Edit Sheet Metadata

Edit metadata for sheets/tabs or spreadsheet-level properties. Update sheet names, tab colors, frozen rows/columns, grid size, and spreadsheet properties like title, locale, and timezone.

Overview

The Edit Sheet Metadata tool supports two scopes:

• Sheet scope: Edit individual sheet/tab properties (rename, tab color, visibility, position, frozen rows/columns, grid size)
• Spreadsheet scope: Edit spreadsheet-level properties (title, locale, timezone, recalculation settings)

All edit parameters are optional - only specify the properties you want to change.

Prerequisites

• A connected Google Account with OAuth authentication
• Google Sheets API enabled in your Google Cloud project
• Setup Guide

Usage

Rename a Sheet

Change a sheet's title/name:

{
  "tool": "google_sheets_Edit_Sheet_Metadata",
  "arguments": {
    "spreadsheet_id": "1abcDEFgHIjklMNOpQrStUvWxYz",
    "scope": "sheet",
    "sheet_identifier": "Sheet1",
    "new_sheet_title": "January 2025"
  }
}

Change Tab Color

Set sheet tab color:

{
  "tool": "google_sheets_Edit_Sheet_Metadata",
  "arguments": {
    "spreadsheet_id": "1abcDEFgHIjklMNOpQrStUvWxYz",
    "scope": "sheet",
    "sheet_identifier": "Sales Data",
    "tab_color": {
      "red": 0.0,
      "green": 0.8,
      "blue": 0.2
    }
  }
}

Common Tab Colors:

• Red: {"red": 1.0, "green": 0.0, "blue": 0.0}
• Green: {"red": 0.0, "green": 1.0, "blue": 0.0}
• Blue: {"red": 0.0, "green": 0.0, "blue": 1.0}
• Yellow: {"red": 1.0, "green": 1.0, "blue": 0.0}
• Orange: {"red": 1.0, "green": 0.5, "blue": 0.0}
• Purple: {"red": 0.5, "green": 0.0, "blue": 0.5}
• Light Gray: {"red": 0.8, "green": 0.8, "blue": 0.8}

Freeze Header Rows

Freeze top row as header:

{
  "tool": "google_sheets_Edit_Sheet_Metadata",
  "arguments": {
    "spreadsheet_id": "1abcDEFgHIjklMNOpQrStUvWxYz",
    "scope": "sheet",
    "sheet_identifier": "Data",
    "frozen_row_count": 1
  }
}

Hide a Sheet

Hide sheet tab from view:

{
  "tool": "google_sheets_Edit_Sheet_Metadata",
  "arguments": {
    "spreadsheet_id": "1abcDEFgHIjklMNOpQrStUvWxYz",
    "scope": "sheet",
    "sheet_identifier": "Calculations",
    "hidden": true
  }
}

Reorder Sheet Position

Move sheet to first position:

{
  "tool": "google_sheets_Edit_Sheet_Metadata",
  "arguments": {
    "spreadsheet_id": "1abcDEFgHIjklMNOpQrStUvWxYz",
    "scope": "sheet",
    "sheet_identifier": "Summary",
    "sheet_index": 0
  }
}

Update Multiple Sheet Properties

Change multiple properties at once:

{
  "tool": "google_sheets_Edit_Sheet_Metadata",
  "arguments": {
    "spreadsheet_id": "1abcDEFgHIjklMNOpQrStUvWxYz",
    "scope": "sheet",
    "sheet_identifier": "Sheet1",
    "new_sheet_title": "Q1 2025",
    "tab_color": {"red": 0.2, "green": 0.6, "blue": 1.0},
    "frozen_row_count": 1,
    "frozen_column_count": 1
  }
}

Rename Spreadsheet

Change spreadsheet title:

{
  "tool": "google_sheets_Edit_Sheet_Metadata",
  "arguments": {
    "spreadsheet_id": "1abcDEFgHIjklMNOpQrStUvWxYz",
    "scope": "spreadsheet",
    "spreadsheet_title": "2025 Sales Report"
  }
}

Set Spreadsheet Locale and Timezone

Update regional settings:

{
  "tool": "google_sheets_Edit_Sheet_Metadata",
  "arguments": {
    "spreadsheet_id": "1abcDEFgHIjklMNOpQrStUvWxYz",
    "scope": "spreadsheet",
    "locale": "en_US",
    "timezone": "America/New_York"
  }
}

Input Parameters

Core Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
spreadsheet_id	string	Yes	-	Spreadsheet ID from URL
scope	string	Yes	sheet	sheet (tab properties) or spreadsheet (file properties)

Sheet Scope Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
sheet_identifier	string	Yes	Sheet name or ID to edit
sheet_identifier_type	string	No (default: name)	name or id
new_sheet_title	string	No	New sheet name (rename)
tab_color	object	No	RGB color {"red": 0-1, "green": 0-1, "blue": 0-1}
hidden	boolean	No	Hide (true) or show (false) sheet tab
sheet_index	integer	No	New position (0 = leftmost)
frozen_row_count	integer	No	Number of rows to freeze at top
frozen_column_count	integer	No	Number of columns to freeze on left
grid_row_count	integer	No	Total rows in grid
grid_column_count	integer	No	Total columns in grid

Spreadsheet Scope Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
spreadsheet_title	string	No	New spreadsheet title
locale	string	No	Locale (e.g., en_US, fr_FR)
timezone	string	No	IANA timezone (e.g., America/Los_Angeles)
auto_recalc	string	No	ON_CHANGE, MINUTE, or HOUR

Note: For each scope, you must provide at least one property to update.

