Get Notified When Your Google Sheet Updates (2026 Guide)

Google Sheets is a collaboration tool. Multiple people can edit the same sheet. Forms can feed data in. Imports can update values. But by default, you have no idea when any of this happens unless you are staring at the sheet.

Here is every way to get notified when your Google Sheet updates in 2026, from free built-in options to paid automation tools.

Option 1: Built-in Notification Settings (Free)

Google Sheets has notification settings that most people never find.

Go to Tools > Notification settings (or Notification rules in older versions). You have two choices:

"Any changes are made" - notifies you on any edit by any user.

"A user submits a form" - notifies you when a linked Google Form gets a response.

You can receive notifications immediately (one email per change) or as a daily digest (one summary email per day).

Good for: Simple shared sheets where you want to know when a collaborator makes any edit. Form-linked sheets where you want to know about new submissions.

Bad for: Sheets with frequent edits (you get flooded). Monitoring for specific conditions. Detecting missing data. Getting text alerts.

Option 2: onChange Triggers in Apps Script (Free)

Apps Script offers an onChange trigger that fires on structural changes (rows/columns added/removed) and content changes.

Install as a trigger: clock icon > Add Trigger > From spreadsheet > On change.

The onChange trigger is broader than onEdit. It catches programmatic changes and structural changes that onEdit misses. But it gives you less detail about what specifically changed.

Good for: Catching all types of changes including import updates and script-driven edits.

Bad for: Getting specific details about what changed. The event object for onChange has less information than onEdit. You know something changed but not always what.

Option 3: Zapier (No-Code, Paid)

Zapier can monitor your Google Sheet for new or updated rows and trigger actions.

Trigger options:

"New Spreadsheet Row" - fires when a new row is added. Does not detect edits to existing rows.

"New or Updated Spreadsheet Row" - fires when any row is added or modified. This is the one most people want.

Actions you can connect: Send email (Gmail, Outlook). Send Slack message. Send SMS (via Twilio). Post to Teams. Create a Trello card. Basically anything.

Setup: Create a Zap. Trigger = "New or Updated Spreadsheet Row in Google Sheets." Select your spreadsheet and worksheet. Add a Filter step if you only want specific changes. Add your notification action.

Cost: Free tier = 100 tasks/month (5 min polling interval). Starter = $20/month (750 tasks, 2 min polling). Professional = $49/month (2000 tasks, 1 min polling).

Limitation: Zapier polls your sheet at intervals (every 1-15 min depending on plan). It is not instant. And it triggers on row changes, so a formula recalculation that changes a value will not be detected unless the source data also changed.

Option 4: Make (Formerly Integromat, No-Code, Paid)

Make is similar to Zapier but with a visual scenario builder and better scheduling options.

Trigger options: "Watch Changes" module for Google Sheets detects new, updated, and deleted rows. "Watch Rows" monitors for new rows only.

Advantage over Zapier: Make lets you schedule scenarios to run at exact times (every day at 9am). This is better for "check my sheet once a day" monitoring. Zapier is better for near-real-time change detection.

Cost: Free tier = 1,000 operations/month. Core = $9/month (10,000 ops). Pro = $16/month (10,000 ops with more features).

Option 5: Purpose-Built Monitoring (No-Code, Paid)

If your monitoring need is specific - like tracking overdue payments, aging tasks, or missed deadlines - purpose-built tools skip the generic automation setup entirely.

Instead of configuring triggers, filters, and actions, you just connect your sheet and tell the tool what your columns mean. It handles the monitoring logic automatically.

For example, RentGuard is built specifically for monitoring spreadsheets with due dates and payment tracking. You connect your Google Sheet, map your columns (due date, payment date, amount), and it checks daily. When something is overdue, you get a text and email. No triggers. No filters. No Zaps.

Cost: Varies by tool. RentGuard is $15/month flat.

Good for: Specific, high-stakes monitoring where reliability matters more than flexibility. Rent collection, invoice tracking, maintenance follow-ups.

Bad for: Generic "notify me of any change" needs. Purpose-built tools are designed for specific use cases.

Quick Comparison

Speed: Built-in notifications and Apps Script are near-instant. Zapier polls every 1-15 min. Make runs on schedule. Purpose-built tools typically check daily.

Cost: Built-in and Apps Script are free. Zapier is $0-49/month. Make is $0-16/month. Purpose-built tools are $15-50/month.

Reliability: Built-in notifications are reliable but noisy. Apps Script triggers fail silently sometimes. Zapier and Make are generally reliable. Purpose-built tools are designed for reliability since monitoring is their core function.

Ease of setup: Built-in takes 30 seconds. Apps Script takes 15-60 minutes. Zapier takes 10-30 minutes. Make takes 15-45 minutes. Purpose-built tools take 5 minutes.

My Recommendation

For "tell me when anyone edits the sheet": use built-in notification settings. It is free and takes 30 seconds.

For "tell me when a specific condition is met": use Apps Script if you can code, or set up conditional notifications with Zapier if you can not.

For "tell me when payments/tasks/items are overdue": use a purpose-built tool. The reliability difference matters when money is on the line.

I have tried all five approaches for monitoring my rental property spreadsheet. The purpose-built approach was the only one that never failed me. RentGuard checks my sheet daily and I have not missed a late payment since setting it up.

For more on Google Sheets automation, read email alerts in Google Sheets, monitoring approaches compared, and spreadsheet automation for small business.