The GSHEET is a shortcut file extension to open Google Sheets documents from Google Drive for Desktop. The file contains related information to the original file stored on Google Drive. It is useful when you want to quickly access a Google Sheet document from your computer’s file browser. The spreadsheet still opens in your web browser, and you must be signed in to a Google account that has access.
GSHEET shortcut files reside on your PC after you download the Google Drive for Desktop app. Keep reading to learn more about the GSHEET file extension.
More About the GSHEET File
The GSHEET file extension is used by the Google Drive for Desktop application. The app syncs your Google Drive files to your computer. When you make a file on Google Sheets, the app generates a shortcut file with the same name but a GSHEET extension.
The shortcut file holds details like the URL, file type, and owner on Google Drive. Interestingly, it doesn’t contain the original file’s content. Instead, the GSHEET file just stores a reference to the file’s location on Google Drive.
GSHEET shortcut used by Google Drive for Desktop
Shortcut file with URL and owner information
No original file content
How to Open a GSHEET File?
It’s simple to open a GSHEET file with Google Drive for Desktop. Just find the file on your PC, typically in Google Drive > My Drive. Double-click to open it.
GSHEET files can’t be opened directly with other programs since they only store reference information. To view or edit, open them with Google Sheets. After that, you can download the file in formats like Excel or PDF by going to File > Download.
If you don’t have Google Drive for Desktop installed, the shortcut won’t do much on its own. A machine without the app may ask you to choose a program or fail to open the shortcut. The quickest fix is to sign in to Google Sheets or Google Drive in a browser and find the original spreadsheet there. If the shortcut contains a readable URL, you can open that URL without editing the shortcut file. The same thing applies if you email a GSHEET file to someone else: because it carries no real data, the recipient needs access to the original Google Drive document for the link to work.
On phones and tablets there’s no GSHEET file to worry about at all. The Google Sheets mobile app pulls your spreadsheets straight from your account, so you tap the file inside the app instead of hunting for a shortcut. If double-clicking a desktop shortcut sends it to the wrong program, open the original spreadsheet through Google Drive in your browser. Google Sheets is a web app, so you do not need to choose it as an installed desktop program.
For an actual backup you can open in Excel, open the original spreadsheet in Sheets and choose File > Download > Microsoft Excel (.xlsx). Renaming a .gsheet file to .xlsx does not convert it or add the spreadsheet data. Keep the cloud original until you have checked the downloaded copy.
For offline editing in Sheets, set up Google’s offline feature while you are connected to the internet, using Chrome or Microsoft Edge with the Google Docs Offline extension. Then open the spreadsheet and choose File > Make available offline. A .gsheet shortcut alone is not a substitute for that setup.
