Use the "On file or folder change" trigger to run a workflow when someone edits a Google Sheets file. For example, a colleague updates a source spreadsheet, and the workflow refreshes the dashboard or report that reads from it within minutes. Your own edits count too.
This article covers spreadsheet edits. For the full list of events and behaviors, see Run a workflow when a file or folder changes.
Before you start
You can watch Google Sheets files in Google Drive. You can't watch Excel files in OneDrive or SharePoint.
The trigger watches the whole spreadsheet, not a specific tab, row, or cell. Google's change notifications tell Sheetgo that a file changed, but not where it changed. An edit anywhere in the file can start a run, including an edit to a tab your workflow doesn't read.
Set up the trigger
Open your workflow in the Sheetgo web app.
Select the Triggers icon in the workflow sidebar, or select "Triggers" at the top of the Automations panel, next to "Run all".
Turn on the switch at the top ("Auto-Run" or "Run automatically") so you can edit the trigger settings.
Select "+" ("New trigger").
Under NAME, enter a name such as "Source sheet edited". You can rename the trigger at any time.
Under TRIGGER OPTIONS, change the default "Based on a schedule" to "On file or folder change".
Select "Select file". In the storage picker, select the Google Sheets file you want to watch.
Under "Run when", keep "The content changes" selected.
Under AUTOMATIONS, choose the automations you want the trigger to run.
Review the "Consumption" estimate, then select "Save changes" with the switch on.
You can also open the same settings from your workspace. Select the trigger summary on the workflow's card, such as "Manual trigger". The switch reads "Auto-Run" or "Run automatically", depending on where you open it.
"Save changes" stays disabled until the trigger is complete. While the switch is off, you can't edit the fields, and a trigger saved with the switch off is dormant.
What happens after an edit
Sheetgo detects changes within a few minutes. It groups bursts of edits into one run, so editing ten cells in a row doesn't start ten runs.
If a change arrives while the workflow is running, Sheetgo doesn't queue another run for it. The next change starts a run that picks it up.
If your workflow writes back into the spreadsheet it watches, Sheetgo recognizes its own output. The cleanest setup still writes results to a different file.
Each run uses automation credits. A file edited twice a day means about sixty runs a month.
Example: update regional sales totals
For a workflow named "Sales reporting", create a trigger named "Source sheet edited". Select "Sales data 2026" as the file to watch, keep "The content changes" selected, and choose the automation that updates regional totals.
An edit anywhere in "Sales data 2026" can then start that automation, even if the edit is outside the tab used for regional totals.