Google Sheets & Drive Automations
Watch your spreadsheet. Fire actions. Automatically.
FileDrop watches your Google Sheets and Drive folders for changes and fires emails, Slack messages, webhooks, and more the moment something happens.
No third-party tools. No monthly Zapier bill. No code.
- View Automation Examples
- Setup in minutes
- Schedule items
- Replace manual tasks
Google Sheets Triggers
Run workflows when data is added or updated in a Sheet.
Google Drive Triggers
Run workflows when a new file is added or a file is modified.
Actions
Send a slack notification, an email, update a row in a Sheet and much more.
How it works
Google Sheets is where your business data lives. New orders land there. Status columns get updated.
Files get uploaded to Drive. But getting those events to *do* something — notify your team, trigger a follow-up, back up the file — has always required duct-taping together Zapier, Make, Apps Script, or a developer.
FileDrop solves that natively.
Connect your Google account once. Tell FileDrop what to watch and what to do. It runs instantly, silently, and reliably — without leaving your FileDrop workspace.
1. Connect your Google account
One-time OAuth connection. FileDrop gets read/write access to the Sheets and Drive folders you choose — nothing more.
2. Choose what to watch
Pick a Google Sheet, a specific tab, or a Drive folder. FileDrop registers a real-time push notification (not polling) — so it fires within seconds of a change, not minutes.
3. Set your trigger
- New row added
- Cell value changes (optionally scoped to a column and a specific value)
- New file uploaded to a folder
- File modified in a folder
- On a schedule — hourly, daily, or weekly
4. Add conditions (optional)
Only fire when certain columns match. “Only trigger when Priority = High.” “Skip rows where Email is blank.” Multiple conditions stack with AND logic.
5. Fire actions
One or more actions run for every matching event. Mix and match:
- Email — to a fixed address, or pulled from a column in the row
- Slack — post to any channel via webhook
- Google Chat — post to any space via webhook
- Webhook — POST the full row data as JSON to any HTTPS endpoint
- Update sheet row — write values back into the sheet that triggered the event
- Backup sheet — make a dated copy in Drive or email it as Excel
What makes it different from Zapier
| FileDrop Automations | Zapier | |
|---|---|---|
| Latency | Real-time (Drive push) | 1–15 min polling (free tier) |
| Setup | Inside FileDrop, no new account | Separate platform |
| Price | Included in your FileDrop plan, Pro and higher | From $29/mo for multi-step zaps |
| Backup sheet action | Native, Drive + email delivery | Requires separate Google Drive step |
| AI automation builder | Type in plain English → draft created | Yes |
| Works with FileDrop Forms | Yes — forms feed sheets, sheets trigger actions | Yes – Manual setup |
| Logs | Built-in per-run log with change data | Zap history (paid tiers) |
Triggers in detail
Google Sheet triggers
New row added Every time a row is appended to the bottom of a sheet. Fires once per new row, even if multiple rows are added in the same save.
Use for: form submissions, order entries, signups, job applications, leads — any data that arrives as a new row.
Cell value changes Fires when any cell is edited. Scope it down to a specific column (e.g. Status) and optionally a specific value (e.g. Approved) to only trigger on meaningful changes.
Use for: status pipelines, approval flows, assignment changes, priority escalations.
Drive folder triggers
New file in folder Fires the moment a new file appears in a monitored Drive folder.
Use for: contract uploads, deliverable submissions, client-facing intake folders, shared team upload folders.
File modified Fires when an existing file in the folder is edited.
Use for: document change alerts, version-control notifications, compliance monitoring.
Scheduled trigger
Run automations on a fixed schedule with no change event needed.
- Hourly — fires at the top of every hour
- Daily — choose a specific hour
- Weekly — choose a day and hour
Use for: weekly backups, daily summary emails, end-of-day exports, Friday Excel reports.
Actions in detail
Send a fully customised email — subject, body, recipient. Pull values from the sheet row using template variables like {column:A} or {column:Email}. Route to the person in the row: to: {column:D}.
Slack
Post to any Slack channel via Incoming Webhook. Compose the message with sheet variables, file links, and row data. The message is there before a human could have noticed the change.
Google Chat
Post to any Google Chat space. Same flexibility as Slack — just paste your Chat webhook URL.
Webhook
POST the full change payload as JSON to any HTTPS endpoint — your own API, Make, n8n, or any service that accepts a webhook. FileDrop sends row data, headers, old/new values, and timestamps.
Update sheet row
Write values back into the row that triggered the automation. Log a Processed At timestamp, mark a status column, or fill a computed field — all without any manual work.
Backup Google Sheet (Pro plan and above)
Make a dated copy of any Google Sheet. Choose the format and where it goes:
| Format | Delivery |
|---|---|
| Google Sheet | Save to a Drive folder |
| Excel (.xlsx) | Save to a Drive folder |
| Google Sheet | Email link to up to 5 addresses |
| Excel (.xlsx) | Email as attachment to up to 5 addresses |
File name supports variables: {sheet_name} — {date}, Hourly, Daily, Weekly export {datetime}.
