To make a checklist in Google Sheets, select the cells for your tick boxes and choose Insert > Checkbox. Add columns for the owner and the due date, a formula that counts the ticked boxes, and a conditional formatting rule that greys out finished rows, and you have a checklist your team can work through together.
This guide walks through each step, shows how to assign steps to people and see who ticked what, and explains where a Google Sheets checklist stops being the right tool.
How to Make a Checklist in Google Sheets, Step by Step
Set up the columns
Put one step of the checklist on each row and give each piece of information its own column: Done, Task, Owner, Due and Notes work for most team checklists. Freeze the header row (View > Freeze > 1 row) so it stays in view on a long list.
Insert the checkboxes
Select the cells in the Done column and choose Insert > Checkbox. Click a box to tick it. Google says checkboxes work with charts, filters, pivot tables and functions. To store something other than a tick, such as "Done" and "Not started", open Data > Data validation, choose Checkbox and turn on Use custom cell values.
Add drop-downs and people chips
For a status column, select the cells and choose Insert > Dropdown; Google offers preset drop-downs such as "Project status" and "Priority". For the Owner column, type @ and a name or email to insert a people smart chip, and @date for a date picker in the Due column. A people chip doesn't give that person access to the file; share it separately.
Count what is done
With the standard checkbox values, a ticked box reads TRUE, so COUNTIF can count the done items. If your boxes are in A2:A20 and your tasks in B2:B20:
=COUNTIF(A2:A20,TRUE)/COUNTA(B2:B20)Format the cell as a percentage (Format > Number > Percent). If you set custom checkbox values in step 2, count that value instead, for example =COUNTIF(A2:A20,"Done").
Grey out the rows that are done
Select the rows, for example A2:E20, and choose Format > Conditional formatting. Under Format cells if, pick Custom formula is and enter:
=$A2=TRUEChoose a formatting style, such as grey text, and click Done. The dollar sign keeps every cell in the row looking at its tick box; Google's own example of formatting a whole row uses the same pattern.
Share it and assign the steps
Share the sheet with your team. To give someone a step, add a comment on its row, type @ or + and their email, tick Assign to and click Assign. Google says the person gets an email, and they can mark the action item done from the comment.
An Example Checklist Layout
Here is a new-starter IT checklist in the five columns above. The Due column counts days from the start date, so the same sheet works for every new starter.
| Done | Task | Owner | Due | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ☐ | Create the user account and email address | IT | Day −3 | |
| ☐ | Order and set up the laptop | IT | Day −3 | Serial number |
| ☐ | Add to payroll | HR | Day −1 | |
| ☐ | Book the welcome meeting | Line manager | Day 1 | |
| ☐ | Grant access to shared drives and tools | IT | Day 1 | Which systems |
See Who Ticked What
Right-click a cell and choose Show edit history to see who changed it and when. For the whole sheet, open the version history from the last-edit note at the top of the page. Google's help sets out the limits:
- You need permission to edit the file to browse its earlier versions.
- The cell edit history doesn't show every change, such as changes made by formulas.
- Restoring an earlier version clears the cell-by-cell edit history.
- You can name up to 15 versions of a spreadsheet.
To stop people changing the task list itself, use Data > Protect sheets and ranges and leave only the Done column editable. Google's own help on protected ranges says they shouldn't be used as a security measure.
On Phones and Offline
On an iPhone or iPad you can tick and untick the boxes, but Google says you add them on a computer. To work without a connection on a computer, Google Sheets needs Chrome or Microsoft Edge with offline access turned on. A sheet can hold up to 20 million cells, far more than any checklist needs.
Where a Google Sheets Checklist Runs Out
A Google Sheets checklist is right for a list you run once, or for yourself. Teams usually hit the same limits when one checklist becomes a process that runs every week or for every new starter:
The five limits teams run into
- Every run is a copy. Google Sheets has no built-in schedule to start a fresh copy. You can write an Apps Script with a time-driven trigger that calls makeCopy, or copy the sheet by hand each time.
- An owner is a chip in a column. Nobody is told when it is their turn or chased when a step is late, unless someone assigns a comment by hand.
- Any editor can tick any row. Nothing stops a step being ticked out of order, or unticked later.
- The history can be cleared. Restoring a version wipes the cell edit history.
- The answers are spread across copies. Last quarter's results live in last quarter's sheets.
That is the point where checklist software earns its place. In CheckFlow a template starts a fresh checklist on schedule, every task has an owner and a due date, halts keep steps in order, approvals record the decision, and every run is kept with who did what and when. Generate with AI can turn a checklist exported from Google Sheets into a template you can edit, and Zapier can start a CheckFlow checklist from a new row in a sheet. See how it compares in our spreadsheet checklist alternative guide, or read what checklist software is.
Sources
- Google Docs Editors Help, "Add & use checkboxes"
- Google Docs Editors Help, "Create an in-cell dropdown list"
- Google Docs Editors Help, "Insert smart chips in your Google Docs, Sheets & Slides"
- Google Docs Editors Help, "COUNTIF"
- Google Docs Editors Help, "Use conditional formatting rules in Google Sheets"
- Google Docs Editors Help, "Use comments, action items & emoji reactions"
- Google Docs Editors Help, "See the edits made to a file"
- Google Docs Editors Help, "Protect, hide, and edit sheets"
- Google Docs Editors Help, "Work on Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides offline"
- Google Drive Help, "Files you can store in Google Drive"
- Google Apps Script, "Installable triggers"
- Google Apps Script, Class File (makeCopy)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I add a checkbox in Google Sheets?
Select the cells and choose Insert > Checkbox. To use your own values instead of TRUE and FALSE, open Data > Data validation, choose Checkbox and turn on Use custom cell values.
How do I count checked boxes in Google Sheets?
With the standard values, =COUNTIF(A2:A20,TRUE) counts the ticked boxes in A2:A20. For a percentage, divide by the number of tasks: =COUNTIF(A2:A20,TRUE)/COUNTA(B2:B20). If you set custom values, count those instead.
How do I cross out or grey out a row when its box is ticked?
Select the rows, choose Format > Conditional formatting, pick Custom formula is, enter =$A2=TRUE (where column A holds the boxes) and choose a formatting style for done rows.
Can I assign checklist items to people in Google Sheets?
Yes, through comments. Add a comment on the row, type @ or + and the person's email, tick Assign to and click Assign. They get an email and can mark the action item done. A people chip in an Owner column shows who owns a step but doesn't notify them.
Can a Google Sheets checklist repeat every week?
Not by itself. You can copy the sheet for each run, or write an Apps Script with a time-driven trigger that makes a copy. If the checklist runs often and several people work on it, checklist software such as CheckFlow starts each run on schedule with the steps already assigned.
