Features Solutions Pricing FAQs Contact
Sign In

Grids

Smartsheet Column Manager Templates

Smartsheet has no native way to reuse portable column definitions between sheets. When a user needs to replicate a column structure, they rebuild every column by hand, one click at a time. A sheet with 20 columns becomes 20 rounds of Insert Column, type selection, and dropdown entry.

Without Grid Tools

The daily workaround

Rebuild columns from scratch
Every new sheet requires opening an existing sheet in another tab and manually recreating each column — name, type, width, and dropdown values — one by one.
Screenshot column settings
Teams take screenshots of column configuration panels or paste column names into a doc just to have something to reference while rebuilding in the target sheet.
Retype dropdown options
Contact list and picklist values have to be re-entered individually in each new column because there is no native way to transfer them between sheets.
Chase structural drift
Without a reliable copy mechanism, sheets built by different team members diverge in column naming, type choices, and formula patterns over time.
Screenshot: Insert Column dialog open for the fifth time
Opening the Insert Column dialog repeatedly for each new column
Screenshot: Retyping dropdown values into a new column
Re-entering dropdown values one option at a time
Screenshot: Two sheets side by side to compare column structure
Manually comparing source and target sheets to verify structure matches

With Grid Tools

How Grid Tools handles it

Save a portable template
Column Manager stores portable column definitions and selected layout metadata in local browser storage.
Append or replace a layout
Load a saved local template to append ordinary columns or replace the current layout after reviewing the destructive confirmation.
Dropdown values transfer too
Contact list options and picklist values carry over with the column definition, so dropdown content does not need to be retyped in the target sheet.
Consistent structure across sheets
Load the same browser-local template while working in another sheet to reduce structural drift across repeat builds.
Screenshot: Saving a browser-local template in Column Manager
Saving portable column definitions in local browser storage
Screenshot: Reviewing a saved template in Column Manager
Reviewing a local template before loading it
Screenshot: Appending a saved template to the current sheet
Appending ordinary columns from a saved local template

Frequently asked questions

Does Smartsheet let you copy column definitions between sheets?

No. Smartsheet does not have a native column export or import feature. Column names, types, dropdown values, and formulas must be recreated manually in each new sheet.

What does a portable template store?

Column Manager stores supported portable column definitions and selected layout metadata in local browser storage.

Can I load a template into an existing sheet?

Yes. Append adds supported ordinary columns, while Replace rebuilds the current layout after a destructive confirmation.

Can I send a saved template to another user?

No. Column Manager templates are stored in the local browser and the shipped feature does not export a redistributable template file.

Related solutions

Ready to try it?

Download for free. Upgrade when ready.

Download free See all features