The Problem: Manual Organization Doesn't Scale
You carefully organize your Google Sheets into folders. Everything looks perfect. Then your team adds 5 new sheets over the next week. They don't follow your naming convention. Now you're back to scrolling through 50+ tabs, wondering where to find these new sheets.
This is the maintenance trap—you organize once, but sheets keep getting created. Someone adds 'January_Report', someone else adds 'Q1_Summary', and suddenly your beautifully organized structure starts decaying. You're back to square one.
Rules solve this. Set up automation rules once, and Sheets Organizer automatically sorts new sheets into the right folders based on their names. You just need to refresh the sidebar to sort the sheets into the right folders.
Prerequisite: Create Folders in Sheets Organizer First
Rules require a folder system to work. Before you can automate organization with rules, you need to set up your folder structure in Sheets Organizer. Here's why:
- Rules need destination folders—they sort sheets into folders you've already created
- You must know what folders you want before creating rules
- Folders must exist first—rules can't create folders for you
If you haven't created folders yet in Sheets Organizer, you'll need to do that first. The add-on lets you create folders with names and colors, then add existing sheets to them. Without this foundation, rules have nowhere to send sheets.
Quick Folder Setup (If You Haven't Done This Yet)
To set up folders:
- 1. Open Sheets Organizer sidebar
- 2. Click the 'Folders' button at the bottom
- 3. Click 'Add Folder' icon
- 4. Name your folder (e.g., 'Monthly Reports', 'Financial', 'Marketing')
- 5. Choose a color
- 6. Click 'Create'
- 7. Add existing sheets to the folder if needed
Common folder examples: By department (Sales, Marketing, Finance), by time period (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4), by month (January, February, March), by status (Draft, Final, Archived), by project (Project Alpha, Project Beta).
What Are Rules and Why Use Them?
Rules are automation triggers that sort sheets into folders based on their names. When a sheet name matches your rule's pattern, Sheets Organizer automatically moves it to the specified folder.
How Rules Work
Rules evaluate sheet names on creation and renaming. To apply the rule and move matching sheets into the right folders, refresh the Sheets Organizer sidebar.
- After a new sheet is created, refresh the sidebar to sort it based on your rules
- After an existing sheet is renamed, refresh the sidebar to apply the rule
You set the rule once. Whenever sheets are created or renamed, a quick sidebar refresh applies your rules and keeps folders organized.
Real-World Example
You create a rule: 'If sheet name contains "Q1", move it to the "Q1 Reports" folder'.
Now every time someone creates or renames a sheet with 'Q1' in the name (like 'Q1_Sales', 'Sales_Q1_Summary', 'Q1_2025_Budget'), it automatically appears in the 'Q1 Reports' folder. No manual sorting. No forgotten sheets. Just automatic organization.
Setting Up Your First Rule
Creating a rule takes about 30 seconds:
- 1. Click the rules icon in the footer of the Sheets Organizer sidebar
- 2. Click 'Add rule' to create a new rule
- 3. Choose a condition (name contains / does not contain / starts with / ends with)
- 4. Enter the keyword to look for
- 5. Select the destination folder
- 6. Click save
That's it. The rule is active. Sheets Organizer will automatically sort matching sheets into your specified folder from now on.
The Four Rule Conditions
Sheets Organizer offers four conditions to match sheet names. Choose the one that fits your naming pattern:
1. Name Contains
Matches sheets where the keyword appears anywhere in the name.
- Rule: Name contains 'Budget'
- Matches: 'Budget_2025', 'Project_Budget_Final', 'Monthly_Budget', 'Budget_Draft'
Best for: Flexible naming where the keyword can appear anywhere.
2. Name Does Not Contain
Matches sheets that don't have the keyword anywhere in the name.
- Rule: Name does not contain 'Archive'
- Matches: Any sheet without 'Archive' in the name
Best for: Filtering out certain types of sheets or exceptions.
3. Name Starts With
Matches sheets where the name begins with the keyword.
- Rule: Name starts with 'Monthly_'
- Matches: 'Monthly_January', 'Monthly_Budget', 'Monthly_Report'
- Doesn't match: 'Summary_Monthly', 'Report_Monthly'
Best for: Prefix-based naming conventions.
4. Name Ends With
Matches sheets where the name ends with the keyword.
- Rule: Name ends with '_Final'
- Matches: 'Report_Final', 'Budget_Final', 'Analysis_Final'
- Doesn't match: 'Final_Budget', 'Final_Report'
Best for: Suffix-based naming conventions like version indicators.
