3 Ways to Rename a Sheet Tab in Google Sheets

Do you need to rename a sheet tab in your workbook? This post is going to show you all the ways you can rename a sheet in Google Sheets.

The sheets in a Google Sheets document have the default naming convention Sheet1, Sheet2, Sheet3, etc. As you create new sheets in your workbook, you will likely want to change the default name.

It is good practice to change the name of a sheet so that it reflects the nature of the data it contains. Renaming a sheet can make for easier referencing especially when you have a file with many sheet tabs.

In this post, you will learn how you can rename sheets in Google Sheets. Get your copy of the example workbook used in this post to follow along!

Rename a Sheet Tab from the Sheet Tab

The sheet tab is the area where the sheet names display. In this area, you can easily rename a sheet.

The information on this sheet in this sample appears to contain some sales information. It will be appropriate to rename the sheet to reflect this.

Renaming the sheet can be easily done. First, you identify the sheet you want to rename, which in this case is Sheet1. After identifying the sheet, click on the dropdown arrow by the sheet name.

From the options that appear, select Rename.

At this point, the sheet name will be highlighted, and you can clear the previous name and give the sheet a new name.

Rename a Sheet Tab with a Double Click

You can easily double-click on the sheet you want to rename. This will highlight the name and you can rename the sheet!

Rename a Sheet with the Sheets Manager Add-on

The Sheet Manager add-on is a tool that contains a lot of the features that allow you to manage and protect your spreadsheet in one place. It’s a very handy tool that has a lot of benefits.

To download the add-on, go to the Extensions menu ribbon, select Add-ons and click on Get add-ons. This takes you to the Google workspace market.

In the workspace market, search for Sheets Manager by Ablebits. Click on Install. You will be prompted to grant permission.

After installing, exit the workspace market. Go back to the Extensions menu ribbon. You will find the Sheets Manager add-on in the dropdown. Select it and click Start to use the add-on.

When the Sheet Manager window opens on the right side of your spreadsheet, place your mouse over the tile containing the sheet you want to rename. This will reveal the Rename icon. Click on this icon to highlight and rename.

Alternatively, you can double-click on the sheet name you want to rename to edit it.

📝 Note: You must double-click directly on top of the sheet name, or you will not be able to edit the sheet name.

Rename a Sheet with an Apps Script

From the solutions discussed already, it’s not possible to rename all the sheets at once. That is where the app’s script comes into play. With this approach, you can rename sheets at once.

With this method, you will be able to find and replace text within all the sheet names.

Go to your apps script editor window through the Extensions menu. Click on Apps script.

function copySheet() {
  var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActive();
  var sheets = ss.getSheets();

  var ui = SpreadsheetApp.getUi();
  var firstPrompt = ui.prompt("Enter Sheet Name", "Sheet Name", ui.ButtonSet.OK_CANCEL)
    
  if(firstPrompt.getSelectedButton() == ui.Button.OK) {
      var response1 = firstPrompt.getResponseText();
  }

  var secondPrompt = ui.prompt("New Sheet Name", "New Name", ui.ButtonSet.OK_CANCEL)

  if(secondPrompt.getSelectedButton() == ui.Button.OK) {
      var response2 = secondPrompt.getResponseText();
  }
 

  for(i = 0; i < sheets.length; i++) {
    name = sheets[i].getSheetName();
    if(name.includes(response1)) {
     sheetName= name.replace(response1,response2);
    }
    sheets[i].setName(sheetName)
  }

}

function onOpen(e) {
  SpreadsheetApp.getUi()
      .createMenu("Rename")
      .addItem('Rename Sheets', 'copySheet')
      .addToUi();
}

Copy and paste the syntax above into the editor window then click on Save. Make sure you grant the necessary permissions, then go back to your spreadsheet and reload it.

Upon reloading the workbook, the ribbon will have a Rename menu that has been created through the script.

The submenu contains a Rename Sheets option. This option allows you to rename sheets that have a particular word in their names.

When you click on this menu, a pop-up box appears. In this box, you can enter a name. After you click on OK, another pop-up appears requesting the new name you want to use for the sheets.

Any sheet that contains the words from the first pop-up box gets replaced with the words you enter in the second pop-up box.

Conclusions

Having a properly organized spreadsheet can increase efficiency significantly.

Naming your sheets in ways that you can easily reference is an important aspect of organizing data in your spreadsheet adequately.

Thankfully, renaming your sheets is an easy process and it can even be automated with an app script!

Do you rename your sheet tabs? Do you know any other methods to get this done? Let me know in the comments section!

About the Author

Oluwaseun Olatoye

Oluwaseun Olatoye

Oluwaseun is a business intelligence analyst with expertise in Google Sheets and SQL programming language. He has worked with various businesses to make data-driven decisions. He enjoys helping others learn and grow.

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