What Google Sheets is and why people choose it

Google Sheets is a spreadsheet program you run in your web browser instead of installing on your computer. You create it, edit it, and save it all through Google's servers, which means the file lives online rather than on your hard drive. Anyone you share it with can open it from any device — phone, tablet, laptop — without needing to own Excel or any other software.

The core reason people switch from Excel to Sheets is that it handles shared work differently. When two people open the same Excel file, one person's changes can overwrite the other's. When two people open the same Sheet, you both see changes happen in real time, the way you would if you were both typing in the same document. There is no "save and email back" step. This matters most if you work with a team, manage a budget with a partner, or track something that multiple people need to update.

Sheets also costs nothing if you have a Google account, and you get 15 gigabytes of storage shared across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. Excel costs money through Microsoft 365 (the subscription) or a one-time purchase, though many people get it through work or school.

Key Takeaways

  • Google Sheets runs in your browser and saves automatically to the cloud, so you never lose work and can open it from any device.
  • Multiple people can edit the same Sheet at the same time and see each other's changes when ready, unlike Excel files sent back and forth.
  • Sheets has most of the formulas and charts Excel has, but lacks some advanced features like pivot tables and macros that heavy Excel users rely on.
  • You can read a Sheet as an Excel file (.xlsx) or keep it online, and you can upload an Excel file to convert it to a Sheet.
  • Sheets works on phones and tablets as well as computers, and offline mode lets you keep working if your internet drops.

How to start a new Sheet and invite people to edit it

Go to sheets.google.com in your browser and sign in with your Google account. If you do not have one, you can create one free at google.com. Click the plus icon (or "Create" button) to start a blank spreadsheet. Google gives it a default name like "Untitled spreadsheet" — click the name at the top to rename it to something you will recognize.

To let other people edit it, click the blue "Share" button in the top right. Type their email address, choose "Editor" from the dropdown (so they can make changes), and click "Share." They will get an email with a link. If you want them to only view it without editing, choose "Viewer" instead. If you want them to see it without getting an email, turn off "Notify people" before you share.

Everyone who edits the Sheet sees a colored cursor showing where the other person is working and can watch their changes appear in real time. At the top right, you can see who is currently viewing the file. If someone is not supposed to have access anymore, click "Share" again, find their name, and click the trash icon next to it.

What Sheets can do that Excel can do

Sheets handles the everyday spreadsheet tasks most people actually need. You can type data into cells, sort and filter rows, use formulas like SUM and AVERAGE, create charts and graphs, and freeze the top row so it stays visible when you scroll. You can also use conditional formatting to color cells based on their values — for example, turning all numbers above 100 red — and you can protect certain cells or sheets so people cannot edit them by accident.

Formulas in Sheets work much like they do in Excel. You type =SUM(A1:A10) to add up a range, =IF(B2>50,"yes","no") to test a condition, or =VLOOKUP() to find a value in another column. Sheets also has functions for text, dates, and statistics. If you know Excel formulas, most of them will work the same way in Sheets, though the syntax is occasionally different.

You can also import data from other sources. Click "File" then "Import" to upload a CSV file or another spreadsheet, or use the IMPORTRANGE function to pull data from another Sheet automatically. This is useful if you have data in multiple places and want to combine it in one view.

What Sheets cannot do that Excel can

Sheets does not have pivot tables, which are a tool in Excel for summarizing large amounts of data quickly. If you need to count how many sales each person made or total revenue by month from a huge dataset, Excel's pivot table does it in a few clicks. Sheets does not have this feature, though you can sometimes get the same result by sorting, filtering, and using formulas — it just takes longer.

Sheets also does not support macros or VBA (Visual Basic for Applications), which are ways to automate repetitive tasks in Excel by writing code. If your work involves running the same complex sequence of steps over and over, Excel is the better choice. Sheets does have a scripting tool called Apps Script, but it requires coding knowledge and is not as straightforward as Excel macros.

Advanced statistical functions and some specialized financial formulas exist in Excel but not in Sheets. If you work in finance, engineering, or data science and rely on tools like Solver or specific add-ins, you will need Excel. For most other work — budgets, schedules, straightforward tracking, team projects — Sheets has what you need.

