How to Forward Emails to Google Sheets Automatically

Manually copying emails into Google Sheets is tedious. With auto-forwarding, you can send emails to Sheets without lifting a finger. Here's how to set it up.

What Is Email-to-Google Sheets Forwarding?

Email forwarding to Google Sheets works by giving you a unique email address tied to a spreadsheet. Any email sent to that address gets parsed and saved as a new row in your sheet.

Quicktion provides this out of the box. When you create a destination, you get an address like abc123@in.quicktion.io. Forward an email there, and it appears in your spreadsheet within 10-30 seconds.

The system extracts the subject, sender, date, body, and attachments from the forwarded email, then maps each field to the columns you've configured. Everything is automatic once the initial setup is done.

Setting Up Auto-Forwarding in Gmail

Gmail lets you create filters that automatically forward matching emails. This is the most powerful way to use email-to-Sheets forwarding because it runs server-side — no browser or device needs to be open.

1. Open Gmail Settings and go to Filters and Blocked Addresses
2. Click Create a new filter
3. Set your criteria (e.g., from a specific sender, with a specific subject, or containing certain keywords)
4. Click Create filter and check Forward it to
5. Enter your Quicktion forwarding address

From now on, any email matching your filter will be forwarded to Google Sheets automatically.

Examples of Useful Gmail Filters

Forward all receipts from Stripe:

• Filter: From contains billing@stripe.com
• Action: Forward to your Quicktion address

Forward all contact form submissions:

• Filter: Subject contains New Contact Form Submission
• Action: Forward to your Quicktion address

Forward all order confirmations:

• Filter: From contains orders@shopify.com OR from contains no-reply@amazon.com
• Action: Forward to your Quicktion address

Forward all emails with attachments from a specific client:

• Filter: From contains client@example.com AND has attachment
• Action: Forward to your Quicktion address

You can create as many filters as you need, each forwarding to a different Quicktion destination (and therefore a different spreadsheet). This lets you route receipts to one sheet, leads to another, and newsletters to a third.

For more advanced filter strategies, see our guide on email tracking with spreadsheets.

Setting Up Auto-Forwarding in Outlook

Outlook supports rules-based forwarding too. The interface is slightly different from Gmail, but the concept is the same.

Outlook Web (outlook.com)

1. Go to Settings > Mail > Rules
2. Click Add new rule
3. Name your rule (e.g., "Forward receipts to Sheets")
4. Set your conditions (e.g., from a specific address, subject contains certain words)
5. Choose Forward to as the action
6. Enter your Quicktion forwarding address
7. Click Save

Outlook Desktop (Windows/Mac)

1. Go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts
2. Click New Rule
3. Select Apply rule on messages I receive and click Next
4. Choose your conditions (sender, subject, keywords, etc.)
5. Click Next and select forward it to people or public group
6. Click the underlined link to enter your Quicktion address
7. Complete the wizard and save the rule

Outlook rules also run server-side, so they work even when Outlook is closed or you're on vacation. Every matching email is forwarded and saved to your spreadsheet automatically.

For a more detailed walkthrough of Outlook email workflows, see our Outlook-to-Notion guide (the forwarding setup is identical).

Setting Up Forwarding in Apple Mail

Apple Mail on macOS supports rules that can automatically forward emails to any address, including your Quicktion destination.

1. Open Mail and go to Settings (or Preferences on older macOS versions)
2. Click the Rules tab
3. Click Add Rule
4. Give your rule a name (e.g., "Forward expense emails to Sheets")
5. Set your conditions — you can match by sender, subject, or other criteria. For example, set "From" contains "billing@" to catch receipts
6. Under "Perform the following actions," select Forward Message and enter your Quicktion forwarding address
7. Click OK to save the rule

Important limitation: Apple Mail rules run on your Mac, so your computer needs to be on and Mail needs to be open for the rules to trigger. If you need forwarding to work 24/7 without keeping your Mac running, consider setting up rules in Gmail or Outlook's web interface instead — those run server-side.

You can create multiple rules for different types of emails, each forwarding to a different Quicktion destination. This lets you route newsletters to one spreadsheet and receipts to another.

Forwarding from Mobile (iPhone & Android)

You can forward emails to Google Sheets from your phone too, though the process differs between platforms.

iPhone (iOS Mail)

iOS Mail doesn't support auto-forwarding rules. To save an email to Google Sheets, open the email, tap the forward arrow, and enter your Quicktion address. It takes about five seconds.

If you use Gmail on iPhone, there's good news: any auto-forwarding filters you set up in Gmail's web interface apply to all your devices, including your phone. Emails are forwarded server-side, so your phone doesn't even need to be on.

Android (Gmail)

Gmail on Android works the same as Gmail on desktop for forwarding. Tap the three-dot menu on any email, choose Forward, and enter your Quicktion address.

Just like on iPhone, Gmail filters you set up on the web apply automatically. If you've already configured auto-forwarding rules in Gmail, those emails are being forwarded to Google Sheets regardless of which device you're using.

For the best hands-free experience on mobile, set up your auto-forwarding rules once on desktop and let them handle everything from there.

What Happens When You Forward an Email

Here's what happens behind the scenes when you forward an email to your Quicktion address:

1. Email arrives at Quicktion. Your forwarded email hits the Quicktion mail server. This happens almost instantly after you forward (or after your auto-forwarding rule triggers).

