Google Sheets and Excel links

Intermediate · 6 min read · By Chitmunk Team · Updated Oct 18, 2026

Overview

You already keep your card list in a spreadsheet. Keep it there. Chitmunk can link a Google Sheet or an Excel workbook on OneDrive to your cards, so the spreadsheet you already keep your card data in fills your templates. Your games themselves are saved in Chitmunk Cloud or in this browser.

• Link a sheet or workbook: Paste a Google Sheets URL or an Excel link from OneDrive and pick a worksheet tab.
• Refresh on demand: Pull the latest rows whenever the spreadsheet changes.
• Edit in Chitmunk: Cell edits you make with Edit Data are written back to the spreadsheet.

Connecting Google

Sign in to Chitmunk first. Click Sign In on the landing page or in the editor to open the sign-in window, where you can use Google, Microsoft, Apple, or email. Google Sheets access is a separate step: the first time you link a sheet, Chitmunk asks you to connect Google and sends you to Google to approve it.

Chitmunk asks for these permissions:

• Google Sheets: Lets Chitmunk read the sheet you link, and write back the cells you edit in Chitmunk.
• Google Drive, files you choose: Lets you pick a spreadsheet or folder with Google's picker. Chitmunk only reaches the files you choose.
• Google Drive, hidden app folder: Opens games you saved to Google Drive before Drive saves were retired, so you can move them to Chitmunk Cloud. Chitmunk no longer saves games there.

Chitmunk never touches files you have not chosen. Your Google access token is held by our sign-in provider and handed to your browser only when you use a Google feature.

Linking a Sheet

1. Click Data in the stage tabs at the top of the editor.
2. Click Data source ▾ and, under Import, choose Google Sheets.
3. Paste your Sheet URL and click Import sheet, then pick the worksheet tab to use if the sheet has more than one.

Chitmunk imports the rows right away. To start from a blank sheet instead, open the same menu and choose Google Sheet under Create new. Chitmunk asks you to name it and pick a Drive folder, then links it.

Linking an Excel Workbook

Excel links work the same way, with files on OneDrive. The first time, Chitmunk asks you to connect OneDrive and sends you to Microsoft to approve it.

1. Click Data in the stage tabs, then Data source ▾.
2. Under Import, choose Excel (OneDrive).
3. Paste the link to your Excel file on OneDrive and click Import workbook, then pick the worksheet if the workbook has more than one.

To start from a blank workbook, choose Excel Workbook under Create new. Chitmunk asks you to name it, pick a OneDrive folder, and links it. As with Google Sheets, linking imports once. Choose Refresh in the same menu to pull in changes, and Disconnect to unlink. After you click Done in Edit Data, the panel says "Synced to Excel". The workbook stays in your OneDrive, and an Excel file you only have on your computer goes in with Upload CSV or Excel file instead (a one-time import, with no link).

Refreshing the Data

Linking imports the sheet once. When it changes, open the Data source menu and choose Refresh (or press Refresh from source on the Data tab) to pull in the latest rows. Edits you make with Edit Data are written back to the sheet when you click Done, and the panel shows "Synced to Google Sheets". Structural changes (adding or removing columns) are best made in Google Sheets, then refreshed.

What Is Stored Where

• Your spreadsheet stays in your Google or Microsoft account. Chitmunk does not keep a copy on its servers.
• The rows Chitmunk reads are kept in your browser while you work, and become part of the project if you save it to Chitmunk Cloud.
• Your game is saved in Chitmunk Cloud or in this browser, never in Google Drive.

Troubleshooting

Token Expired

Google or Microsoft access expires periodically. If the data source shows an error or offline status, click Reconnect next to it and approve again. Your linked sheet comes back as it was.

Permission Denied

If you cannot open a sheet someone shared with you, check that the owner gave your Google account at least "Viewer" access (or "Editor" access if you want your edits written back). You can check sharing settings in Google Sheets.

Disconnecting

To unlink one sheet, open the Data source menu and choose Disconnect. Your current data stays in the project. To remove Chitmunk's access to your Google account entirely, open Settings, then Connected apps, and disconnect Google there. Your sheets are not changed or deleted.