How to Use Google Sheets

Google Sheets is a spreadsheet program that allows multiple users to work at the same time. You can create a new sheet by clicking the + button or you can select an existing one to copy and paste data into. Sheets can also be renamed, duplicated and moved to another folder in your Google Drive.

Each sheet is a grid of cells that contain information and calculations. A cell is a single rectangle at the intersection of a row and a column, and it is identified by an index letter or number. You can select individual cells, or whole rows or columns by clicking their index. Once you have selected a cell, you can do various things to it, including typing, deleting and formatting.

Unlike word processors, which have basic editing tools, a spreadsheet requires knowledge of how to use formulas and functions to be effective. In short, a function is a piece of code that performs a specific calculation or task on the values and cells you specify. Google Sheets has a huge array of functions that can do everything from count items to calculate the average value to upload data from other spreadsheets. A quick way to learn about the different functions is to add a new column header, start typing an equals sign, name the function, insert a range and hit enter.

The most common task in any spreadsheet is adding numbers, but there are a lot of options in Sheets to make it more efficient than just entering text directly into a cell. You can use the toolbar buttons to quickly format numbers into decimal, percent, dates and other formats. Alternatively, you can open the Format tab to find more advanced options.

Another useful feature is the ability to attach notes to a cell. This can be helpful when sharing a spreadsheet with colleagues to let them know additional details or context for the data they are seeing. Notes appear as black triangles in the upper right corner of a cell. You can also tag a collaborator in a note by starting their account name with @. This will give them an email notification of the comment when they hover over the cell.

If you’re working with an older version of a sheet, you can see and revert the changes by going to File > See previous versions > Restore this version. This option is especially helpful for when you’ve accidentally deleted important data or made a mistake.

Another way to organize a spreadsheet is to group rows or columns by color. This can help you easily navigate the sheet and keep track of where you are in your current work. You can also freeze rows or columns to keep them visible at all times, even if you scroll down the spreadsheet. You can do this by clicking the icon at the top of the sheet, or by right-clicking and selecting the appropriate option from the menu.