Creating a custom template in Google Sheets allows you to standardize frequently used sheet layouts, formulas, and formatting, making it easier for you and your team to start new projects efficiently. One primary way to make a custom template available is by submitting it to your organization's template gallery.
Submitting a Custom Template to Your Organization's Gallery
This method makes your custom sheet accessible to everyone within your organization directly from the Google Sheets template gallery. This is particularly useful for ensuring consistent reporting, project tracking, or data entry across teams.
Here are the steps to submit your custom sheet as a template to your organization's gallery:
- Create the Google Sheet you want to use as a template. Design your sheet with all the necessary headings, formulas, formatting, and pre-filled data you want included in the template. Ensure it's saved and ready.
- Go to Google Sheets and click Template Gallery your organization name. Open Google Sheets, find the "Template gallery" section, and specifically look for the tab or section dedicated to your organization.
- Click Submit template and choose the sheet you created. Within your organization's template gallery view, there will be an option, typically labeled "Submit template." Click this button and select the Google Sheet file you prepared in the first step.
- Now the template is accessible to your organization. Once submitted successfully (you might need admin approval depending on your organization's settings), your custom sheet will appear in your organization's template gallery, ready for others to use.
By following these steps, you effectively share your standardized sheet structure as a template that any member of your organization can easily access and create new copies from.
Benefits of Using Custom Templates
Utilizing custom templates offers several advantages:
- Consistency: Ensures all documents of a certain type follow the same structure and branding.
- Time-Saving: Users don't need to recreate basic layouts, formulas, or formatting from scratch each time.
- Reduced Errors: Pre-defined structures and formulas can minimize data entry or calculation errors.
- Improved Collaboration: Provides a common starting point for team projects.
While this method focuses on sharing within an organization via the template gallery, you can also use any Google Sheet as a personal template by simply making a copy of it whenever you need to start a new project based on that structure.
