Slow Google Sheets?
We’ve all been there, stuck watching the little loading bar creep slowly, frustratingly to its conclusion:
How can you speed up a slow Google Sheet?
First off, this is a difficult question to answer because there are so many factors that may or may not be causing you to have a slow Google Sheet.
What follows in this article is some suggested optimization strategies and some research into what causes slow Google Sheets.
Strategies to speed up Google Sheets
- How to recognize slow Google Sheets
- Know the size limits of Google Sheets
- Measure a Google Sheet’s size
- Measure a Google Sheet’s calculation speed
- Delete un-used cells
- Convert formulas to static values wherever possible
- Use closed range references
- Remove volatile functions or use with caution
- Vlookup strategies
- Index-Match strategies
- Query function strategies
- Array Formula strategies
- Import Formula strategies
- Google Finance function strategies
- Use IF statements to manage formula calls
- Manage expensive formulas with a control switch
- Use Filter, Unique and Array_Constrain functions to create smaller helper tables
- Avoid long calculation chains
- Reference data on the same Sheet
- Use helper columns
- Split your slow Google Sheet into separate Sheets
- Use Conditional Formatting sparingly
- Leverage the power of Apps Script
- Use custom formulas sparingly
- Other troubleshooting tips for slow Google Sheets
- Understand changes in the cloud can take time to propagate
- Know when it’s time to move to a database
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