IMPORTRANGE and privacy: what people you share with can see

By Paul Kemp · Published 5 October 2026

IMPORTRANGE pulls a range from another Google Sheets™ file into this one. It is useful. It is also an easy way to share data you did not mean to.

What happens

Once someone with access to the source file allows the connection, the imported values appear in your sheet. From then on, anyone who can open your sheet sees those values, whether or not they can open the source file.

So a summary sheet shared widely, fed by IMPORTRANGE from a restricted staff file, shows that staff data to its whole audience.

Where it gets missed

The formula sits in one cell, but the data it brings in can fill hundreds.
The imported tab may be hidden.
Charts and pivot tables built on imported data show it too.

Check and fix by hand

Search for IMPORTRANGE with Ctrl+H, across all sheets, with Also search within formulas ticked.
Note each source file it points to.
Ask whether everyone who can see this file should see that data.
If not, trim the range to what is needed, then convert it to values (copy, then Paste special → Values only), or remove the formula.

Converting to values removes the live link, so the data goes stale. That is the price of safety.

About two minutes on a real sheet. The full walkthrough is on YouTube.

Check before you share

Personal Data and Sharing Check™ scans a Google Sheets™ file for personal data, including hidden tabs, notes and disguised text, and shows who can already see it. It shows masked samples only, never the full value. Checking is free, and your data stays in your browser.

Install from the Google Workspace Marketplace™

Google, Google Sheets™ and Google Workspace™ are trademarks of Google LLC. App Garden™ is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google. This is data-minimisation and sharing-hygiene guidance, not legal advice.

Google, Google Sheets™ and Google Workspace™ are trademarks of Google LLC. Personal Data and Sharing Check is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.