Last updated: July 20, 2026
SheetDiff is a Google Sheets™ add-on that compares data between two sheets. It helps you identify differences, additions, and removals across two ranges with three distinct comparison modes. The results are highlighted directly on your sheet for easy visual inspection.
For support or inquiries, contact: jinxiao777+sheetdiff@gmail.com
1 Open your Google Sheet™
Open a Google Sheet™ that contains two sheets or two ranges you wish to compare.
2 Launch SheetDiff
Go to Extensions → SheetDiff → Start to open the sidebar.
3 Select comparison mode
Choose one of three comparison modes (see detailed descriptions below).
4 Configure options
Set any additional options (case sensitivity, whitespace trimming, blank skipping, and data start row).
5 Run comparison
Click Compare and the results will be highlighted on your sheet.
rows)Compares rows between two sheets using a key column to match records. The key column must contain unique identifiers shared across both sheets. This mode is ideal for comparing two versions of the same dataset.
| Category | Description | Highlight Color |
|---|---|---|
| Added rows | Rows that exist only in sheet B (not present in sheet A) | Green |
| Removed rows | Rows that exist only in sheet A (not present in sheet B) | Red |
| Changed rows | Rows with the same key but different data across sheets | Yellow |
| Unchanged rows | Rows with the same key and identical data | None (default) |
All identified rows are highlighted on the sheet for quick visual scanning.
cells)Compares all cells between two sheets on a cell-by-cell basis. No key column is needed — the comparison is positional (cell A1 vs cell A1, B1 vs B1, etc.).
columns)Compares the column headers between two sheets to identify structural differences. This is useful when checking if schemas or table headers have changed.
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Added columns | Columns that exist only in sheet B |
| Removed columns | Columns that exist only in sheet A |
| Common columns | Columns present in both sheets |
The Remove Duplicates feature scans two sheets and physically deletes rows from sheet B that have a matching counterpart in sheet A.
When enabled, ABC and abc are treated as different values.
When disabled, case differences are ignored during comparison.
When enabled, leading and trailing spaces are removed from cell values before comparison. This prevents false differences caused by inadvertent spacing.
When enabled, empty cells are excluded from the comparison entirely. This is useful when blank cells are not meaningful to the analysis.
Specifies the row number where actual data begins in both sheets. Rows above this value are treated as headers and are not included in the comparison. Default value: row 1.
After a comparison run, SheetDiff highlights cells with specific colors (green, red, yellow, etc.). Use the Restore Original Colors menu item (Extensions → SheetDiff → Restore Original Colors) to reset all cell colors back to their original state.
| Feature | Row Mode | Cell Mode | Column Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Requires key column | Yes | No | No |
| Identifies added / removed records | Yes | No | Yes (columns) |
| Identifies changed values | Yes | Yes | No |
| Sheet highlighting | Yes | Yes | No |
| Use case | Data reconciliation | Fine-grained audit | Schema comparison |
If you have questions, feedback, or need assistance with SheetDiff, please reach out via email: jinxiao777+sheetdiff@gmail.com