2. Content is extracted. Quicktion parses the email and pulls out the key fields: subject line, sender name and address, date, the full email body (with formatting preserved), and any attachments like PDFs, images, or documents.

3. A row is appended to your spreadsheet. Quicktion appends a new row to the Google Sheets tab linked to your destination. The email body is converted to markdown with clickable links preserved as rich text.

4. Fields are mapped to columns. Each email field is written to the column you've configured. Subject to column A, sender to column B, date to column C, body to column D, and so on. You control the column order and which fields to include.

5. Attachments are uploaded to Google Drive. Any files attached to the email are uploaded to a Google Drive folder and linked in your spreadsheet. You can open them directly from the sheet with one click.

6. It shows up in your activity feed. You can see a log of every processed email in the Quicktion dashboard, including whether it succeeded and how long it took.

The entire process typically takes 10-30 seconds from when the email is forwarded to when the row appears in your spreadsheet. Most of that time is spent uploading attachments to Drive (if applicable).

What Gets Saved to Google Sheets?

When an email is forwarded to Quicktion, it extracts:

• Subject — saved to the column you designate
• Sender name — saved to a separate column
• Sender email — saved to a separate column
• Date — saved as a date value, formatted to your spreadsheet's timezone
• Body — converted to markdown with clickable links preserved as rich text
• Attachments — uploaded to Google Drive and linked in a column

You can customize which columns appear and in what order in your Quicktion destination settings. Want to show Date first, then Subject, then Sender? Just reorder the columns in your configuration.

The column mapping uses Google Sheets' developer metadata feature, so Quicktion can find the right columns even if you rename headers, add new columns, or reorganize your sheet. The mapping stays intact.

For a detailed breakdown of what data is available, see our complete guide to saving emails to Google Sheets.

Tips for Better Auto-Forwarding

Use specific filters. Don't forward everything. Target specific senders, subject lines, or keywords. The more precise your filter, the more useful your spreadsheet.

Organize with multiple destinations. Create different Quicktion destinations for different types of emails. One destination for receipts, another for leads, another for newsletters. Each can route to a different spreadsheet or different tabs within the same spreadsheet.

Combine with Sheets features. Use Google Sheets' built-in filters, sorts, and formulas to organize your forwarded emails. Add a "Status" column with a dropdown for tracking. Use conditional formatting to highlight urgent emails.

Save attachments strategically. If you forward emails with large attachments frequently, check your Google Drive storage. Quicktion uploads attachments to a folder you control, so you can delete old files when needed.

Test before going live. Forward a few test emails manually before setting up auto-forwarding rules. Verify the column mapping looks right and the data appears as expected.

Use labels in Gmail. After forwarding an email via a Gmail filter, you can also apply a label. This helps you track which emails have been forwarded to Sheets without cluttering your inbox.

Popular Use Cases

Expense & Receipt Tracking

Forward purchase confirmations and invoices to a Google Sheets expense tracker. The subject captures the vendor, the date records when the transaction happened, and PDF receipts are uploaded to Drive and linked.

Set up Gmail filters for Amazon, Stripe, PayPal, Square, and any other vendors you buy from regularly. Every receipt is logged automatically.

Add columns for amount, category, reimbursement status, and notes. Filter by date range at tax time or when submitting expense reports.

Lead Capture

Forward inquiry emails from your contact form or support inbox to a Google Sheets CRM tracker. The sender becomes the lead contact, the email body contains their question, and the date shows when they reached out.

Add columns for status (New, Contacted, Qualified, Closed) and deal value. Share the sheet with your sales team for real-time visibility.

Order Confirmation Log

E-commerce businesses and marketplace sellers receive order confirmations via email. Forward these to a Google Sheets order log to track fulfillment timelines and inventory.

Set up auto-forwarding from Shopify, Etsy, Amazon Seller Central, or any platform that emails confirmations. Add columns for order status, tracking numbers, and customer notes.

Newsletter Archive

Subscribing to newsletters is easy. Finding that one article three months later is hard. Forward newsletters to a Google Sheets archive and you get a searchable log.

Set up a Gmail filter for each newsletter sender. Add a column for "Read" status or "Category" to organize what you've consumed. Use Sheets' search function to find articles by keyword.

For a related Notion-based workflow, see our newsletter archiving guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I forward emails to Google Sheets automatically?

Yes. Create a Quicktion destination to get a forwarding address, then set up auto-forwarding rules in your email client. Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, and most email apps support rule-based forwarding.

Does email forwarding to Sheets work with Outlook?

Yes. Outlook supports rules-based forwarding. Create a rule that matches your criteria and set the action to forward emails to your Quicktion address.

What happens to attachments when I forward emails to Sheets?

Attachments are automatically uploaded to a Google Drive folder and linked in your spreadsheet. You can access them directly from the sheet.

How fast are forwarded emails saved to Google Sheets?

Most emails appear in your spreadsheet within 10-30 seconds of being forwarded. Processing time depends on email size and attachment count.

Can I forward different emails to different spreadsheets?

Yes. Create multiple Quicktion destinations, each linked to a different spreadsheet. Then set up separate forwarding rules for each email type.

Get Started

Sign up for Quicktion and create your first forwarding destination. It takes less than two minutes.

For more on saving emails directly from Gmail without forwarding, see our Gmail-to-Google Sheets integration guide.

For attachment-specific workflows, check out our guide on saving email attachments to Google Drive.