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Columns and what they hold

How to add, rename, move, widen, hide and delete columns, and what each kind of column is for: text, number, date, yes or no, to-do, link, place, notes, photo and file.

The column heading

A column is one kind of detail about every row: the name, the city, the phone number, the amount. Its name sits in the heading at the top of the sheet. Almost everything you do to a column starts from that heading.

The parts of a column heading. Some show only when your pointer is on the heading.

The grip moves the column. Hold it and drag the column left or right.
The name of the column. Click it to sort the sheet by this column.
A small label says what kind of column it is, when there is room for it.
The arrow shows which way the sheet is sorted.
The filter button shows only some of the rows. See Sort, filter and search.
The three dots open the column's menu.
The right edge changes the width. Drag it.

Please noteOnly people who can edit the sheet can add, change, move or delete columns. If you were given permission only to look, these parts are not offered. See Sharing.

Adding a column

Add a column when you want to keep one more detail about every row, for example the phone number of each guest.

Where to find itSheetActions headingTable optionsAdd column at end…

The Add column box.

Type a name for the column in Column name, for example Phone.
Under Type, choose what the column will hold. A line under the buttons explains the kind you chose. If you are not sure, leave it on Any.
Press Add column.

To add a column in the middle, open the menu of the column beside it with the three dots, and choose Insert column left or Insert column right. The same box opens.

TipAny is a good choice for a new column. A column of this kind takes anything: words, numbers, photos or files. Each cell shows itself as whatever it holds.

The kinds of column

The kind of a column decides how its cells look and how you fill them. You can change the kind later.

How a cell of each kind looks in the sheet.

Kind	What it holds	How you fill a cell
Any	Anything: text, numbers, pictures or files. Each cell shows what it holds.	Type, or right-click to add a photo, a file, a link or a place.
Text	Words and sentences: a name, an address, a remark.	Type.
Number	Numbers you can sort, filter and total: an amount, a quantity, marks.	Type the number. It sits at the right of the cell.
Date	A date, a time, or both.	Open the cell and pick from the small calendar. Now puts today's date and time.
Yes / No	Yes or no: paid or not, coming or not.	Type `yes` or `no`. In the row editor, press Yes or No.
To-do	A tick box on every row. Ticking one fades the row, to show it is done.	Click the box.
Link	A web address. Clicking it opens the page inside the app.	Type or paste the address.
Location	A place, or a Google Maps link. Clicking it shows the place on a map.	Press Pick a place and search for it.
Notes	Links to your notes. One cell can hold several.	Press Link a note and choose notes, or write a new one.
Calendar	A date that also appears on your Schedules calendar.	Pick a date, as in a Date column.
Image	A picture: uploaded, chosen from the Library, or linked from the web.	Double-click the cell and use its three small buttons.
Document	A file: PDF, Word, text and more.	Double-click the cell and use its three small buttons.

A few kinds have something extra to choose in the same box.

Date and Calendar show more choices. The cell holds can be Date, Time or Date and time. Date reads as gives three ways of writing the date, such as 12th July 2026. Clock can be 12-hour or 24-hour.
Fill in automatically is ticked for a new Date column. With it, an empty date cell fills itself with the date and time when its row first gets a value. This is useful for knowing when each entry was made. Untick it if you want to pick every date yourself.
Document shows Document type: Any, PDF, Word, Text, HTML, Spreadsheet or Presentation. If you choose one, the column takes only that kind of file and refuses the rest.
To-do needs no name. A to-do column is always added as the first column of the sheet.

Putting photos and files into cells is explained in Working in a sheet. Dates that show on the calendar are explained in Calendar, ticking rows in To-do, and linked notes in Notes.

The column menu

The three dots in a column heading open a small menu for that column.

The menu of a column.

Three small buttons for grouping rows and columns. They are explained in Grouping rows and columns.
Edit column… changes the name or the kind of the column.
Hide column puts the column out of sight without deleting it.
Insert column left and Insert column right add a new column beside this one.
Delete column removes the column and everything in it.

When the sheet has a pinned row, the menu also has a part called Pinned row shows, with Sum, Average and more. It makes the pinned row work out a total for this column. See the pinned row.

A To-do column has no name in its heading, only the three dots. Its menu has a few more lines, because it has no sort arrow or filter button of its own:

Menu line	What it does
All rows	Shows every row.
Only to-do	Shows only the rows that are not ticked.
Only done	Shows only the rows that are ticked.
To-do first	Puts the rows that are not ticked at the top.
Done first	Puts the ticked rows at the top.

Renaming a column, or changing its kind

Move your pointer to the column heading and press the three dots.
Choose Edit column….
Type the new name in Column name, or choose another kind under Type.
Press Save.

Changing the kind does not throw anything away. What is already in the cells stays as it is. If some cells hold a photo, a file or linked notes, the box tells you how many, and says they stay as they are.

Moving a column

Put the columns you look at most on the left, so that you do not have to scroll for them.

Move your pointer to the column heading. A small grip appears before the name.
Hold the grip and drag left or right. A green line shows where the column will land.
Let go.

A to-do column always stays first, so it has no grip.

Making a column wider or narrower

When the words in a column are cut short, make the column wider.

Dragging the right edge of the Address heading.

Move your pointer to the right edge of the column heading. A small grip shows there.
Hold it and drag right to widen the column, or left to make it narrow.
Let go. To return to the usual width, double-click the same edge.

The widths you set are yours. They are remembered for you on that sheet, and other people who use the sheet keep their own widths.

Hiding a column, and bringing it back

Hide a column you do not need to see every day, such as an ID number. Nothing is deleted. The column is only put away.

To hide, open the column's menu with the three dots and choose Hide column.

Hidden columns are listed in the Table options menu.

Look at the Actions heading at the right end of the sheet. The small number on its three-dot button says how many columns are hidden. Press the button.
Under Hidden columns, press the name of the column you want back.
Or press Show all columns to bring back every hidden column at once.

Deleting a column

Open the column's menu with the three dots.
Choose Delete column.
The app asks whether to delete the column and says that its data goes with it. Press Delete column to confirm.

Please noteA deleted column cannot be brought back, and everything typed in it is gone. If you only want it out of the way, use Hide column.

A column worked out from other columns

You can make a new column whose numbers are worked out from two other columns, for example Price multiplied by Quantity. This is done with Insert function, and it is explained step by step in Formulas.

Common questions

Which kind should I choose? If you are not sure, choose Any. Choose Number for amounts you want to total, Date for dates you want to sort, and Yes / No for answers you want to count.

Can I put a photo in a Text or Number column? Yes. Right-click the cell and choose Add an image…. Every column except a to-do column can hold a photo or a file in any of its cells.

Why does my new date column fill itself? Fill in automatically is ticked for it. Open Edit column… and untick it.

I cannot see the three dots or the filter button. They show when your pointer is on the heading. If they still do not show, you may only have permission to look at the sheet.

My filters went away when I added a column. Adding, moving, renaming, hiding or deleting a column clears the filters of the sheet. Set them again afterwards.

Can I do this on my phone? On a phone, tapping a column name in the grid lets you sort by that column and pin the first column. Adding, renaming, moving and deleting columns are done from the column heading on a computer.