Google Sheets is often used to collect or manage data early on — but many teams eventually want that data inside Airtable, where they can work with richer field types, views, and automations.
While Airtable does support importing data from Google Sheets, there isn’t a single,
simple built-in flow that fits every situation. The right approach depends on whether you’re importing the data once, or whether you need to re-import it as the sheet changes over time.
Ways to Import Google Sheets into Airtable
Option 1: One-time import using Airtable’s built-in import flow
If you only need to import Google Sheets data once, Airtable’s native import tools are usually sufficient.
From the Airtable home screen or an existing base, you can choose Add or import → Google Sheets, connect your Google account, and select the spreadsheet and sheet you
want to import. Airtable then walks you through an “Adjust your import” step, where you can choose which fields to include and whether to treat the first row as column headers.
This approach works well for:
One-off imports
Static or historical data
Initial setup when creating or populating a table
However, the import is manual. Once the data is in Airtable, changes made in
Google Sheets aren’t reflected automatically, and repeating the import
later requires going through the same flow again.
Option 2: Re-import Google Sheets data to keep Airtable up to date
If your Google Sheet continues to change, and you want Airtable to reflect
those updates, a one-time import quickly becomes limiting.
In these cases, it’s better to use a tool that lets you re-run the same import whenever needed, with control over how rows are added or existing records are updated. This avoids duplicate data and makes it possible to keep Airtable aligned with an evolving spreadsheet.
Tools like Data Fetcher make this possible without scripts or Airtable Automations.
Imports can be run manually when needed, or scheduled to run automatically in the background — so your Airtable base stays up to date even when you’re not actively working in it.
How to Import Google Sheets into Airtable using Data Fetcher
This section walks through importing data from a Google Sheet into an existing Airtable table using Data Fetcher.
1. Add the Data Fetcher extension
Open the Airtable base where you want to import your Google Sheets data.
From the Extensions panel, add the Data Fetcher extension from the Airtable Marketplace. Once installed, sign in or create a free Data Fetcher account to continue.
2. Create a new Google Sheets import request
On the Data Fetcher home screen, click Create your first request.
For Application, select Google Sheets. This enables the built-in Google Sheets import flow.
Give your request a clear name, such as Import Inventory.
3. Connect your Google account
Under Authorization, create a new Google Sheets connection.
You’ll be prompted to choose the Google account that owns the spreadsheet and
grant access. Once authorised, the connection will be saved and can be reused for future imports.
4. Select the spreadsheet and sheet
Choose the Google Sheet you want to import from your Google Drive.
Then select the specific sheet (tab) within the spreadsheet that contains the data you want to import.
If needed, you can also:
Limit the import to a specific cell range
Choose whether data is organised by rows or columns
Specify whether the first row contains field names
5. Choose the output table
Under Output Table & View, select the existing Airtable table where the Google Sheets data should be imported.
This ensures the imported rows are added to the correct table rather than creating a new one.
6. Map Google Sheets columns to Airtable fields
Run the request to load the sheet structure.
The field mapping screen will open, showing each column from the Google Sheet. For each column, you can:
Import it or exclude it
Map it to an existing Airtable field
Create a new field with the appropriate field type
Once you’re happy with the mapping, run the request again to import the data into Airtable.
7. (Optional) Re-run or schedule the import
The same import can be run again whenever the Google Sheet changes.
If you want the import to happen automatically, you can enable scheduling, so the data is re-imported in the background at regular intervals. If you only need a manual re-import, scheduling can be left turned off.
8. (Optional) Update existing records instead of creating duplicates
If you plan to re-run the import, it’s important to tell Airtable how to match rows from Google Sheets to existing records.
Open Advanced settings in Data Fetcher and set Update Based on Field(s) to a field that uniquely identifies each row, such as an ID, reference number, or order number.
This ensures that when the import runs again, existing Airtable records are updated rather than new duplicates being created — even if rows in the Google Sheet are reordered.
Airtable Google Sheets import examples
Below are common ways teams import data from Google Sheets into Airtable.
Importing operational tracking sheets
Teams often import task lists, internal trackers, or operational spreadsheets from Google Sheets into Airtable to work with structured fields, views, and workflows.
Importing inventory or product data
Product lists and inventory maintained in Google Sheets can be imported into Airtable, using a unique product ID, to update existing records as quantities or details change.
Importing Google Form responses
Responses collected via Google Forms are stored in Google Sheets by default and can be imported into Airtable for follow-up, triage, or internal review.
Importing recurring reports
Regular reports maintained or shared in Google Sheets can be imported into Airtable to compare data over time or combine it with other datasets.