Real-World Rule Examples
Here are practical examples you can implement immediately:
Example 1: Auto-Organize Monthly Reports
Problem: Team creates sheets like 'January_2025', 'February_2025', 'March_2025', etc., but they're scattered throughout your spreadsheet.
Solution: Create a rule 'Name contains "2025"' → Move to '2025 Reports' folder. Now every sheet with '2025' automatically lands in the right place.
Example 2: Group Draft and Final Sheets Separately
Problem: Draft and final versions of sheets are mixed together, hard to find the latest version.
Solution: Create two rules: 'Name contains "Draft"' → 'Drafts' folder, and 'Name contains "Final"' → 'Final' folder. Sheets automatically sort themselves based on status.
Example 3: Organize by Department
Problem: Sheets from Sales, Marketing, and Finance are all mixed together.
Solution: Create rules like 'Name starts with "Sales_"' → 'Sales' folder, 'Name starts with "Marketing_"' → 'Marketing' folder, 'Name starts with "Finance_"' → 'Finance' folder.
Example 4: Group by Client or Project
Problem: Client-specific or project-specific sheets need to stay grouped together.
Solution: For each client/project, create a rule 'Name contains "ClientA"' → 'Client A' folder. Now all Client A sheets automatically group together.
Best Practices for Rules
- Start simple: Create 2-3 basic rules first, test them, then expand
- Use consistent naming conventions: Rules work best when your team follows clear naming patterns
- Match your keywords to actual usage: Create rules based on how your team actually names sheets
- Create folders before rules: Remember, rules need destination folders to exist first
- Test with a few sheets: Create test sheets with matching names to verify your rules work
- Review and adjust: Check your rules periodically to ensure they're still working as expected
Why Rules Save Time
Let's calculate the time savings:
Without Rules
Every time a sheet is created:
- Someone creates a new sheet
- You manually check which folder it belongs in (30 seconds)
- You manually move it to the right folder (30 seconds)
- You repeat this for every sheet throughout the day
- Over a week: 20-30 minutes spent organizing
- Over a month: 1.5-2 hours lost to manual organization
With Rules
Every time a sheet is created:
- Someone creates a new sheet
- Sheet automatically moves to the right folder (instant)
- You never think about it again
- Time spent organizing: 0 seconds
- Over a week: 20-30 minutes saved
- Over a month: 1.5-2 hours gained back
Rules give you those hours back every month, forever.
Advanced: Using Multiple Rules
You're not limited to one rule. Create as many rules as you need. For example:
- Rule 1: 'Name contains "Q1"' → 'Q1 Reports' folder
- Rule 2: 'Name contains "Q2"' → 'Q2 Reports' folder
- Rule 3: 'Name contains "Q3"' → 'Q3 Reports' folder
- Rule 4: 'Name contains "Final"' → 'Final Reports' folder
- Rule 5: 'Name starts with "Marketing_"' → 'Marketing' folder
Sheets Organizer checks rules in order. The first rule that matches determines where the sheet goes.
Common Questions
What if a sheet matches multiple rules?
Sheets Organizer uses the first matching rule. Order matters—put more specific rules before general ones.
Can I disable rules temporarily?
Yes. You can manage, edit, or delete rules from the rules interface at any time.
Do rules work on existing sheets?
Rules apply when sheets are created or renamed. Existing sheets that already match will be sorted when you rename them or when they're affected by bulk operations.
What if my team doesn't follow naming conventions?
Rules work best with consistent naming. Consider creating a simple naming guide for your team, or use rules with flexible keywords that catch most variations.
Getting Started
Ready to automate your Google Sheets organization?
To get started:
- 1. Install Sheets Organizer from the Google Workspace Marketplace
- 2. Open any spreadsheet with multiple sheets
- 3. Create your folder structure first
- 4. Set up your first rule (start with one simple rule)
- 5. Test it by creating a matching sheet name
- 6. Watch it automatically organize
Conclusion: Set It and Forget It
Rules transform Google Sheets from a constant maintenance task into a self-organizing system. Once you set up your folder structure and create your rules, Sheets Organizer keeps everything organized automatically—even as your spreadsheet grows from 20 sheets to 200.
The key benefits:
- Automatic organization: Sheets sort themselves into folders
- Zero maintenance: Set rules once, they work forever
- Consistency: Your folder structure stays organized
- Time savings: No more manual sorting every time a sheet is created
If you're spending time manually organizing sheets that your team creates constantly, rules eliminate that work entirely. Your spreadsheet organizes itself—you just enjoy the results.