cells. This limit applies to new, existing, and imported files.
The menus of Google Sheets have been updated to make it easier to locate the most commonly-used features.
Just like in Google Docs, people chips can now be added to Google Sheets to allow you to view more information about people from within the sheet, and take actions such as booking a meeting with them, starting a chat conversation or sending them an email message.
Find out more in our how-to video:
The menus of Google Sheets have been updated to make it easier to locate the most commonly-used features.
The menu bar and right-click menus have been shortened to better fit your screen to prevent menus from being hidden
Some features have been reorganised and added to more intuitive locations e.g. you can now freeze a row or column from the right-click menu
Some descriptions of items in the menu are shorter, enabling faster recognition
Icons have been added to help you locate features more easily
Changes are across all menus, including File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, Date, Tools, Extensions, Help and Accessibility.
As you start to create a formula in Google Sheets by typing = you will receive suggestions on formulas to enter into the cell. As you build your formula, you can view additional incremental suggestions in the drop-down menu.
You can now select multiple tabs in a Google Sheet and perform actions such as hiding, colour or duplicating the tabs.
Note that unlike in Microsoft Excel, when multiple tabs are selected in a sheet, anything you enter in the current sheet will not be duplicated to the other selected sheets.
Find out more in our how-to video:
Comments have been updated in Google Sheets to make it easier to navigate and act on comments in sheets that have lots of collaboration. Comments now show in a sidebar on the right-hand side of the screen, allowing you to quickly reply, resolve, or create new conversations from one place. You can apply filters to find the most relevant comments, such as threads that require your response, and you can quickly navigate between comments, regardless of where they are in the spreadsheet.
Find out more in our how-to video:
You can now present content from Google Docs, Sheets and Slides directly into a Google Meet call. If you are not currently in a Google Meet call, you can choose to join a scheduled call or enter the code of the call you wish to join.
Find out more in our how-to video:
If you use Connected Sheets to view and analyse BigQuery data in your Google Sheets, you will see some new features to view column stats, filter by value, add slicers and add calculated fields and groups to pivot tables.
Column stats allows you to see insights about all data in a particular column, including summary information such as sum, average and count.
Filter by value allows you to filter a column to show all data that matches a specific value.
Calculated fields allow custom formulas in pivot tables
Groups allow you to group numeric values in pivot tables
Slicers can be used to filter your tables, charts and pivot tables
Find out more in our how-to video:
The named range drop-down arrow can be used to view all named ranges in a Google Sheet, and to quickly select a named range from this list. The list also provides a shortcut to manage named ranges.
Find out more in our how-to video:
If your Excel files contain macros, you can use the Macro Converter for Google Sheets to help to convert the macros from Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to Apps Script code so that you can run the macros in Google Sheets. Before converting your macros you can check the compatibility of the Excel file, then receive help on converting the macros in Sheets.
Note that this tool is available as an add=on from the Google Workspace Marketplace but is only available to Google Workspace Enterprise customers.
Find out more in the Google Workspace video overview of the Macro converter tool:
Smart Fill detects and learns patterns between the columns of you sheet, then look sat the way in which you enter data into other columns and suggests how it could complete the data entry for you.
Find out more in our how-to video:
Cleanup suggestions in Google Sheets will help you to ensure your data is accurate by finding and suggesting fixes for common data errors such as extra spaces, duplicate rows and inconsistent number formatting.
In addition, column stats will provide insights within a column so that you can see all values in a graphic format and spot any potential errors.
Watch our How To video to find out more:
You can click on any chart text element to update both its content and style, including individual data labels and legend items. You can also set advanced number formatting options on both your data labels and axis labels, including the option to conditionally format by color.
The sidebar is now contextual, showing relevant options when data labels, legend items and single data points are selected.
Watch our How To video to find out more:
New features have been introduced to customise chart axes in Google Sheets, including:
Adding both major and minor tick marks to a chart
Customising tick mark position and style
Setting spacing between major and minor axis ticks or grid lines
Display or hide axis lines in a chart
Find out more in our How To video:
Connected sheets can be used to link Google Sheets with BigQuery, so that you can analyse large datasets within your sheets.
Connected Sheets includes all the capabilities of the legacy Sheets data connector with additional enhancements. Enhancements include the ability to analyze and visualize data in Sheets without needing to first extract the data, being able to see a preview of data through a Sheet, and scheduling data refreshes to avoid analysing data that is out of date.
Watch Google’s video to find out more about Connected Sheets:
It is now possible to sort and filter data by colour in Google Sheets. You can sort and filter data by both text and background colour, to make it easier to find relevant data in your sheets.
Find out more in our How To video:
Previously in Google Sheets, charts would always be created on an entire table of data. You can now choose exactly which columns in a table should be used for the chart axis and data series, allowing you to customise charts easily to display the most relevant data.
Find out more in our How To video:
Use the Goal Seek add-on in Google Sheets to replicate the popular Excel feature. Goal seek allows you to find the input values required to produce a specific formula result.
Find out more in our How To video:
Slicers in Google Sheets can be used to filter a list of data and any pivot tables or charts that have been created from that data. They can be used in a dashboard to allow the viewer to choose the data they wish to display.
