If you’re just beginning to use Google Sheets, its extensive features and add-ons can be a bit overwhelming. Here are some tips to get you on the fast track to start using this powerful, free alternative to Microsoft Excel.
What Is Google Sheets?
If you’ve heard of Google Sheets before, feel free to skip ahead. If you’ve never heard of it, here’s a crash course on what you need to know. We’ll go over the basics and get you brushed up with what Google Sheets is and how you can get started right away.
Google Sheets is a free, web-based spreadsheet program offered by Google as part of its complete office suite—Google Drive—to compete with Microsoft Office. The other main services included in the cloud-based suite are Docs (Word) and Slides (Powerpoint).
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Google Sheets is available on all devices and platforms; all you need is an internet connection and a web browser (or, in the case of mobile, the applicable apps). Google does the rest and handles the brunt of the heavy lifting while it runs the software in the cloud.
Sheets supports several different file types, including XLS, XLSX, XLSM, TXT, ODS, and CSV, making it easy to view and convert Microsoft Office files directly from Google Drive.
And since Sheets is an online spreadsheet program, you can share and collaborate with multiple people on the same document, tracking revisions, changes, and suggestions all in real time.
Have you heard enough? Let’s get started.
How To Sign Up for an Account
The first thing you’ll need to do before you can use Google Sheets is a sign up for a Google account (an @gmail account). If you already have an account, feel free to move on to the next section. If not, we’ll go over the simple way to create a Google account and get you set up with Sheets.
