← Google Sheets from Scratch: Formulas, QUERY, and Collaboration
Lesson
Lesson 1: Creating a spreadsheet and sharing it
Create your first Google Sheets spreadsheet, understand how it is built (a file in the cloud, sheets, cells), and learn the basics of sharing by link.
What Google Sheets is and how a spreadsheet works
What Google Sheets is and how a spreadsheet works
Google Sheets is a spreadsheet app that runs right in your browser. There’s nothing to install: all you need is a Google account. The main difference from desktop programs is that the file lives in the cloud (on Google’s servers) and is saved automatically after every change. You won’t lose your data even if you close the tab at the worst possible moment.
Each file in Google Sheets is called a spreadsheet. A spreadsheet can contain several sheets — their tabs appear at the bottom of the screen, like tabs in a notebook. Each sheet holds a grid of rows and columns. The place where a column and a row intersect is called a cell. Cells hold numbers, text, dates, or formulas.
To create a new spreadsheet, go to sheets.google.com and click the create button — for a blank file or one from a template. The new spreadsheet is saved to Google Drive right away and gets a unique address (URL) in the browser.
You share the spreadsheet through this very link. The owner can share it with other people and give each person a role: Viewer (can only view), Commenter (can leave comments without editing), or Editor (full access). We’ll cover managing access in detail in Unit 5. In this course, you’ll practice entering formulas in a grid right here on the platform, but do try creating a real spreadsheet and sharing it in your own Google account.
Lesson notes
What Google Sheets is and how a spreadsheet works
Google Sheets is a spreadsheet app that runs right in your browser. There’s nothing to install: all you need is a Google account. The main difference from desktop programs is that the file lives in the cloud (on Google’s servers) and is saved automatically after every change. You won’t lose your data even if you close the tab at the worst possible moment.
Each file in Google Sheets is called a spreadsheet. A spreadsheet can contain several sheets — their tabs appear at the bottom of the screen, like tabs in a notebook. Each sheet holds a grid of rows and columns. The place where a column and a row intersect is called a cell. Cells hold numbers, text, dates, or formulas.
To create a new spreadsheet, go to sheets.google.com and click the create button — for a blank file or one from a template. The new spreadsheet is saved to Google Drive right away and gets a unique address (URL) in the browser.
You share the spreadsheet through this very link. The owner can share it with other people and give each person a role: Viewer (can only view), Commenter (can leave comments without editing), or Editor (full access). We’ll cover managing access in detail in Unit 5. In this course, you’ll practice entering formulas in a grid right here on the platform, but do try creating a real spreadsheet and sharing it in your own Google account.