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Overview

A sheet holds all of the data from one imported spreadsheet, along with every chart and share created from that data. Each time you import data into InstaCharts, a new sheet is created, and InstaCharts builds a first chart from it so you can start exploring right away.

What a Sheet Holds

  • Data The rows and columns from your spreadsheet. InstaCharts detects a column type for each column, such as text, number or date, which decides how the column can be charted.
  • Charts A sheet can hold many charts, each with its own chart type, styles and filters. See Chart Management.
  • Shares Each chart can be shared as a link, an embed, an image or a template. See Share Charts.
  • A data source Sheets imported from Google Sheets, Google Drive or a web link remember where their data came from, so they can sync again later. See Keep Your Data Up to Date.

When a sheet is open, use the Data and Chart toggle in the main toolbar to switch views. The Chart view shows the active chart, and the Data view shows the sheet’s data in a table with two tabs:

  • Full Dataset Every row and column in the sheet. Edit data, set column filters and run data transforms here.
  • Plotted Data The data the active chart is drawing after its filters and aggregation are applied. This view is helpful for checking how a chart got its numbers.

Import Data into a Sheet

Every import starts from the New button in the upper left corner of your workspace. Click New -> New Sheet to open the New Sheet dialog, or drag and drop one or more spreadsheet files onto the workspace to upload them directly.

The New Sheet dialog offers five ways to create a sheet:

Import methodBest forLearn more
Upload a fileCSV, Excel, JSON and other spreadsheet files on your deviceImport Data from File
Import from a linkA CSV, Excel or JSON file published at a public web addressImport and Sync from a Link
Connect a data sourceLive data in Google Sheets, or Excel, CSV and other files stored in Google DriveImport from Google Sheets
Blank sheetSmall data sets you type in or paste from another appBlank Sheet
Use a templateExample data with a matching chart for marketing, sales, finance and moreStart from a Template

Sheets can also be created outside the New Sheet dialog:

  • AI assistants Connect Claude, ChatGPT or another AI app through the MCP server, then ask it to create a sheet from data in the chat, from a link to a data file, or from a file on your computer.

Importing from a link and connecting a data source need you to be logged in to your InstaCharts account.

Import Options

Uploads, links and data sources open a preview before anything is imported. The import options on the left let you name the sheet, detect the header row, choose which columns to import and set the file encoding, and the preview on the right shows the result.

  • Workbooks with several pages Excel and OpenDocument workbooks create one sheet per page. Choose which pages to import from the Pages dropdown. See Workbooks with Multiple Pages.
  • AI charts on import Leave Generate AI charts checked next to the Import button to have InstaCharts create three recommended charts as soon as the sheet is imported. See Generate AI Charts on Import.
  • Row and column limits Free accounts import files up to 2MB and up to 500 rows per spreadsheet. Paid plans raise these limits. A warning in the preview shows how much of a larger file can be imported.

Blank Sheet

Choose Blank sheet to start from an empty spreadsheet editor. Type your data in directly, paste it with Ctrl+V, or click Paste Special to paste a larger block of data. Add Row and Add Column grow the table, and Reset Sheet clears it to start over. Click Next to preview the data and import it.

Start from a Template

Choose Use a template to browse example data sets, each paired with a matching chart. Filter the gallery by chart type, pick a template, and click Import. The template becomes a regular sheet that you can edit, so it is a quick way to learn InstaCharts or to start from a layout close to the chart you want.

Keep Your Data Up to Date

How a sheet gets new data depends on how it was imported. Sheets connected to Google or a web link sync from their source, and every other sheet is updated by uploading a newer file or editing the data in InstaCharts.

How the sheet was createdHow to update itLearn more
Uploaded fileUpload a newer file to overwrite the sheet, add rows or add columnsUpdate Sheet Data
Google Sheets or Google Drive data sourceSync now, or sync automatically when the Google file changesSync Settings
Web linkSync now, or sync hourly, daily, weekly or monthlySync the Sheet with the Link
Blank sheet or templateEdit the data, or upload a file to overwrite the sheet, add rows or add columnsEdit Data
Any sheetAdd rows from another app with Zapier, or ask an AI assistant to change rowsAdd Data Row

Charts, data tables, dashboards and embeds built on a sheet all show the new data as soon as the sheet is updated.

Update from a File

For a sheet that came from a file on your device, open the sheet menu and choose Update Sheet Data, or right-click the sheet in your workspace and choose Update Data. Pick what the new file should do:

  • Overwrite this sheet Replace the data with a fresh export of the same report.
  • Add rows to this sheet Append the new rows, building up a history over time.
  • Add columns to this sheet Add new measures next to the existing columns.

InstaCharts matches the new file’s columns to the sheet’s columns, so the charts keep plotting the right data. The new file can be a different format than the original. Update Sheet Data is available on sheets that have no data source. See Update Sheet Data.

Sync Google Sheets and Google Drive

A sheet connected to Google Sheets or Google Drive stays linked to the Google file. Open Sync Settings from the sheet menu and click Sync Now to pull in the latest data. Paid plans can set a sync schedule, including an Automatic interval that syncs when Google reports a change to the file.

For Excel, CSV and other files stored in Google Drive, upload a new version of the file in Google Drive to keep the same link, and the next sync picks up the changes. See Sync Settings and Keep a Google Drive File Up to Date.

A sheet imported from a link keeps that link as a Web Link data source, shown under Synced From in the sheet menu. Click Sync Now in Sync Settings to download the file again, or set an hourly, daily, weekly or monthly schedule on a paid plan. Each sync counts as one task. See Sync the Sheet with the Link.

Edit the Data in InstaCharts

Any sheet can be edited from the Full Dataset view. Double-click a cell to change it, paste data with Ctrl+V, add rows and columns, and use Find and Replace to change many cells at once. Click Save to apply your edits to every chart in the sheet. See Edit Data.

Add Data from Other Apps

  • Zapier The Add Data Row action adds a row to a sheet each time something happens in another app, such as a new form response or a new sale.
  • AI assistants An AI app connected through the MCP server can read rows, add rows, change cells and delete rows in a sheet.

Work with Sheet Data

  • Edit Data Edit cells, add rows and columns, find and replace values, and rename columns.
  • Column Types Change a column’s type so it charts as a number, date or text.
  • Transform Data Pivot, unpivot, merge and split columns to reshape your data.
  • Export Data Download the full dataset or the plotted data as CSV, Excel or JSON.

Charts in a Sheet

A sheet can contain many charts. All of them share the same underlying data, so an edit or an update to the data reaches every chart at once.

Each chart has its own set of filters applied to the sheet data. This makes it possible to highlight different portions of the data while sharing the same data set. Each chart also has its own share controls, so charts are shared separately.

Add, duplicate, rename, switch between and delete charts from the sheet menu. See Chart Management.

Manage Sheets

From the Workspace

A complete list of your sheets can be viewed from your workspace.

This workspace folder contains 18 items - subfolders, dashboards and many sheets.
This workspace folder contains 18 items - subfolders, dashboards and many sheets.
  • Open a sheet Double-click the sheet.
  • Rename, update or delete a sheet Right-click the sheet, or open its row menu, and choose Rename, Update Data or Delete.

From the Sheet Menu

Inside a sheet, click the sheet’s name in the main toolbar to open the sheet menu. The top of the menu shows when the sheet was created and, for a synced sheet, the source it is Synced From. The menu also holds:

  • Sync Settings for sheets with a data source
  • Update Sheet Data for sheets without a data source
  • Rename Sheet
  • The chart options described in Chart Management
  • Delete Sheet

Deleting a Sheet

A sheet can be deleted from the row menu on the sheet table in your workspace, or through the sheet menu in the sheet itself.

When the sheet is on a dashboard, the confirmation lists those dashboards. Deleting the sheet removes its chart and data table widgets and its slicers from them, and KPI widgets calculated from the sheet switch to a custom value.