Use the "On file or folder change" trigger to run a workflow when a Google Drive file or folder changes. For example, you can consolidate a sales report after someone adds it to a folder instead of waiting for the next scheduled run.
To run a workflow when someone edits a spreadsheet, see Run a workflow when a spreadsheet is edited.
This trigger is marked PREVIEW throughout Sheetgo. Wording and defaults may change. Changes are detected within a few minutes, not instantly, and Sheetgo groups rapid changes into a single run.
Before you start
You need:
A plan with smart triggers.
A file or folder in Google Drive. You can't watch files in Dropbox, OneDrive, or SharePoint.
Access to the file or folder through the Google account connected to Sheetgo.
You can't watch the root of a shared drive. The "File or folder" field notes: "The root of a shared drive cannot be watched. Choose a folder inside it."
A folder trigger watches files in all its subfolders, at every level. You can't turn this off, so a folder with many nested subfolders may trigger more runs than you expect.
Open the trigger settings
In the Sheetgo web app, open your workflow and select the Triggers icon in the workflow sidebar. You can also select "Triggers" at the top of the Automations panel, next to "Run all".
From the workspace, select the trigger summary on the workflow's card, such as "Weekdays at 10AM" or "Manual trigger". This opens the same settings in a dialog.
The top of the Triggers panel has:
A "+" button for "New trigger".
A bell icon that opens "Failure notification settings" for the workflow's automatic runs.
An on/off switch, labeled "Auto-Run" or "Run automatically", depending on where you open it.
While the switch is off, you can't edit the trigger fields. A trigger saved with the switch off is dormant.
Set up the trigger
Turn the switch on if it's off, then select "New trigger" or "+". You can also use an existing trigger. A new trigger opens with "Based on a schedule" as the default.
Under NAME, keep the default name, such as "Trigger 1" or "Trigger 2", or enter your own. You can rename the trigger at any time.
Under TRIGGER OPTIONS, choose "On file or folder change". It's the last entry and is marked PREVIEW. The panel shows: "Preview: changes are detected within a few minutes, and rapid changes are grouped into a single run."
In "File or folder", select "Select file" to open the storage picker. The picker offers only Google Drive. If Sheetgo doesn't have permission to access your Drive yet, it asks for permission first.
To choose a file, select it.
To select a folder, open it. At the bottom of the picker, use "Select <folder name> as source folder", such as "Select Invoices as source folder", then select "Done".
You can watch an empty folder. The message "No spreadsheet files in this folder" doesn't prevent you from selecting it.
Under "Run when", tick the changes that should start a run. A file starts with "The content changes" selected. A folder starts with "A file is added to the folder" and "The content changes" selected. For a folder, the panel also shows "Also runs for files inside subfolders."
Under AUTOMATIONS, keep "All automations" or select only the automations that should react to the change. They always run in workflow order.
Review the "Consumption" estimate, check that the switch is on, then select "Save changes".
The trigger fields appear in this order: NAME, AUTOMATIONS, TRIGGER OPTIONS, the fields for the selected option, "Consumption", and "Save changes".
After you choose a file or folder, its name appears with a Google Drive icon. The bin icon removes the selection. "Save changes" stays disabled until the trigger is complete, including a selected file or folder and at least one ticked event.
Choose which changes start a run
Each ticked event is another way to start the workflow. Start with the defaults and add other events only if your workflow needs to react to them.
Event | Available for | What starts a run |
A file is added to the folder | Folder only | Someone uploads or creates a file in the folder, or moves a file into it from elsewhere. |
The content changes | File or folder | Someone edits the watched file, or a file inside the watched folder. |
It is renamed | File or folder | The name changes. A rename is separate from a content change. |
It is moved | File or folder | The file moves to another folder, including out of the folder you're watching. |
It is moved to the trash | File or folder | Someone deletes the file the ordinary way. They can still restore it from the trash. |
It is restored from the trash | File or folder | Someone restores the file from the trash. |
It is permanently deleted | File or folder | Someone deletes the file permanently. Select this only if the workflow should react to that loss. |
"A file is added to the folder" doesn't appear when you're watching a file rather than a folder.
Every run uses automation credits. Selecting all seven events on a busy shared folder can use up your plan's credits quickly.
What happens after a change
Changes take a few minutes to arrive
Google decides when to notify Sheetgo. Detection takes a few minutes, and you can't make it instant.
Sheetgo groups rapid changes into a single run. Editing ten cells in a row doesn't start ten runs.
Changes during a run aren't queued
If a change arrives while the workflow is still running, Sheetgo doesn't queue it for another run. The next change after the run finishes starts the workflow again.
Only the automations selected for that trigger run, always in workflow order.
Your edits count too
Google doesn't tell Sheetgo who made a change, so your own edits can trigger the workflow.
Two workflows can watch the same file. One change can therefore start several workflows.
Usage depends on how often changes happen
Each run uses automation credits like any other workflow run. For example, a file edited twice a day means about 60 runs a month. A busy shared folder can trigger far more, especially when it contains subfolders.
Avoid writing results into the watched folder
If a workflow watches a folder and writes its results into that same folder, Sheetgo recognizes its own output and doesn't trigger itself again.
Google only reports that something appeared in the folder. To prevent a loop, Sheetgo treats new arrivals as its own output for a short window after a run. As a result, a file you drop into the folder during a run may not start another one. Dropping it into the folder again a few minutes later will trigger a run.
Where possible, write results into a different folder from the one you watch.
Pause and resume the trigger
Turn off the switch ("Auto-Run" or "Run automatically") to pause the trigger.
Sheetgo stops listening to Google while the switch is off. When you turn it back on, Sheetgo starts listening again, but it doesn't replay changes that happened during the pause. The next change starts the workflow.
Check why the workflow didn't run
A file or folder trigger can fail silently, with no run, error, or notification. Sheetgo checks the connection and shows "Needs attention" on the trigger's row when Google stops delivering changes.
Open the Triggers panel.
If the trigger shows "Needs attention", open it and select "Save changes" again. This rebuilds the connection.
If the trigger looks healthy, check that the change matches a ticked event under "Run when". For example, a rename doesn't count as a content change.
When the connection needs attention, the editor shows one of these messages:
"Google stopped delivering changes for this file (reason). Save the trigger again to reconnect."
"Sheetgo could not confirm the connection to Google Drive for this trigger. Save the trigger again to reconnect."
For a healthy connection, the editor shows "Last change detected:" and how long ago it happened. If the trigger has never fired, it shows "No change detected yet."
If the event settings and connection look correct, check whether the change happened while the trigger was off, while the workflow was running, or during the short window when Sheetgo treats new arrivals as its own output. Those changes don't start another run. Also allow a few minutes for Google to report the change.