How to export Google Sheets to JSON

Prepare the spreadsheet table

Keep one field per column and one record per row. For an array of objects, the first selected row should contain unique, non-empty field names such as id, title, price, and category.

The exporter reads the values in the selected range. It does not export cell formatting, comments, notes, filters, charts, or conditional-formatting rules. Formula cells contribute their evaluated values rather than their formula text.

Step 1

Select the range to export

Drag across the complete table or enter its A1 notation in the name box. In this example, A1:F6 includes six headers and five product records. The selection includes the header row because those labels will become JSON property names.

Step 2

Open Export selected range to JSON

Choose Extensions → JSON for Sheets → Export selected range to JSON. The add-on opens directly on the Export tab and keeps the active spreadsheet selection as the source.

You can also open the full JSON for Sheets sidebar first and then choose Export. Both routes use the same exporter.

Step 3

Choose the right JSON shape

Array of objects is the safest default. Choose Object only when every first-column value is present and unique; that column becomes the object key and is removed from each nested record. Choose Array of rows when consumers expect a matrix instead of named properties.

Step 4

Set headers, nesting, and formatting

Configure the output before generating it:

• Use headers: treats the first selected row as field names. This is the normal setting for spreadsheet tables.
• No headers: treats every selected row as data and assigns generated names such as column_1 and column_2 where object keys are needed.
• Reconstruct nested objects from dotted headers: converts headers such as customer.name and customer.email into a nested customer object.
• Pretty print JSON: adds indentation and line breaks for readable output. Turn it off when compact JSON is preferred.

Step 5

Generate and copy the JSON

Select Export selection. JSON for Sheets converts the active range and displays its A1 notation under the output—for example, Exported A1:F6. Review the Generated JSON field before copying it.

Select Copy JSON. The status changes to JSON copied, and the generated text is placed on your clipboard for use in a codebase, request body, configuration file, or another application.

How to save the copied output as a .json file

The current add-on copies JSON; it does not include a direct file-download button. To create a file, open a plain-text editor such as Visual Studio Code or TextEdit in plain-text mode, paste the copied output, and save it with a name such as products.json using UTF-8 encoding.

Validate the file before sending it to another system. A JSON parser should accept the content immediately because the exporter serializes the result rather than constructing it with spreadsheet formulas or manual string concatenation.

Turn dotted spreadsheet headers into nested JSON

Suppose the sheet contains these headers:

id | customer.name | customer.email
1  | Ana Ruiz      | ana@example.com

With nested reconstruction enabled, the result becomes:

[
  {
    "id": 1,
    "customer": {
      "name": "Ana Ruiz",
      "email": "ana@example.com"
    }
  }
]

Header paths must not collide. For example, using both customer and customer.name is ambiguous because one column treats customer as a value while the other treats it as an object. Escape a literal dot in a property name with a backslash, such as literal\.dot.

Export JSON with the TABLE_TO_JSON formula

The same conversion engine is available as a custom function:

=TABLE_TO_JSON(A1:F6,"shape=array;headers=true;pretty=true")

Use shape=array, shape=object, or shape=rows. Other supported options are headers=true or false, pretty=true or false, and reconstructnested=true or false. Separate options with semicolons.

The formula returns JSON text in a spreadsheet cell and recalculates with the range. Use the sidebar exporter when you want an explicit one-time conversion and a dedicated Copy JSON action.

How spreadsheet values become JSON data types

Spreadsheet display formatting is not a JSON type. A currency-formatted numeric cell exports as a number, not as a dollar-sign string. If leading zeros matter—such as in postal codes or account IDs—store the value as text before export.

Troubleshoot Google Sheets to JSON exports

Frequently asked questions