Are you new to Google spreadsheets and you can’t find the functions you’re looking for?
Add-ons are third-party plugins that add more features in your spreadsheets and provide additional functionality to already powerful Google Sheets.
Here we gathered a handful of must-have add-ons that can elevate your work and make it so much easier and smoother to proceed.
But sometimes searching for the Add-ons that suit your problems is not like eating a cake!
Here we provided some handy Add-ons which you need in order to properly exploit all features of the Google sheets.
How do I add add-ons on to Google Sheets?
- On your computer, open a spreadsheet.
- Click Add-ons add-ons.
- Point to an add-on to see a short description. To see a full description, click the add-on.
- To install the add-on, click InstallContinue.
- For most add-ons, a message will appear requesting access to data that the add-on needs to work. Read the message, then click Allow.
- After the add-on installs, click Done.
Must have Add-ons;
1. Autocrat
Autocrat is one of the most useful Add-ons for sheets which has a great impact on educational purposes. Autocrat is another powerful tool from CloudLab, one of the leading innovators in the add-ons for the Education developer space.
If you are searching for a free Add-on to help you automate the creation of the PDFs or shared documents, Autocrat is a good choice for you. The autocrat was originally created to help teachers, but now anyone who wants to have an automated process, Autocrat is one of the best choices.
Autocrat enables you to take data and create a document and PDFs.
Tell Autocrat which fields to merge via <<merge tags>> and then let Autocrat mass-generate personalized documents. Optionally send the documents as email attachments. Optionally tell Autocrat to run when new forms are submitted to create truly automated processes.
Here you can find how to use Autocrat with some examples.
2. Power Tools
Power Tools is a popular add-on that enables you to change the functionality and looks of your spreadsheet.
Power Tools help you manipulate data and create reports in different ways. Power Tools provide all in one service such as Find fuzzy matches, merge values, customizing formulas, data formats, removing duplicates, data clean up, combining or splitting columns and rows, and find matches. Plus you can quickly alter text, numbers, or dates. You can also merge, compare, or combine different sheets with this great tool.
3. Document Studio
Document Studio is a must-have Add-on for your sheets if your job function needs to create repetitive documents.
Document Studio allows you to combine your data from Google Sheets, Excel sheets, Google Form Responses, and merge it into one document. Additionally, it uses the built-in Mail Merge tool to email documents, the files are saved in Google Drive, generated documents can be automatically shared with colleagues or print them via Google Cloud Print. You can create documents in Google Drive and Shared Drives.
4.BigML
BigML is a useful Google Sheets add-on that enables you to use machine learning models in your google sheets in an easy way. So if you want to fill the cells with predictions, you can count on BigML to provide you these data.
The BigML add-on brings the power of the Machine Learning models and clusters in BigML to your Google Spreadsheets. The add-on provides easy access to the models and clusters under your account in BigML within the Google Sheet.
5. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a powerful add-On for Google Sheets that saves your time and lets you pull all your analytics data in your Google spreadsheets and work with it. With a combination of two powers of Google Analytics API and spreadsheets’ data manipulation you can:
- Query data from multiple views (profiles).
- Create custom calculations from your report data.
- Create dashboards with embedded data visualizations.
- Schedule reports running automatically so your data is always current.
- Easily control who can see these data and visualizations by leveraging Google Spreadsheet’s existing sharing and privacy features.
6. Lucidchart Diagrams
After each project, we usually need to present them in the best way to be understood. Visualization is one of the trickiest parts of the project when you’re working with a spreadsheet.
Lucidchart is a visual workspace that combines diagramming, data visualization, and collaboration to accelerate understanding and drive innovation. With this intuitive, cloud-based solution, everyone can work visually and collaborate in real time while building flowcharts, mockups, UML diagrams, and more.
7. Find Fuzzy Matches
Finding duplicates is essential in working with spreadsheets but when you have typos or misspelling in some cases it would be if not impossible, super difficult to find duplicates among thousand cells.
By installing Find Fuzzy Matches add-on and tweaking settings, you can find minor or even more severe spelling mistakes.This add-on enables you to fix them in seconds and feel more confident about the accuracy of your data.
The add-on makes suggestions for spelling the typos correctly. Choose one of those, such as using auto-correct on your phone. You can also input a correction into the field.
8. Advanced Find & Replace
Do you need to find and replace data across multiple sheets regularly? We suggest you try Advanced Find & Replace.
This add-on searches the values, formulas, notes, and hyperlinks of all your Google Sheets at once, and helps speed up the process. It is case sensitive, so if you’re searching for a particular name, make sure to type it as it is.
Plus with this add-on, you can export the data you’ve seen based on your search.
Next time you needed to replace all your links in your Google sheets from ‘HTTP’ to ‘HTTPS’, use this add-on. It is as easy as pie.
9. Random Generator
o you need to generate anything random? It doesn’t matter if you want to shuffle your data, create new passwords, assign random time or date, this add-on will do it as easy as 1,2,3!
Create any set of random data in your Google sheet:
- Generate strong passwords
- Create random codes by masks
- Pack your cells with dates
- Generate real numbers and integers
- Fill the range with Booleans
- Shuffle your own values
You can also specify if you’d want to generate unique data.
All you have to do is:
- Select the cells of the Spreadsheet where you’d want to fill in data
- Choose the type of random data you want
- Click on Generate