How to Create a Template in Google Sheets

Building reports and trackers in Google Sheets from scratch is a huge time-sink. You already know what you need - the same columns, the same formulas, the same formatting every time - but you still have to manually recreate it. This article will show you how to create, save, and share your own custom templates in Google Sheets, so you can stop reinventing the wheel and get straight to the work.

First, Why Bother with a Template?

Creating a template might seem like extra work upfront, but it pays off almost immediately. When you standardize your spreadsheets, you gain a few key advantages:

• Saves Time: This is the most obvious benefit. Instead of building a monthly budget, project plan, or content calendar from nothing, you can start with a pre-built foundation. You spend less time formatting and more time analyzing.
• Ensures Consistency: When everyone on your team uses the same template, you guarantee that all reports have the same layout, formulas, and metrics. This makes it easier to compare data across different periods or projects without having to mentally adjust for different structures.
• Reduces Errors: Manual data entry and formula writing introduce opportunities for human error. A template with pre-checked formulas, protected ranges, and data validation rules minimizes the chances of a costly mistake.
• Simplifies Collaboration: Handing off a well-designed template is much easier than handing off a messy, one-off spreadsheet. New team members can get up to speed faster because the structure is already defined for them.

The Quickest Method: The "Make a Copy" URL Trick

This is the fastest and most flexible way to turn any spreadsheet into a reusable template, and it works for both free Google accounts and paid Google Workspace accounts. It doesn’t add your sheet to the official template gallery, instead, it generates a special link that forces anyone who opens it to make a new copy rather than editing your original master sheet.

Step 1: Create Your Master Spreadsheet

First, build the spreadsheet exactly how you want your template to look and function. This will be your "master copy." For this example, let's create a simple content marketing tracker.

Your master sheet might include:

• Headers: "Content Title," "Author," "Status," "Due Date," "Publish Date," "Target Keyword."
• Formatting: Freeze the header row (View > Freeze > 1 row), apply brand colors, set specific font sizes, and format date columns correctly.
• Formulas: Perhaps a formula that calculates the number of days until a due date or totals up a specific metric. For instance, you could have a small summary section at the top that uses =COUNTIF(C2:C, "Published") to count the number of published articles.
• Placeholder Data: Add one or two example rows to show users how to fill out the sheet. This makes it intuitive.

Step 2: Clean and Prepare the Sheet

Before you share it, tidy a few things up. Delete any extra test data, leaving only your placeholder examples. Make sure the starting cell is A1, so that's what users see when it opens.

You can also add helpful notes. Right-click a cell (like a column header) and select "Insert note." You can add instructions like, "Select status from the dropdown menu," to guide users.

Step 3: Modify the URL to Create a Template Link

This is where the magic happens. Look at your spreadsheet’s URL in the browser's address bar. It probably looks something like this:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aBcDeFgHiJkLmNoPqRsTuvWxYz/edit#gid=0

The key part is the /edit at the end. All you need to do is delete everything from /edit to the end and replace it with /copy.

Your new "template" URL will look like this:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aBcDeFgHiJkLmNoPqRsTuvWxYz/copy

Now, when someone clicks this new link, they won't open your master sheet. Instead, they’ll be taken directly to a landing page with a big blue button that says "Make a copy."

Step 4: Bookmark and Share Your Link

Save this new /copy link somewhere accessible - bookmark it in your browser, add it to a team wiki page, or hyperlink it in a project brief document. Now, any time you or a team member needs to start a new content tracker, you just share that link. Everyone gets a fresh, clean copy in their own Google Drive, and your master template remains untouched and pristine.

Pro Tip: You can also replace "/edit" with "/template/preview" to create a version that shows a preview of the sheet with a "Use Template" button in the top right. Functionally, it's very similar to "/copy" but looks slightly more official.

For Teams: Creating an Official Organization Template

If your company uses Google Workspace, you have access to a private, company-wide template gallery. This method is a more formal and centralized way to manage templates that everyone on the team might need.

Step 1: Navigate to the Google Sheets Template Gallery

From the Google Sheets homepage (sheets.google.com), you’ll see the template gallery at the top of the page. It features standard templates from Google like "Project Tracking" and "Invoice." Just above those, you should see a tab with your company’s name.

Click on your organization’s tab, and you'll see a button that says "Submit template."

Step 2: Submit Your Spreadsheet

Clicking "Submit template" will open a dialog box. Here, you'll:

1. Select a spreadsheet: Choose the master spreadsheet you already built.
2. Select a category: Choose a relevant category like "Project Management" or "Marketing" to keep the gallery organized.
3. Add a description: Write a short, clear description of what the template is for. For example, "Official template for tracking monthly blog content from ideation to publication."

Once you click "Submit," your template will be added to your company’s private gallery. It may require an administrator's approval depending on your Workspace settings.

Step 3: Accessing and Using the Official Template

Now, any time a team member goes to create a new spreadsheet, they can visit the template gallery, click on your company's tab, find your custom content tracker, and click it to generate a brand new, pre-formatted sheet.

This method is excellent for mission-critical documents and processes that need to be followed consistently across the entire organization.

Tips for Building Better Templates

A good template doesn't just look nice, it actively helps the user avoid mistakes and work more efficiently. Here are a few features to include in your master sheets.

Use Data Validation for Dropdowns

Instead of having users manually type a status like "In Progress," create a dropdown menu.

• Select the cell or column where you want the dropdown to appear (e.g., column C for "Status").
• Go to Data > Data validation.
• In the "Criteria" dropdown, select "List of items."
• Enter the options you want, separated by commas: Not Started, In Progress, Awaiting Review, Published.
• Click "Save." Now, users can only select from the predefined list, keeping your data clean and consistent.

Apply Conditional Formatting

Make your templates visually intuitive with conditional formatting. For example, you can have a row automatically turn green when its status changes to "Published."

• Select the entire data range (e.g., A2:F100).
• Go to Format > Conditional formatting.
• Under "Format rules," choose "Custom formula is."
• Enter the formula: =$C2="Published"
• Choose your formatting style (e.g., a light green background).
• Click "Done."

Now, whenever a cell in column C is set to "Published," its entire row will light up, providing an instant visual cue of progress.

Protect Important Cells and Ranges

Prevent users from accidentally deleting important formulas or headers by protecting them.

• Right-click on the cell or range you want to protect.
• Select View more cell actions > Protect range.
• Give it a description and click "Set permissions."
• You can choose to restrict editing to only yourself or display a warning if someone tries to edit it. This is great for locking down header rows or cells containing complex formulas.

Final Thoughts

Creating Google Sheets templates is an incredibly simple way to bring order and efficiency to your recurring tasks. Whether you use the versatile "/copy" URL trick for quick sharing or your organization's official template gallery for team-wide standards, both methods will save you from the drudgery of building the same report time and time again.

Ultimately, the goal is to spend less time wrangling data and more time acting on it. While templates are a huge step forward for manual tasks, we built Graphed to automate the entire reporting process. You can connect your marketing and sales data sources (like Google Analytics, Shopify, or Salesforce) and use plain English to build real-time dashboards instantly. Instead of filling out a template, you can just ask, "Show me my top-performing ad campaigns by revenue this month," and get a live, interactive dashboard that updates automatically, helping you move from raw data to clear insights without the legwork.