Gemini wants to turn your boring spreadsheets into interactive ones

What started out as a relatively simple spreadsheet web application 20 years ago has since transformed into one of the most used productivity tools out there. We’re talking about Google Sheets, which is now a lot more than just rows, columns, and formulas, and thanks to Gemini’s smarts, it’s about to become a lot more versatile.

The tech giant is rolling out a new Gemini-powered feature that can turn your Google Sheets spreadsheets into “custom, interactive mini-apps.” It’s called Sheets canvas, and it’s designed to help you turn raw data into something easier to interact with.

Sheets canvas is a prompt-based feature, so everything happens right within the Gemini side panel. And the best part is that you don’t need to know even the basics of coding or Google Sheets formulas — you simply describe what you want to create, and Gemini does the heavy lifting.

Google explains that at its core, Sheets canvas is a read-write layer that sits on top of your Sheets data. You tell your canvas what you want, and it builds an interactive experience by leveraging the data on your Sheet.

According to Google, here’s what makes the feature truly powerful:

• Updates are always synced between the canvas and the original Sheet in real time.
• You can polish and refine your Sheets canvas after its initial creation. Changes can include edits to layout, design, functionality, and more.
• Similar to a regular Google Sheet, your canvas can also be shared with anyone.

From wedding planners to assignment trackers

The company shared some examples of Sheets canvas in action, and they give a pretty good idea about how the feature works.

A student, for example, will be able to feed their list of school assignments, due dates, priority, and other relevant information into a Sheet. Subsequently, a simple prompt like “turn my spreadsheet into a visual dashboard sorted by status, task name, subject priority, and due date” will turn the static data into a dynamically-presented dashboard.

Similarly, if you’re planning a wedding, you might have a Sheet with relevant data like the total number of guests invited, the ones who’ve RSVP’d, meal choices, relationship groups, etc. You could prompt Sheets Canvas something like “generate an interactive, editable reception floor plan layout on top of the ‘Wedding Guest Directory’ data” to get an interactive seating layout. Plus, prompts like “Use a clean, elegant aesthetic with light background and gold and floral-toned accents” can further customize the look of the canvas, which is handy if you’re planning on sharing the canvas with others.

Getting started with Sheets canvas is relatively simple. If you’re a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscriber using Sheets in English, simply head to the spreadsheet with data in it and navigate to the Gemini side panel. Select the “Create canvas” option and prompt away!

Finally, while we’re on the subject, we recently spotted a tiny visual change to the app’s icon, with Google flipping the Sheets logo 180 degrees. While we’re still not seeing it everywhere, the new version of the icon is also visible in media Google shared alongside today’s Sheets canvas announcement, suggesting that the change is officially on the way.