Spreadsheets are often the operational backbone for your business and serve many purposes, from organizing budgets and project plans to managing email lists and new leads. 

Google Sheets is great for storing information, but you often need to do something with that info. Zapier can help you automate those business-critical tasks from Google Sheets. We're a no-code automation tool that lets you connect apps through automated workflows we call Zaps. 

In this tutorial, we'll show you how to create a Zap that automatically sends emails from spreadsheet data so you can accomplish more in less time.

Before you begin

Create your spreadsheet in Google Sheets if you haven't yet. Make sure you have your columns labeled. This Zap will not work if your columns aren't labeled.

If you anticipate that the value in a cell will change between two values often—for example, if a cell value changes from yes to no, and then back to yes—it requires an extra step to make sure this Zap works. Set up a separate column where you can enter the timestamp when you make that change.

Send email notifications from updates to Google Sheets spreadsheets

You can create your own Zap from scratch with our point-and-click editor, but we also have quick templates to get you started. 

Here's how to set it up:

1. Connect a Google Sheet and customize your trigger

2. Connect to Gmail and customize your email's appearance

3. Test your Zap and turn it on

Connect and customize Google Sheets

Start by setting up your Google Sheets trigger—the event that starts a Zap. 

If you're creating a Zap from scratch, select Google Sheets as the app, New or Updated Spreadsheet as your Event, and click Continue. (If you're using our Zap template, the Zap editor will do this for you.)

Next, if you haven't connected Google Sheets before, you'll need to sign in to your Google account when prompted. Otherwise, select your Google Sheets account from the dropdown menu.

Then, select the Google Sheet and specific worksheet you'd like to use. Click on the dropdown under Trigger Column and select the column in your spreadsheet you want Zapier to watch for.

Whenever a cell in your selected Trigger Column changes, Google Sheets will tell Zapier to kick off your workflow.

Once you've customized your trigger, click Continue.

Now it's time to test your trigger. Zapier will find a recent spreadsheet row in your Google Sheets account, according to the instructions you've customized in the previous step.

Once you see a success message, be sure to check the results of your test to make sure you have the data you want. If something doesn't look right, repeat the earlier step until you get the data you want. You'll use this information in later steps to customize your Zap. When you're happy with your test data, click Continue.

Optional: Add a filter if your spreadsheet includes checkboxes 

In the example below, our results shows empty rows, even though we specified a trigger column earlier. This may occur if you've formatted a spreadsheet column to include a checkbox. 

If this occurs, it's an easy fix. Just add a filter step. Below, I've added a filter to ensure this Zap only triggers if the Email column has an email and Product Qualified is checked.

Connect and customize Gmail

Now you'll set up your action—the event your Zap will perform once it's triggered. 

If you're creating a Zap from scratch, the Zap editor will prompt you to choose your app and action event. Select Gmail for your app, Send Email as the Event, and click Continue.

If you're using the Zap template above, your action app and event will be pre-selected for you and the editor will direct you to connect your Gmail account.

Like you did with Google Sheets, click on the dropdown menu and select + Connect a new account if you haven't connected your Gmail account to Zapier before. Otherwise, select your Gmail account from the dropdown menu and click Continue.

Customize your email

Now you'll customize the email notification you'd like to send each time your Zap triggers. In this example, our spreadsheet is an email list, but you may be using this Zap to communicate spreadsheet changes to your team. The same principles apply.

In order to pass information from Google Sheets into your email, you need to map fields from your trigger. Click on the To field and  click on the Google Sheets step in the dropdown menu to see all the data from your trigger, then select the information you want to map.

Since this spreadsheet is an email list, the Email column field is the recipient. It will act as a placeholder field; any time there's an updated row that meets the criteria you set, the Zap will email that address.

You can customize the fields for additional recipients, sender name, and a reply address if you'd like, but it's not required for the Zap to work. Under the Subject field, you can either type in your subject (for something that will be the same each time), use your spreadsheet fields if you'd like it to change based on spreadsheet data, or a mix of both.

If you plan to include hyperlinked text or any special formatting in your email, you'll need to click on the dropdown menu under Body Type and select HTML. When you use HTML as the body type, you'll need to use HTML for hyperlinks, paragraphs, and other formatting to show up in your email.

Type your email copy in the Body field. You can also use spreadsheet information in your email body copy. Just click inside the Body field to add whichever spreadsheet information you'd like. In our example, we have a list of names and emails in our spreadsheet, so we're using that to personalize our email message.

When you're finished customizing your email, click Continue.

Test your Zap

Now it's time to test the Zap to ensure it's configured properly and your email shows up how you'd like. Zapier will send a new email according to how you've customized your message in the previous step.

Once you've tested the Zap, check your email to see how the message looks.

Once everything is set up correctly, you're ready to begin using your Zap.

Power business-critical communication with automation

Spreadsheets don't have to bog you down. With Zapier, you can use information you store in Google Sheets to send business-critical emails to your team or customers.

Related reading:

• More ways to automate Google Sheets

• Create custom notifications for critical business information

• Send a Slack message for new Google Sheets activity

• How to connect Gmail with Google Sheets

This article was originally published in September 2020 and was most recently updated in January 2023.