Merge data from two Google spreadsheets

The Merge Sheets add-on for Google Sheets brings the latest data from an additional sheet into your main table. Find and pull matching values, or add non-matching rows, if needed, in five simple steps.

• Video: How to merge data in Google Sheets
• Before you start
• How to use Merge Sheets
  • Start the add-on
  • Step 1: Select your main table
  • Step 2: Choose the lookup sheet
  • Step 3: Identify matching columns
  • Step 4: Pick columns to add or update in the main sheet
  • Step 5: Tweak additional options
  • Get the results
• How to work with scenarios
  • What is a scenario?
  • Save the scenario
  • Run your scenario
  • Manage scenarios
• Related pages

Before you start

We care about your data and suggest you always create backup copies of your spreadsheets. A special option of the add-on will do that for you if you select it.

How to use Merge Sheets

Start the add-on

To open the tool, go to Add-ons > Merge Sheets > Start:

Step 1: Select your main table

Your main table is the one that will be updated as the result of the data processing:

You can choose the sheet with your main table from the Select your main sheet drop-down list.

The add-on highlights the entire table in the sheet of interest by default. You can edit the range either by manually typing the address in the Select the range with your table field or by clicking the Select range icon. You will then see a corresponding dialog box that will let you pick the necessary cells:

Don't forget the Create a backup copy of the sheet checkbox to keep the original table.

Click Next to go to the second step.

Step 2: Choose the lookup sheet

The lookup sheet is the table that contains the information you want to copy to your main sheet.

1. The first drop-down lets you set the lookup file. It can be your current spreadsheet (the same where your main table is) or any other spreadsheet from Drive:
   
   Tip. To find the lookup spreadsheet in the Drive quickly, make use of a quick search. Just enter the part of the file name into the Search field of the Import files from Drive window and hit Find. Merge Sheets will check your entire Drive and get you the list of all files that match partially or completely.

   If you're not sure where the found spreadsheet is located, simply hover your mouse cursor over it and you'll see a tip with a full path:
   

2. Choose the lookup table using the Select the lookup sheet list with all available sheets.
3. Select the range with your lookup table field will display the address of cells with your source data. You can edit it manually, change it by highlighting a different range in the lookup table, or use the Select range icon and alter the range in the corresponding pop-up window:
   
   Tip. The Auto select button will automatically define the table range in the sheet for you.
   Note. If your lookup sheet is in another file, you can either use Auto select to pick up the entire table or click the Open link to open the file in a new browser tab, check the range, and then change it in the add-on manually:
   

Click Next to proceed to the third step, or edit the main table by going Back.

Step 3: Identify matching columns

Here you are to pick those columns that appear in your both tables (key columns). The add-on will compare these columns to identify the same (matching) records:

1. To see column titles, check the Main table has headers and Lookup table has headers boxes respectively. If there are no headers in your tables, uncheck these boxes to display column names instead.
2. The 1st row content fields will help you see the top values in the main table columns.
3. The add-on can find complete row matches if you select all columns using the top checkbox.
   Note. Tick off all columns only if your lookup table has non-matching columns that you're going to add to your main sheet. Otherwise, there will be no columns to update on the next step and you won't be able to proceed further.
4. Make use of the Auto detect button to select the first column that appears in both tables with the same header.
   Tip. All matching columns are marked in bold in the Main table columns list.
   Note. The option is available only when there are header rows in your tables.
5. If you don't want to match empty cells, pick the option to Skip empty cells.
6. Tick off Match case to consider the same records written in different text case as non-matching and update them with different data.
7. Make sure you choose the lookup table columns to compare to the main table columns.

Click Next to go on to step 4.

