How to Query Another Sheet in Google Sheets (PC and Android)
Google Sheets is an important and one of the most popular cloud-based spreadsheet apps from Google. It is an essential free alternative to classical spreadsheet apps such as Microsoft Excel. Google Sheets can be used on a PC inside a web browser and can also be used on Andriod as an app.
In this article, I will show step by step how can you query another sheet in Google Sheets using both a PC and an Android device. I will take some example data in two different sheets and then will query one sheet from the other. Let’s first do it using a PC.
Query Another Google Sheet on a PC
Step 1: First launch “Google Sheets” and start with a blank spreadsheet.
Step 2: Type in some sample data in two different sheets as shown in the reference figures. In my case, I will refer to data stored in Sheet2 (i.e column “Marks”) in Sheet1 in column “Marks from Sheet 2”.
Step 3: Type in the characters “=(” in the cell where you want to query the other sheet. In my case, it is cell D10 in Sheet1.
Step 4: Now click on the tab of Sheet2 and then click on the first cell of the data you want to query. In my case, it is cell D7 in Sheet2. Then type in the closing brace “)” and press enter key on your keyboard.
Step 5: The control will automatically jump back to the first cell in Sheet1 and the first data element from the second sheet will be pasted.
Step 6: Now to paste the same formula in the rest of the column, select the first cell in the column and then click on the small blue square in the cell highlighter, and without releasing the mouse button drag it down.
That’s it the process of querying another sheet is now complete. If the original data changes the data in the referencing column will automatically be updated.
Querying Another Google Sheet on Andriod
Step 1: First download and install the “Google Sheets” app for Andriod if you don’t have it already.
Step 2: After installation Launch the Google Sheets app by double-tapping on it.
Step 3: Open a new blank sheet by tapping on the big button with a plus sign a the bottom right of the screen.
Step 4: The newly opened blank sheet contains only one sheet, therefore, to insert a second sheet tap on the big button with a plus sign a the bottom right of the screen.
Step 5: Type in some sample data in two different sheets as shown in the reference figures. In my case, I will query Sheet2 (i.e column “Marks”) from Sheet1 in column “Marks from Sheet 2”.
Step 6: Type in the formula in the format “=(SrouceSheet!SourceCell)” in the cell where you want to query the other sheet’s data (in my case, it is cell C8 in Sheet1). In my situation the formula is “=(Sheet2!C9)” where Sheet2 is the source sheet and C9 is the source cell.
Step 7: Tap on the button with the tick mark in front of the formula bar to apply the formula. If the sheet and cell references are correct, you will notice that the first data item from the other sheet has been displayed in the target cell.
Step 8: To paste the formula into the rest of the cells of the column, select the required cell by dragging your figure down over the cells on the screen.
Step 9: When the required cells are highlighted, tap on them once. This will cause a menu to appear on the screen.
Step 10: Tap on the two vertical dots at the end of the new menu.
Step 11: Tap on the “Autofill” option to apply the same formula to the remaining empty cells. You will notice that the rest of the cells have been filled too from the rest of the data in Sheet2.
Wrapping up
In this article I have explained how can you refer to data that is stored in a different sheet in Google Sheets using both its PC and Andriod flavors. Working with Google Sheets on PC using a web browser was straightforward but the Android app was a bit cumbersome. Especially if you are new to it and do not know how to navigate around the app interface, let me know about your experience of using Google Sheets on your mobile device in the comments section.
