All you need to know about Google Sheets ID

In this article, I will go through all you need to know about Google Sheets ID.

Even if it may seem silly to be interested in this topic, it actually contributed to dramatically improving my productivity at work and saving hours of unnecessary work with my employer.

What is an ID?

ID is the short version of “Identifier”, it’s a unique label that allows one to identify something within a system.

For example, if your name is on a table in a database, it is likely that it has an ID assigned.

If your name was the first entry on a new database, its ID would likely be 1, then the second entry would be 2, etc.

Every time the system needs to refer to your name, instead of using your name, it will use the number 1 (or whatever number is associated with your name).

How to get Google Sheets ID

Depending on whether you need to get the ID of your google spreadsheet visually or programmatically through Google Apps Scripts, I got your back, just click below on the option that you need.

Manually

Where to manually find the ID

Getting the ID of a Google sheet is quite simple; it is part of the URL of the document. For instance, in this case, we have this URL:

Image that shows the URL of a google spreadsheet, and highlights where the ID can be found.

The ID is that string of characters located between d/ and /edit (highlighted in the text above).

If you want more details, let’s break it down:

  • https:// is the beginning of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), commonly known as a web address. In a URL, "https://" specifies the protocol or scheme being used for communication, in this case, Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS). This protocol is used for secure communication over a computer network, typically the internet. When you encounter a URL starting with "https://", it indicates that the website or resource being accessed is using HTTPS for secure communication.
  • docs.google.com is the subdomain and domain name of the website. Here, “docs” is the subdomain indicating that the website is related to documents, and “google.com” is the domain name indicating that the website is hosted by Google. Along with https:// it represents the secure website hosted by Google: https://docs.google.com this is still not part of the ID.
  • /spreadsheets/ indicates the path within the Google Docs web application. It's a virtual path that suggests that the user is accessing the “spreadsheets” service within Google Docs.
  • /d/ indicates a specific action or resource within the spreadsheets service. In this case, it's followed by an ID.
  • 1257d3Ks1E3N7yfFl4xCSCUX2Sm-bJfdtz3WGaAwMaWQ is the ID of the spreadsheet
  • /edit specifies the action being performed within the context of the document. In this case, it indicates that the user is editing the document.
  • #gid=1493252460 specifies a section within the document. In Google Sheets, the "gid" parameter refers to a specific sheet or tab within the spreadsheet document. The number "1493252460" is the ID of the sheet being referenced (and now you also know how to refer to a specific tab of the spreadsheet).

Google Apps Script

How to find the Google Sheets ID programmatically

In Google Apps Script, you can retrieve the ID of the current Google Sheets file using the getId() method of the Spreadsheet class. Here's how you can do it:

function getSpreadsheetId() {

  var spreadsheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();

  var spreadsheetId = spreadsheet.getId();

}

Let’s break it down:

  1. function getSpreadsheetId() { defines a function named “getSpreadsheetId”.
  2. var spreadsheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet(); uses the “ SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet()” to retrieve the active Google Sheets, and assigns it to a variable called “spreadsheet”.
  3. var spreadsheetId = spreadsheet.getId(); this line uses the previous variable along with the “getId()” method, which retrieves the Google Sheets ID and assigns it to another variable called “spreadsheetId”, which is going to be your spreadsheet ID.

If you want to see the ID, you can use the “Logger.log()” method before closing the function, as in the example below:

function getSpreadsheetId() {

  var spreadsheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();

  var spreadsheetId = spreadsheet.getId();

  Logger.log("Spreadsheet ID: " + spreadsheetId);

}

Alternatively, you can simplify your code by reducing the number of lines, like this:

function exampleFunction() {

  var spreadsheetId = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getId();

}

This version produces the same result of the previous version, but uses both methods in just one line of code, and assigns the result to the variable called “spreadsheetId”.

How Google Sheets ID save you time

In my personal experience, when building systems to replace yourself or part of yourself in performing tasks, IDs can be referred to, and therefore can be used in formulas or functions.

For example, I have several spreadsheets from several providers, they all use a standardized system to give me information. In my own spreadsheet, I can create a settings sheet where I associate column A with the name of the provider and column B with the ID of their spreadsheet. Then I can IMPORTRANGE their data into my spreadsheet, even conditionally, maybe by selecting the provider with a dropdown menu.

From there, the possibilities are endless, and we will see more in the hands-on section of my 'Automate Your 9 to 5 Job' course.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to find the spreadsheet ID in Google Sheets, you should be able to refer to it easily and use it in those functions that require the reference to a spreadsheet like IMPORTRANGE.