Step 4: Pick columns to add or update in the main sheet

On this step, you are to decide what to do with other columns of the lookup table:

1. Tick off the column of interest, click on the Action field and choose what to do with the column:
   • All columns selected as matching on step 3 are marked as Match with in light gray and are grouped at the top of the list by default.
   • The Update values in option will look up the same contents in matching columns and replace corresponding records in the columns you pick on this step:
     
   • Choose to Add a missing column to the end, and its values will be inserted for all matching records in a new column to the right of the original table:
     
2. Check this box to select all columns at once and add their values to the end of the original table. Uncheck back to unselect all columns if you don't want to add or update any.
3. The Auto detect button will automatically pick the Update values in action for all remaining columns with the same headers.
   Note. The option is available only when there are header rows in your tables.
4. If there are lots of columns, you can filter the list using the respective option in the Show columns drop-down list:
   

Click Next to follow to the last step.

Step 5: Tweak additional options

This step offers a set of additional options to match, update, or add values:

Add rows and columns

• Add non-matching rows to the end of the main table. The add-on will insert the rows with key records that are present only in your lookup table. Thus, if you have any new records, you'll transfer them to the appropriate columns in the main table even if their order is different:
  
• Add a status column. This one will show the changes made to the rows and mark them as Matching, Matching and updated, Non-matching, or New row.

Update cells

• Update only empty and new cells in the main table. If you have blank cells in the column you are updating in your main table, keep all cells that already have records untouched. The existing values in the main table will not be overwritten:
  
• To avoid copying empty cells from the lookup table, tick off the option Update only if cells from the lookup table contain data:
  

Highlight cells

• If you already have some rows highlighted, you can remove their current filling using the option to Clear background color in the columns you are updating. Any existing background color in the column you selected to update will be removed.
• You can see all cells that were changed in the main table by selecting the option Set background color of updated cells.

Place results to

• The standard option would be to Update your main table. This way, the tool makes all changes to the same sheet that you chose on the first step.
• Or have the tool Create a new spreadsheet and place the updated main sheet there.
  Tip. Once the add-on merges your data, it will provide you with the link to open the resulting spreadsheet right away.

Get the results

Click Finish to merge Google spreadsheets and you'll see the number of inserted columns, added and updated rows:

You'll also get a link to open a new spreadsheet if you chose to place the result there instead of updating your main table.

How to work with scenarios

If you rely on Merge Sheets for Google Sheets to pull data from another tab for you, most likely you have to update lots of different sheets or even one and the same sheet often. In order to save your time on these operations, we introduced scenarios.

What is a scenario?

The scenario is a saved set of those options that you select in the add-on on each step.

You will have a chance to save the settings right after the add-on processes your data. Then, just run this scenario and the tool will start updating the info in your spreadsheet immediately.

Save the scenario

To create your scenario, click Save scenario in the result message once the add-on processes your data:

You will see your future scenario outline with the options you've just used. Some of these settings can be adjusted to your convenient:

1. Name your scenario in a way to understand what it does and find it among other scenarios quickly.
2. Choose your main and lookup sheets:
   • Pick [Selected sheet] and the add-on will treat your currently active sheet when running the scenario as the main one.
     Note. This option is available for the Main sheet only.
   • Choose specific sheets from the lists to always pull the data from the same lookup table and/or update the info in the same main table.
3. Identify ranges to be processed in both main and lookup sheets:
   • Select [All data] to automatically detect the entire used ranges for work.
   • For the tool to handle the exact cells, simply enter the desired ranges of cells.
4. Check if all other options you've just used are correct.
   
   Note. You cannot change these options. To modify them, please restart the add-on to pick the correct settings on steps 1-5.

Once everything's set, click Save and the scenario will be created.

Run your scenario

Pick the scenario to start under Add-ons > Merge Sheets > Run scenario…

This will run the tool and start processing your data right away in accordance with all the settings.

In the end, you will get the result message saying what scenario has been used and what number of rows and columns has been found and modified.

Manage scenarios

To edit your existing scenario, open it via Add-ons > Merge Sheets > View & manage scenario…

You will see the familiar scenario outline. The editable fields are the same: name, sheets, and their data ranges.

Press Delete to remove the scenario forever, Save to keep the changes, and Run to start it right away with the new settings.

Related pages

• Combine multiple sheets into one spreadsheet
• Vlookup multiple matches based on multiple criteria
• Merge and calculate data from multiple sheets into one
• Merge cells in Google Sheets without losing the data
• Combine duplicate rows in Google Sheets