How to move between Sheets and Excel

If you have an Excel file and want to use it in Sheets, go to sheets.google.com, click the plus icon, then click "File upload" and choose your .xlsx or .xls file. Google converts it to a Sheet automatically. The conversion usually works well, though complex formatting or certain formulas may not transfer perfectly. Once it is in Sheets, you can edit it online and share it with others.

If you have a Sheet and need to send it to someone who uses Excel, click "File" then "read" and choose "Microsoft Excel (.xlsx)." This creates an Excel file on your computer that you can email or save wherever you need it. The Sheet converts to Excel format, and again, most things transfer cleanly. If your Sheet uses features Excel does not have, those parts may not work the same way in the Excel version.

You can also keep a Sheet and an Excel file in sync by downloading the Sheet regularly and uploading it back, but this is manual and error-prone if multiple people are editing. The better approach is to decide which tool your team will use and stick with it.

When offline mode matters and how to turn it on

Google Sheets normally requires an internet connection. If your connection drops, you cannot edit until it comes back. Offline mode lets you keep working on a Sheet even without internet, and your changes sync back to the cloud when you reconnect.

To turn on offline mode, open a Sheet, click the three-dot menu in the top right, and look for "Offline" in the menu. Click it to enable offline access for that Sheet. Google downloads a copy to your device so you can edit it without internet. When you get back online, your changes upload automatically.

Offline mode works on computers and Android phones but not reliably on iPhones or iPads. If you use an Apple device and need to work without internet, read the Sheet as an Excel file, edit it offline, and upload it back when you reconnect — though this means your changes will not sync in real time if others are editing at the same time.

Sharing and permission levels explained

When you share a Sheet, you choose what each person can do. Editor means they can change anything in the Sheet, add or delete rows and columns, and change who else has access. Commenter means they can add notes and comments but cannot edit the actual data — useful if you want feedback without risking accidental changes. Viewer means they can only read it and cannot make any changes.

You can also share a Sheet with a link instead of typing individual email addresses. Click "Share," then change "Restricted" to "Anyone with the link" and choose the permission level. Anyone with that link can open the Sheet without needing a Google account, though they still cannot edit unless you gave them Editor access. This is useful for sharing with people outside your organization or for public data.

If you share a Sheet with your whole organization (through Google Workspace at work), you can set it so anyone in the company can view it without needing a specific link. This is faster than sending links to dozens of people, but make sure the Sheet does not contain sensitive information before you do this.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Google Sheets on my phone?

Yes. read the Google Sheets app from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android), sign in with your Google account, and you can view and edit Sheets from your phone. Changes sync in real time just like on a computer. The app works best on larger phones; on very small screens, some features are harder to use.

What happens if two people edit the same cell at the same time?

Google Sheets shows both changes and usually merges them sensibly. If one person types "Smith" and another types "John" in the same cell at the exact same moment, one will overwrite the other, but this is rare. For most work, Sheets handles simultaneous editing well enough that conflicts do not happen often. If they do, you can undo recent changes using the version history.

Can I password-protect a Sheet?

You cannot password-protect the entire Sheet, but you can protect specific cells or ranges so people cannot edit them without permission. Click "Data" then "Protect sheets and ranges," choose which cells to lock, and set who can edit them. You can also require people to have a Google account to view a Sheet by changing the sharing settings from "Anyone with the link" to "Restricted."

Is my data safe in Google Sheets?

Google encrypts data in transit and at rest, and your Sheet is backed up automatically. You cannot lose it by accident the way you can lose a file on your computer. However, if someone gains access to your Google account, they can access your Sheets. Use a strong password and enable two-factor authentication on your Google account to protect it.

Can I embed a Sheet in a website?

Yes. Click "File" then "Publish to the web," choose whether to publish the whole Sheet or a specific range, and copy the embed code. You can paste this code into a website and the Sheet will display there. People can view it but cannot edit it through the embed, and it updates automatically when you change the original Sheet.