About SheetsHowTo

SheetsHowTo publishes practical guides for Google Sheets, with a focus on the problems that make people search: error messages, formulas that return the wrong result, and features that don't behave the way you expect. The goal is simple: you paste the message you see into Google, land here, and fix it in a couple of minutes.

Who writes the guides

Hi, I'm Gerard Fernandez. I'm a programmer, and I'm passionate about technology and about breaking complex problems down into simple, efficient solutions. I'm largely self-taught, with an analytical, curious mindset: I enjoy picking up new tools and figuring out the fastest, cleanest way to get something done.

Spreadsheets are part of that work every day, for cleaning data, doing quick calculations and keeping projects organized. I started SheetsHowTo to write down clearly what I'd have liked to find when I was stuck, the way I'd explain it to a colleague: one good example instead of three paragraphs of theory.

How the error guides are tested

Most guides on this site start from a real error message. For those, the process is always the same:

  1. Reproduce it. I open a new Google Sheets file and recreate the situation until Sheets shows the exact message, then copy the text word for word.
  2. Screenshot the real thing. The images in these guides are screenshots of that test file: the real dialog, tooltip or result, not mock-ups.
  3. Try the fixes. Every fix is applied in the same file to confirm it works. If something surprises me (for example, Sheets quietly correcting a typo or a common "fix" that doesn't work in Sheets), the guide says so.
  4. Write down what didn't work. If a message can't be reproduced, I don't invent it. You'll see phrases like "in our test" wherever a result comes from that file.

I'm gradually rebuilding the older how-to guides with the same method. The "Updated" date at the top of each article shows when it was last reviewed.

Found a mistake?

Google Sheets changes often, and a menu name or message can be different in your version. If a step doesn't match what you see on screen, please let me know and I'll check it again in a fresh file.

Independence

SheetsHowTo is an independent site. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Google. The site is supported by advertising.