Template variables
Use these anywhere in email subjects, bodies, Slack messages, or file names.
| Variable | What it inserts |
|---|---|
{column:A} | Value in column A of the changed row |
{column:Status} | Value in the column headed “Status” |
{row_number} | Row number of the changed row |
{old_value} | Previous cell value (cell change trigger) |
{new_value} | New cell value (cell change trigger) |
{file_name} | Name of the new/changed Drive file |
{file_url} | Google Drive link to the file |
{sheet_url} | Link to open the source spreadsheet |
{sheet_name} | Name of the spreadsheet |
{folder_name} | Name of the monitored Drive folder |
{triggered_at} | Timestamp of when the automation ran |
{date} | Today’s date — YYYY-MM-DD |
AI automation builder
Don’t want to click through a setup wizard? Just describe what you want.
“Email me when a new row is added to my sales tracker and Status is Approved”
FileDrop’s AI reads your description and creates a draft automation with the right trigger, conditions, and actions already configured. You review it, pick your spreadsheet, and activate. Most automations go from description to live in under two minutes.
How it works:
- Type a plain-English description on the Automations page (or in the dashboard launcher)
- The AI generates the full automation config — trigger, conditions, actions, message copy
- You land on a review page with everything pre-filled
- Add your Google Sheet or Drive folder using the file picker
- Click Activate — it goes live immediately
Use cases by team
Sales
- New lead row added → Slack #sales instantly
- Status changes to “Closed Won” → email the account manager with deal details
- Weekly backup of the pipeline sheet every Friday at 5pm
Operations
- New file uploaded to the “Contracts” folder → email the legal team with a link
- Row status changes to “Needs Review” → webhook to your internal ticketing system
- Daily backup of the master operations sheet at 7am
HR & Recruiting
- New job application row → email the hiring manager with applicant details pulled from the row
- Status column changes to “Interview Scheduled” → Slack the recruiter
- Weekly Excel export of the applicant tracker emailed every Monday
Finance
- Invoice row added → email approvals@company.com with amount and vendor from the row
- Payment status changes to “Overdue” → Google Chat alert to the finance space
- Monthly backup of the accounts sheet on the 1st of each month
Client Services
- New client intake row → personalised welcome email sent to
{column:Email} - File uploaded to a client’s Drive folder → notify the account manager
- Weekly summary backup of the client tracker
Marketing
- New campaign row → Slack #marketing with brief and owner details
- Status changes to “Live” → webhook to your analytics platform
- Daily backup of the content calendar
Reliability
Real-time, not polling.
FileDrop uses Google Drive push notifications — the same technology Google uses internally. When a change happens, Drive notifies FileDrop within seconds. There’s no 15-minute polling delay.
Automatic renewal.
Drive watch channels expire after 7 days. FileDrop renews them automatically every night. You never need to touch it.
Self-healing.
If an action fails, FileDrop retries and logs the error. After 5 consecutive failures, the automation pauses itself and you get a clear error message in the logs — so nothing fails silently for weeks.
Full run logs.
Every run shows exactly what changed, which actions fired, what each action returned, and whether it succeeded or failed. Filter by automation, date, or status.
Pricing
| Plan | Runs per week | Backup sheet | AI builder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 5 | — | ✓ |
| Lite | 5 | — | ✓ |
| Pro | Unlimited | ✓ | ✓ |
| Business Plus | Unlimited | ✓ | ✓ |
| Max | Unlimited | ✓ | ✓ |
Runs that hit the weekly limit are logged, not silently dropped — so you always know what happened.
FAQ
Do I need to install a Chrome extension or Google add-on?
No. FileDrop Automations is a web-based tool. You connect your Google account once via OAuth — no browser extension, no add-on installation required.
Does it work with Google Forms responses going into Sheets?
Yes. A Google Form that writes to a Sheet is just a Sheet. FileDrop watches the response tab and fires your automation the moment a new row arrives.
Can I watch multiple sheets or folders?
Yes — create a separate automation for each source. There’s no limit on the number of automations.
What happens if I edit multiple cells at once?
For the “cell change” trigger, FileDrop detects the net diff after each Google notification. Multiple changed cells in the same notification are each evaluated against your trigger config.
Can I write back to the sheet?
Yes. The “Update sheet row” action lets you write values back into the row that fired the trigger — timestamps, computed values, status flags, anything.
Will it work if I rename a tab?
Yes. FileDrop uses the spreadsheet ID (not the name) for monitoring. Tab name changes don’t break the watch.
Is my data stored by FileDrop?
FileDrop stores a snapshot of the last known sheet state to detect changes. This snapshot lives in FileDrop’s database and is scoped to your account. It’s never shared or used for any other purpose.
Can I pause an automation without deleting it?
Yes. Toggle any automation to Paused from the list. The Drive watch is released while paused, and re-registered when you resume.