Imagine how much easier your life would be if you had a Google Sheets calendar template. Planning weeks, months, or even years in advance would make you more efficient and productive. But with so many different types of calendar spreadsheet templates available on the web, it can be difficult to navigate. That’s why we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of the best Google Sheets calendar templates. You’ll find one that suits your needs.
The 10 Best Google Sheets Calendar Templates
While it’s easy to create a calendar template in Google Sheets (and in Google Docs), it can be a long and tedious process. If you want to avoid going through this step, here are 10 calendar templates that you can use in Google Sheets. The first 3 are basic calendars in different formats, while the others are intended for more complex uses.
1) Monthly List Calendar Template in Google Sheets
This Google Sheets calendar template is very similar to the one we mentioned earlier. However, unlike the previous free Google Sheets calendar template, this one is designed for mobile users or desktop users who want to have a small calendar window on their screen. Like the previous template, this Google Sheets calendar has 12 sheets for each month of the year.
This calendar format is ideal for people who want to track their tasks throughout the month in a simple and convenient way. The list format allows you to see all the dates in portrait mode with the tasks you want to accomplish next to the days. This template is great for people on the go because you can add calendar tasks all at once and check them on your phone whenever you want.
2) 2024 Calendar Template with Multiple Months in Google Sheets
This Google Sheets calendar template is for people who want to view the entire year on a single spreadsheet. This template is not designed for you to take detailed notes about the tasks you want to do that day. However, by using different colors to mark different tasks, you can highlight important cells. If you want to take notes in this yearly calendar template, you can right-click on any date and create a comment. This is particularly useful for simple collaboration as you can share the spreadsheet and tag others in the comments.
3) Social Media Calendar on Google Sheets
Managing social media campaigns can be a lot of work. Luckily, you can use the Crawlan.com social media calendar template to ensure all your posts reach your audience at the right time. Although this template only includes Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram, you can add other social media platforms if necessary or use one of the many other social media calendars featured in the complete article.
4) Content Calendar for Google Sheets
Similar to a social media calendar, a content calendar will help you keep track of your website or company’s publications. The difference lies in the fact that this template is specifically designed for blog posts, FAQs, and other website content. However, you can also easily add your social media content to this template. It’s also a perfect tool for writers who need to keep track of all their articles for different websites they work for.
5) Daily Planning Calendar
Although this planning template is technically a daily planner, you can easily use it as an extremely detailed calendar. Simply go to the tab at the bottom left of the page, right-click, select “Copy to > Existing Spreadsheet”. Then, name the new sheet with the next date and repeat the process as long as you need to extend the calendar.
6) Library of Calendar Templates for Google Sheets
Don’t worry, this template comes directly from the Google Sheets template library. It’s fully customizable, accurate, easy to use, and best of all, it’s free! The second tab of this calendar template allows you to easily change the style of your calendar to match your taste. It also allows you to change the theme by going to “Format > Theme”.
7) Monthly and Yearly Self-Updating Calendar
This calendar template comes from an article on calendars on our sister site, Crawlan.com. Simply edit the date at the top left of the first page to get a self-updating monthly calendar on the first page followed by a yearly calendar on the second sheet. It’s great if you need to refer to your short-term and long-term goals at the same time.
8) Gantt Chart Calendar Template
A Gantt chart is essentially a calendar that allows you to manage a project with your team (or even by yourself). You essentially compare project deadlines to dates and their overlap. It’s a fairly complex type of calendar, so we recommend reading our comprehensive guide on Gantt charts if you’re not already familiar with how they work.
9) Attendance Calendar on Google Sheets
Full-year attendance is vital for schools and workplaces. You can easily track this in Google Sheets with an attendance template. This calendar allows you to know whether your team members or students were present or absent and gives you the option to note why they were not present on specific dates.
10) Printable Google Sheets Calendar Template
The design of this first calendar template on the list is based on traditional calendars. As Google Sheets allows you to have multiple sheets within a single spreadsheet, we have added 12 sheets for each month. This can be useful when you want to plan ahead.
Remember, a Google Sheets calendar for 2024 will be different from 2025 and 2026.
Why Use a Calendar in Google Sheets?
There are many advantages to using a calendar in Google Sheets. Here are a few:
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You can access your calendar anywhere. One of the great advantages of using Google Sheets compared to other spreadsheet software is that spreadsheets are saved on Google Drive. Any changes made to the spreadsheet are instantly synced. This means that if you access your Google Sheets calendar on your desktop and make changes, you can access them almost immediately on your phone.
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Calendars help you plan ahead. Calendars not only allow you to plan the day or week ahead but also help you plan months in advance. No one can remember multiple upcoming important dates, so having a calendar is crucial for someone with many scheduled tasks or deadlines.
