ImportRanger
If you use Google Sheets™ across multiple files, you’ve almost certainly run into the IMPORTRANGE authorisation problem. Every time a spreadsheet pulls data from another file using =IMPORTRANGE(), Google™ requires the connection to be manually approved — one by one. For teams with dozens or hundreds of linked sheets, this quickly becomes a serious maintenance headache. ImportRanger solves it in one click.
ImportRanger is a Google Sheets™ add-on that automatically authorises all IMPORTRANGE connections in your spreadsheet with no manual clicking through permission dialogs. It also shows you a full list of every connection in the file — with their status, the source range they pull from, and a direct link to navigate straight to the cell — so you always know exactly what’s connected to what.
Install on Google Workspace
How it works
Once installed, ImportRanger adds a menu item to your Google Sheet™ under Extensions → ImportRanger → Open Sidebar. From the sidebar you can:
- Allow all IMPORTRANGEs — this sheet — ImportRanger scans every cell in the active spreadsheet for IMPORTRANGE formulas and authorises each pending connection automatically. What used to take minutes of clicking now takes seconds.
- Allow all IMPORTRANGEs — active tab — same as above but scoped to the tab you’re currently on, useful when you only need to unblock one sheet at a time.
- IMPORTRANGE Connections list — expand the connections panel to see every IMPORTRANGE in the file grouped by source spreadsheet. Each entry shows the connection status (authorised, pending, or broken), the source range it pulls from with a direct link into the source file, and the exact cell in your sheet where the formula lives. You can authorise pending connections individually, or use the bulk bar to authorise all of them at once.
- Dependency tree (Solo and Team) — for any connected source, open a visual tree showing which spreadsheets that source itself depends on, up to three levels deep. Results are cached so repeat lookups are instant.
The add-on handles all three IMPORTRANGE formula formats: full spreadsheet URLs ("https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/..."), bare sheet IDs, and cell references (=IMPORTRANGE(B2, "Sheet1!A:A") where B2 contains the URL). It uses Google’s™ server-side TextFinder API to locate formulas efficiently, even in large sheets with thousands of rows.
Plans
ImportRanger is available in three tiers:
- Free — authorise up to 10 unique IMPORTRANGE connections per spreadsheet at no cost. The limit is tracked permanently per spreadsheet so it cannot be reset by removing and re-adding formulas.
- Solo — unlimited IMPORTRANGE authorisations across all your spreadsheets, plus the dependency tree for any connected source.
- Team — everything in Solo, plus a full audit log automatically written to a dedicated ImportRanger Data spreadsheet. Every authorisation is recorded with a timestamp, the user’s email, the source and target spreadsheet URLs, and a status — giving your team a complete, searchable history of every connection ever approved.
Licensing is managed through a Chargebee subscription linked to your Google™ account email address. Your plan is checked when you open the sidebar and can be refreshed at any time with the “Refresh plan” button.
Installation
Install ImportRanger from the Google Workspace™ Marketplace, then open any Google Sheet™ and go to Extensions → ImportRanger → Open Sidebar. You will be prompted to grant the necessary permissions (read and edit your spreadsheets and connect to the licensing service). No additional setup is required for the free tier — just install and run.
For Solo and Team plans, subscribe below and sign in using the same Google™ account email you use in Google Sheets™. Your plan will be detected automatically the next time you open the sidebar.