Response Format

Success Response (Sheet Scope)

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Sheet metadata updated successfully",
  "spreadsheet_id": "1abcDEFgHIjklMNOpQrStUvWxYz",
  "spreadsheet_url": "https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/...",
  "scope": "sheet",
  "updated_properties": {
    "sheet_id": 0,
    "title": "January 2025",
    "tab_color": {
      "red": 0.0,
      "green": 0.8,
      "blue": 0.2
    },
    "frozen_row_count": 1
  }
}

Success Response (Spreadsheet Scope)

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Spreadsheet metadata updated successfully",
  "spreadsheet_id": "1abcDEFgHIjklMNOpQrStUvWxYz",
  "spreadsheet_url": "https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/...",
  "scope": "spreadsheet",
  "updated_properties": {
    "title": "2025 Sales Report",
    "locale": "en_US",
    "timezone": "America/New_York"
  }
}

Error Handling

Sheet Not Found

Error: Sheet 'Data' not found in spreadsheet. Available sheets: Sheet1, Summary

Solution: Check sheet name spelling or use Get Spreadsheet Metadata tool.

No Properties Provided

Error: No sheet properties provided to update. Specify at least one of: new_sheet_title, tab_color...

Solution: Provide at least one property to update.

Invalid Tab Color

Error: tab_color.red must be a number between 0 and 1, got 255

Solution: Use 0.0-1.0 values (not 0-255). Convert by dividing by 255.

Invalid Index

Error: sheet_index must be >= 0

Solution: Use 0 for first position, 1 for second, etc.

Common Use Cases

1. Organize Monthly Reports

Rename and color-code sheets:

{
  "tool": "google_sheets_Edit_Sheet_Metadata",
  "arguments": {
    "spreadsheet_id": "...",
    "scope": "sheet",
    "sheet_identifier": "Sheet1",
    "new_sheet_title": "January 2025",
    "tab_color": {"red": 0.2, "green": 0.7, "blue": 1.0}
  }
}

2. Freeze Headers for Large Datasets

{
  "tool": "google_sheets_Edit_Sheet_Metadata",
  "arguments": {
    "spreadsheet_id": "...",
    "scope": "sheet",
    "sheet_identifier": "Customer Data",
    "frozen_row_count": 1,
    "frozen_column_count": 2
  }
}

3. Hide Calculation Sheets

{
  "tool": "google_sheets_Edit_Sheet_Metadata",
  "arguments": {
    "spreadsheet_id": "...",
    "scope": "sheet",
    "sheet_identifier": "Backend Calculations",
    "hidden": true
  }
}

4. Reorder Sheets Chronologically

Move "Summary" sheet to first position:

{
  "tool": "google_sheets_Edit_Sheet_Metadata",
  "arguments": {
    "spreadsheet_id": "...",
    "scope": "sheet",
    "sheet_identifier": "Summary",
    "sheet_index": 0
  }
}

5. Update Spreadsheet Regional Settings

{
  "tool": "google_sheets_Edit_Sheet_Metadata",
  "arguments": {
    "spreadsheet_id": "...",
    "scope": "spreadsheet",
    "locale": "fr_FR",
    "timezone": "Europe/Paris"
  }
}

RGB Color Reference

RGB values in Google Sheets API use 0.0-1.0 range:

Color	RGB Object
Red	{"red": 1.0, "green": 0.0, "blue": 0.0}
Orange	{"red": 1.0, "green": 0.5, "blue": 0.0}
Yellow	{"red": 1.0, "green": 1.0, "blue": 0.0}
Green	{"red": 0.0, "green": 1.0, "blue": 0.0}
Blue	{"red": 0.0, "green": 0.0, "blue": 1.0}
Purple	{"red": 0.5, "green": 0.0, "blue": 0.5}
Pink	{"red": 1.0, "green": 0.4, "blue": 0.7}
Gray	{"red": 0.5, "green": 0.5, "blue": 0.5}

Conversion: If you have 0-255 values, divide by 255 to get 0.0-1.0 values.

Common Timezone Values

• US: America/New_York, America/Chicago, America/Los_Angeles
• Europe: Europe/London, Europe/Paris, Europe/Berlin
• Asia: Asia/Tokyo, Asia/Shanghai, Asia/Dubai
• Australia: Australia/Sydney, Australia/Melbourne

Full list: IANA Time Zone Database

Common Locale Values

• en_US - English (United States)
• en_GB - English (United Kingdom)
• fr_FR - French (France)
• de_DE - German (Germany)
• es_ES - Spanish (Spain)
• ja_JP - Japanese (Japan)
• zh_CN - Chinese (China)

Tips

1. Batch updates: Change multiple properties in one call to save credits
2. Tab colors for organization: Use consistent color schemes across spreadsheets
3. Freeze rows AND columns: Freeze both row 1 and column A for data tables
4. Hidden sheets: Hide calculation or data sheets from end users
5. Sheet positioning: Put summary/dashboard sheets at position 0 (first)

Limitations

1. One sheet at a time: Cannot update multiple sheets in one call
2. Cannot rename to existing name: New sheet title must be unique in spreadsheet
3. Grid size minimums: At least 1 row and 1 column required
4. No undo: Changes are immediate (but can be manually reverted)

Credits Cost

1 credit per operation

Related Tools

• Delete Sheet - Delete sheets or spreadsheets
• Create Spreadsheet - Create new spreadsheets
• Insert Data - Add data to sheets