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You can share the calendar with others. Google Sheets has a fantastic feature that allows users to collaborate on a single spreadsheet in real-time. This feature is seamless and can be done in just a few clicks. This means you can create a calendar that you want your employees to follow and share it with them. Any changes you make to your spreadsheet will be instantly updated for them, so you don’t have to inform them every time you add a new activity to the calendar.
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Calendars help you break down big tasks. Planning large events or projects can be a significant challenge, but breaking them down into smaller steps can make your work easier. Divide the big task, schedule a date to accomplish those smaller steps, and add those dates to your Google Sheets calendar template. This way, you can focus on achieving a smaller goal instead of worrying about the big goal.
How to Create a Calendar Template in Google Sheets?
The best part of using Google Sheets to create a calendar is that it can be as complex or as simple as you want it to be. Here are some steps to create a calendar in Google Sheets:
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Add a header bar at the top of the sheet indicating the specific month or year for that sheet.
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In the next row, add the names of the days of the week.
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Now, write the first date of the month under the corresponding day of the week.
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Now, click on the cell containing the date. Then, press the
Ctrlkey, click and drag the bottom right part of the cell to automatically fill in the days of the month.
This will complete the basic structure of the Google Sheets calendar. Feel free to format the calendar as needed, add other elements like cell colors, borders, and resize certain important cells to stand out. You can also use conditional formatting to ensure that cells filled with specific events stand out while empty cells remain blank.
Note that this process also applies when creating an Excel calendar template. The key to making them as useful as possible is to use empty columns and rows to create visual buffers. Also, add another row for date cells to create a monthly template for any year.
Make sure to check your dates for each month. January started on a Monday in 2024, but it starts on a Wednesday in 2025.
What to Look for in a Calendar Template: Video
I also made a video on the things to consider in your Google Sheets calendar template. Check out my YouTube channel for more guides.
Limitations of Using Google Sheets for Calendars
I also wanted to look at the limitations of using a spreadsheet as a calendar. So, let’s explore the downsides.
The main limitation is that spreadsheet calendars often have limited functionality. Remember, we’re talking about Google Sheets. It’s designed for numbers and text, not to be a 2024 calendar assistant. This means that most templates lack features that dedicated calendar apps offer, like automatic reminders, email notifications, and collaborative scheduling.
Another potential challenge with a spreadsheet calendar template is editing recurring events. Managing them in a spreadsheet can be tricky. Dedicated calendar apps (like Google Calendar, for example) come with built-in options for handling daily, weekly, monthly, or custom recurring events.
There are also visibility and access issues with spreadsheet calendars. Finding specific dates or events can be like finding a needle in a haystack. You have to scroll through rows and columns, which can be a real challenge if you have multiple years of data.
Now, here’s the point that makes a difference for some businesses: there’s no syncing. Most spreadsheets don’t allow syncing across all devices and platforms. So, if you’re on the go or want to share your calendar, you may encounter a hurdle.
That being said, Google Sheets offers remarkably reliable sharing capability. Unlike other spreadsheet tools, it’s actually well-suited for calendar templates. You can use Google Sheets to create schedules.
FAQ
Welcome to the FAQ section! I have included these questions to address specific common inquiries when exploring the power of Google Sheets for your calendars. Whether you’re an experienced user or a novice at digital calendars, rest assured that our answers are designed to enhance your efficiency. Follow along as I simplify the complexities and seamlessly integrate Google Sheets into your 2024 calendar.
Can I create a calendar in Sheets?
Creating a calendar in Google Sheets is simple. Create a new spreadsheet and add a header for the month you want to create. Then, add the days of the week in one of the rows. Now, enter the first date of the month under the corresponding day of the week. Click on the cell containing the date. Then, press the Ctrl key, click, and drag the bottom right part of the cell to automatically fill in the dates. Repeat the process to fill in the dates for the entire month.
Does Sheets offer a pre-designed template I can use?
Google Sheets has an entire gallery of built-in templates that include pre-designed templates you can use. The templates are professionally designed and versatile. You’ll find spreadsheet templates for calendars, timesheets, invoices, schedules, budgeting tools, and resumes. You can access the template gallery by opening the main page of Google Sheets and clicking on “Template Gallery” in the upper-right corner of the screen.
Alternatively, you can also use some of our free spreadsheet templates. Our experts have created them from scratch and make them available for free for accountants, project managers, entrepreneurs, and anyone in need of a pre-designed solution.
In conclusion, I’ve discussed Google Sheets calendar templates. I’ve also analyzed the advantages of each option. Lastly, I’ve reviewed some possible pitfalls of using a spreadsheet as a calendar. I hope you’ve found the perfect Google Sheets calendar template. If you think we missed a type of calendar that you would like to add, let me know in the comments.