Scorecard charts allow you draw attention to key performance indicators (KPIs) such as total sales, average costs or the top selling item of a range. Scorecards can show a single figure, an aggregate of a range of figures, or a comparison between single figures or ranges. You can add titles to the scorecard to describe the value highlighted.
You can quickly change the format of an entire sheet using themes. When you apply a theme, it will change the font and colour of any data, the colour of hyperlinks, chart background and series colours, and the background of pivot tables.
You can now change the colour of the border around a chart, or remove the border entirely, by changing the chart style.
Double-click on the chart you wish to change
Click on the Customise tab on the Chart Editor pane on the right-hand side of the screen
Click on the Chart Style option
Set the Chart Border Colour as required
Right-click over a cell to see the edit history of a cell, and to toggle through all of the edits made to that cell over time. You will be able to see who has made the change, and what the cell value has been changed from and to.
Find out more in our How To video:
Two new features are available when working with lists of data in Google Sheets:
Remove Duplicates can be used to remove duplicate rows or records from a list. You can choose which columns should match for the record to be considered a duplicate.
Trim Whitespace can be used to remove spaces at the beginning, end or within text in a range of data, to ensure all text appears as it should in the list.
You can now copy an image from a website into a Google Sheet. By default, the image will appear over the cells of the sheet, but you can change the image to be embedded in a single cell if required.
Find out more in our How To video:
In Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, you can now use the Sharing History tab in the Activity Dashboard to see who has shared your document and with whom, as well as the access level they have been granted.
Use the Comment Trend tab to view the number of comments, suggestions and replies in your document per day.
There are a number of new features available in Google Sheets:
1. You can use guides to help you align, size, and position various objects within your sheets.
2. You can select multiple objects on a sheet by holding Ctrl or Shift while clicking on each object in turn
3. When inserting a pivot table, you can choose to add the table to a new sheet or existing sheet
You can now insert images into a cell in a Google Sheet using the Insert menu. You can insert an image into a specific cell, or place and image over multiple cells as required.
For example, the following image has been inserted into a single cell...
... then over multiple cells:
A new user interface has been introduced in Docs, Sheets and Slides to match new Google material design guidelines. You will notice dialog boxes have rounded corners and buttons are much clearer in the colour of the application you are using e.g. blue for Docs and green for Sheets.
Now, when you’re working on a chart in Sheets, you can made formatting changes to an individual element such as a bar on a bar graph or a point or line on a line graph. This works for bar charts, column charts, line charts, scatter charts and for certain series in combination charts, as demonstrated in the following animation.
Google Sheets have introduced some new features for charts, which you can see in the following animation.
You can now:
Add total data labels in stacked charts, which show the sum of all content in a data set
Change the alignment of data labels, depending on the chart type you are using e.g. in a bar chart you can set them in the middle of the bar, the inside end, inside base or outside end.
You can now record macros in Google Sheets to repeat the same actions as required in your sheet, without having to perform each step manually every time.
When you record a macro, Sheets converts the actions to Apps Script automatically - you can edit the code manually if you want to make changes, or can record a new macro if you change your mind about the steps that it performs.
Watch our how-to video to find out more about recording macros in Google Sheets:
As well as the new macro recorder, a number of other new features are also available:
You can now set page breaks where you want to them to appear in printouts of your sheet
You can set custom paper sizes for printing
You can group columns and rows of data to add subtotals to a sheet automatically
You can add checkboxes to cells, to show when a record meets a specific condition e.g. a task is complete
Watch our how-to video to find out more about this new Google Sheet functionality:
Sheets have introduced some exciting new features to help you to explore and analyse your data.
Sheets will suggest pivot tables based on your selected data
You can ask questions in Explore to show results in a pivot table
Sheets will display function suggestions as you type a formula
You can create waterfall charts to show sequential changes in data e.g. incremental breakdown by month
You can Import fixed-width data quickly and split the data automatically into columns in the new sheet
Watch our How To video to find out more about new Google Sheet functionality:
After a number of updates to Google Sheets last month, you can now set custom headers and footers in Google Sheets. You can choose to add specific elements such as the page number or sheet name, or add your own custom text e.g. a project name or disclaimer.
A new printing interface was introduced to Google Sheets in June, which allows much easier previewing of your sheet, and includes options to adjust margins, freeze rows and set headers and footers directly from the preview screen. Once the sheet looks correct in the preview, you can click on Next to show the default Chrome print screen to decide on the printer, number of copies, etc.
The Explore features of Google Sheets has been improved, and can now be used to generate charts based on questions that you ask in the Explore pane. You can also apply quick formatting to your sheet data, including banded rows.
The chart feature has been given a makeover too, with the introduction of an Editing pane that shows on the right-hand side of the screen, and can be used to edit the chart as a whole, or format the selected element. You can now add trend lines and error bars with a single mouse-click, and can format chart elements to include custom colours.
Find out more in our How To video:
If you use sheets, docs and slides and regularly exchange information between these apps, you can now link data between apps and update the linked object automatically if the source changes. If you need to include a chart or table of data from sheets in your Google Doc, this is just the feature for you, as you’ll see in our How To video: