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Linking Google Sheets as a Source

This guide walks through connecting a Google Sheet to Actioneer. The setup grants Actioneer’s service account Viewer access to a specific spreadsheet — no broader Google Drive permissions are required.
  
  Prerequisites  A Google Sheet you own or can share, Actioneer account
  Access granted  Read-only access via the Google Sheets API
  Estimated time  ~5 minutes
Actioneer cannot create, edit, or delete any cells, sheets, or files in your Google account.
1

Copy the spreadsheet URL or ID

  1. Open your Google Sheet in a browser.
  2. Copy the full URL from the address bar, or just the spreadsheet ID from the URL.
Actioneer accepts either format — paste the full URL and it will extract the ID automatically.
  Format  Example
  Full URL  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdhdE7vXHwBqv/edit
  ID only  1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdhdE7vXHwBqv
Excel files (.xlsx) uploaded to Google Drive will not work with the Google Sheets API, even if they appear as a spreadsheet in your browser. To fix this, open the file in Google Sheets, then go to File → Save as Google Sheets.
2

Share the sheet with Actioneer's service account

Actioneer reads the spreadsheet via a dedicated service account. You need to grant it Viewer access.
  1. In Actioneer, click Data in the left sidebar and select Google Sheets. The connection form displays a service account email address.
  2. Copy that service account email.
  3. Open your Google Sheet, click Share (top-right).
  4. Paste the service account email, set the role to Viewer, and click Send.
The service account only needs Viewer access. It cannot edit, delete, or share the spreadsheet.
3

Connect Google Sheets in Actioneer

  1. In the same connection form from Step 2, when prompted, select Direct Connection.
  2. Complete the remaining fields:
  Field  Value
  Connection Name  A descriptive label, e.g. GA4 Data or Sales Tracker
  Spreadsheet URL or ID  From Step 1 — paste the full URL or just the ID
  1. Click Connect.

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Common questions

No. The service account is granted Viewer access only. It can read cell data and sheet structure but cannot edit, delete, or share the spreadsheet.
Excel files (.xlsx) hosted on Google Drive do not work with the Google Sheets API. Open the file in Google Sheets, go to File → Save as Google Sheets, and use the new file’s URL instead.
All credentials are encrypted at rest with AES-256 and encrypted in transit with TLS 1.3. They are never stored in plain text or logged. Actioneer is SOC 2 Type II certified, ISO 27001 certified (audited by Schellman), and GDPR compliant.

Need a hand?

Stuck on a step or running into an error? Reach out at connect@actioneer.com.