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Smartsheet Column Export and Import

Smartsheet has no native way to export or import column definitions between sheets. When a team needs to replicate a column structure — same names, types, dropdown options, and formulas — 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

Export full column definitions
Grid Tools captures all column metadata — name, type, width, dropdown values, formulas, and validation settings — into a reusable exported format.
Import into any target sheet
Apply an exported column set to a new or existing sheet and rebuild the full column structure in one action instead of column by column.
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
Teams working from the same exported definition produce sheets with identical column layouts, reducing drift across workspaces.
Screenshot: Exporting column definitions from a source sheet
Exporting column definitions from a source sheet
Screenshot: Reviewing the exported column list before import
Reviewing column names, types, and settings before import
Screenshot: Columns imported into a new sheet
Imported columns applied to the target sheet

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 column settings does Grid Tools export?

Grid Tools exports column name, type, width, dropdown values (contact list and picklist), column formulas, and validation settings.

Can I import columns into a sheet that already has row data?

Yes. Grid Tools adds the imported columns to the target sheet without modifying existing row data.

Can I share an exported column definition with my team?

Yes. The exported definition can be saved and redistributed so multiple sheet builders on the same team start from an identical column structure.

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