10 Must-Know Google Sheets Formulas to Automate Your Work
You don't need to code to automate Google Sheets. Master these 10 formulas and handle 90% of everyday spreadsheet tasks effortlessly.
Why These Formulas Matter Google Sheets has over 400 functions, but fewer than 20 are used daily. Here are the 10 most practical ones with examples you can apply right away. 1. SUM / SUMIF — Conditional Totals =SUM(A1:A10) adds up all numbers in a range. =SUMIF(B1:B10,"Done",C1:C10) totals only the C-column values where B says "Done" — perfect for project cost tracking. 2. VLOOKUP / XLOOKUP — Cross-Table Lookup =VLOOKUP(E2,A:C,3,FALSE) searches column A and returns the 3rd column result. The newer =XLOOKUP(E2,A:A,C:C) is cleaner and more flexible. 3. COUNTIF — Count Matching Cells =COUNTIF(D:D,">100") counts cells in column D that are greater than 100. Great for counting orders, attendance days, etc. 4. IF / IFS — Conditional Logic =IF(A2>=60,"Pass","Fail") is the simplest logic check. Use =IFS(A2>=90,"A",A2>=60,"B",TRUE,"F") for multiple conditions without nesting. 5. TEXT — Format Numbers as Strings =TEXT(A2,"YYYY-MM-DD") formats a date into text — handy when combining cells. =TEXT(B2,"#,##0") adds thousand separators to numbers. 6. ARRAYFORMULA — Apply One Formula to a Whole Column =ARRAYFORMULA(A2:A * B2:B) multiplies entire columns at once without filling each row manually. 7. QUERY — Filter Like SQL =QUERY(A1:D100,"SELECT A,C WHERE D='Tokyo' ORDER BY C DESC",1) QUERY is a Google Sheets exclusive — it filters, sorts, and groups data using SQL-like syntax. 8. IMPORTRANGE — Pull Data from Another Sheet =IMPORTRANGE("spreadsheet_url","Sheet1!A1:C50") imports live data from another Google Sheets file — great for cross-department reports. 9. UNIQUE + SORT — Deduplicate and Sort =SORT(UNIQUE(A2:A)) removes duplicates then sorts — one formula replaces manual cleanup. 10. SPARKLINE — Mini Charts Inside Cells =SPARKLINE(B2:B13,{"charttype","bar"}) renders a tiny bar or line chart directly inside a cell for at-a-glance data visualization. Summary These 10 formulas cover totals, lookups, logic, formatting, and automation. Start with SUM, IF, and VLOOKUP, then