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1. Open files or paste copied data
On a desktop browser, you can try the built-in join and comparison samples without signing in. To open your own files or paste data, sign in with Google. Then select Excel or CSV files or paste copied spreadsheet data into the paste area. Review the imported sheets before opening the workspace. A workbook may contain more than one sheet.
If the column names are not in the first row, use the start-position selection offered during import. Check that the selected row contains the intended column names and that the first data items are included.
2. Choose the operation
Join sheets when records share a key, such as a customer ID. Join on columns that represent the same information; matching column positions alone is not enough.
Append sheets when you want to combine data into one longer table. The sheets must have the same set of column names, but the column order can differ. Check that the data under each name represents the same information.
Auto-compare uses columns with the same names. Without join keys, it compares combinations of values in those columns. With join keys, it matches the same item and compares the other columns, excluding the keys. To compare changes, each combination of key values must be unique within each sheet. Review the selected pair of sheets and comparison settings.
3. Check the result before saving
The join method determines which matching and unmatched records remain. If you connect several key columns between the same pair of sheets, all their values must match. Those connections use one join method.
Repeated key values produce every matching combination, which can make the result much larger. Check identifiers, blanks, leading zeros, date formats, selected columns, and filters. A preview is not proof that every result is correct.
Free previews the first 10 rows of a result; Pro previews the first 100. Pro also includes result refinements, full Excel exports, Data Recipes, and the full user guide. The Pricing page lists the features and limits. Confirm the output column names and values before using a result for accounting, reporting, or other important decisions.
When you click Save results, we first record account and click identifiers, the server timestamp, and verified plan and billing context online—not file contents. Saving cannot proceed without confirmation that the record was stored, so an internet connection is required.
4. Keep files and workflow settings safe
Source files are not overwritten by opening them in JOIN SHEET. Exports are generated on your device and saved through your browser. Keep independent copies of important files.
A Data Recipe saves workflow settings, not source rows or preview-result values. File and sheet names, column names, filter values, and other settings can still be confidential. To reuse a recipe, you must provide the relevant source files again.
5. When importing or processing fails
If the browser cannot read a file, check its format, access permissions, and whether it is available on your device. If your organization permits it, copy the needed data in your spreadsheet application and use the paste option. The same company policies apply to pasted data.
If results are unexpectedly large or processing is slow, review duplicate key values and the selected join method. Close other memory-heavy tabs and try a smaller, non-sensitive sample. There is no single capacity limit that fits every file and device.
Record the exact error and the steps taken. Do not refresh or clear site data as the first troubleshooting step: the active workspace is not a permanent saved copy.
6. Account, payment, or access problems
Use the same Google account you used when purchasing. In My account, check the plan and select ‘Refresh plan details’ if access appears out of date. This is the account-page button, not your browser’s reload button. Do not purchase again solely because a completed payment is not yet reflected.
For billing problems, use Billing & subscriptions. For a product issue you can reproduce, use Contact Support to send a screenshot with sensitive details removed and a small example using made-up data. Do not send confidential source workbooks.
7. Connection, sign-in, or payment problems
JOIN SHEET does not provide live incident monitoring. If something goes wrong, note the time and time zone, browser, and exact error message.
Check whether the problem occurs during local processing, sign-in, payment, or download. Do not purchase again while a payment is unresolved or refresh a workspace with unsaved work.
Use Contact Support for product availability and Vulnerability Disclosure for a security flaw. Include the country, browser, approximate time, steps, and exact message; remove source values from screenshots.
These independently maintained pages may help identify a provider incident. They do not monitor JOIN SHEET’s own application, your device, or your network, and a normal provider status does not rule out a product-specific problem.
8. When an incident is confirmed
For a confirmed material incident, we will report the affected component, known impact, investigation or recovery progress, and the next update when reasonably available. We will avoid publishing speculation or sensitive security details.
We do not yet maintain a verified public incident history.
9. When CSV characters look wrong
Import the original CSV directly and compare text values with the source, even if the numbers look correct. JOIN SHEET detects the encoding automatically; there is no manual encoding selector.
If detection fails or characters still look wrong, open the original in a program that displays it correctly, save a separate UTF-8 CSV, and import that copy. Changing a column's data type will not repair encoding problems. Characters already saved as question marks or replacement characters cannot be recovered by changing the encoding.
10. When a pasted table appears as one column
Copy a rectangular range from the source, including the header row. Each column needs a distinct, non-empty name. The copied text must retain tabs between columns and line breaks between rows. Check the headers, row count, and cell values in the paste preview before creating the sheet.
If the preview shows one column instead of the original columns, copy the original range again. JOIN SHEET cannot reconstruct missing column separators from arbitrary text or a webpage layout. If copying does not preserve the table structure, export Excel or CSV from the source program and import that file.