Simple Steps to Saving Google Sheets on PC and Mac

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Easy-to-follow steps for saving your Google Sheets on your computer

Written by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: September 16, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Downloading to Your Computer
|
• Making a Copy on Google Drive

|Show more |Show less

Sheets automatically saves your progress as you work, but you can also save copies to your computer or Google Drive. This wikiHow teaches you how to save copies of Google Sheets files when you're using a Windows or Mac computer.

Downloading Google Sheets to Desktop

• Google Sheets automatically saves your progress if you're connected to the internet.
• Click File > Make a copy if you want to save a copy of the Google Sheet in your own Google Drive.
• To save the Sheet on your computer, go to File > Download > select a file type.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Downloading to Your Computer

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1. 
   1
   Navigate to https://sheets.google.com in a web browser. If you aren't signed in to your Google account, follow the on-screen instructions to do so now.
2. 
   2
   Click the sheet you want to save. You can use the search field to find a specific file or browse your recents.
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3. 
   3
   Click the File menu. It's at the top-left corner of Sheets.

   • A drop-down menu will open.
4. 
   4
   Click Download. This will open another menu.
5. 
   5
   Select a file type. The most popular file is a PDF for documents or Excel for data.

   • You can select: Microsoft Excel (.xlsx), OpenDocument (.ods), PDF (.pdf), Web Page (.html), Comma Separated Values (.csv), or Tab Separated Values (.tvs).
   • Once you select an option, it will be downloaded automatically to your computer. You can usually find it in your Downloads folder.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Making a Copy on Google Drive

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1. 
   1
   Navigate to https://sheets.google.com in a web browser. If you aren't signed in to your Google account, follow the on-screen instructions to do so now.
2. 
   2
   Click the sheet you want to save. You can use the search field to find a specific file or browse your recents.
3. 
   3
   Click the File menu. It's at the top-left corner of Sheets.

   • A drop-down menu will open.
4. 
   4
   Click Make a copy…. You can find this under Import.
5. 
   5
   Type a name for the file. By default, the file will retain the same name, though the words “Copy of” will be added to its beginning. Changing this title is optional.

   • If you want to change the location, click My Drive underneath Folder and select a new location.
6. 
   6
   Click Make a copy. This is the blue button. The copy will be saved to your Google Drive.
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