How to Extract Data from Smart Chips in Google Sheets

Google Sheets users can access additional information from spreadsheet cells by converting them to Smart Chips. Smart Chips act as interactive data objects that connect to Google Workspace files, calendar events, contacts, and locations. For example, a File Chip holds extra data about a specific file in Google Drive, including the file owner, last modified date, and direct URL—all accessible through data extraction formulas or the built-in extraction sidebar.

There are several types of Smart Chips, and each type offers different extractions. The following table summarizes the options.

Available Smart Chip Extractions

This list shows the different types of Chips and the additional data they can store. Some extractions are limited to Google Workspace accounts.

• Event Chip
  • Summary, URL, Description, Start date, End date, Organizer, Attendees, Location
• File Chip
  • File Name, MIME Type, URL, Creation Time, Last Modified By, Last Modified Time, Owner
• Finance Chip
  • Extractions are not available. Use the GOOGLEFINANCE function instead.
• People Chip
  • Name, Email, Phone, Title, Location
• Place Chip
  • Location URL
• YouTube Chip
  • Video URL

Any of the items on this list can be extracted from your spreadsheet. Let’s review the different methods available.

💡 Pro tip: Planning to work with calendar data? Learn about Event Chips and calendar integration or explore automated calendar import solutions for bulk operations.

Data Extraction Methods

You can extract data from Smart Chips in two ways:

• Using the Data Extraction sidebar: This is the most straightforward method. To use it, select a cell with a Smart Chip, click the Data menu option, and choose Data extraction. This will open a sidebar on the right where you can select the data you want to extract.

• Using a formula: You can also extract data from Smart Chips using a formula. To do this, start typing an equal sign (=) in the cell where you want the data to be extracted. Then, select the cell that contains the smart chips. Finally, add a period (.) and the data type you want to extract. For example, to extract the URL from a File Chip in cell A1, you would type =A1.url.

Which Method Should You Use?

Use the Data Extraction sidebar when:

• Extracting data from multiple chips at once
• You’re new to Google Sheets formulas
• You need a visual interface to see available properties

Use formulas when:

• Automating data extraction across many rows
• Building dynamic spreadsheets that update automatically
• You need to combine Smart Chip data with other calculations

For Event Chips specifically: Formulas are ideal for creating event dashboards or attendance trackers where data updates automatically.

Additional Tips for Extracting Data from Smart Chips

• You can extract multiple pieces of data from a single Smart Chip using an array. For example, you could extract a person’s name and email into separate cells with one formula as such: ={A1.url,A1.[file name]}. Note the []s are needed due to the space in the file name argument.
• If you extract data from many Smart Chips, you can automate the process using the Data Extraction sidebar.

Working with Event Chips and Calendar Data

Event Chips are particularly useful for managing calendar information in Google Sheets. When you insert an Event Chip from Google Calendar, you can extract comprehensive meeting details without manual data entry.

Extracting Event Chip Data

Available extractions from Event Chips include:

• Start date and End date: Perfect for creating timeline views or calculating event durations
• Attendees: Build attendance lists or calculate headcount
• Location: Map meeting locations or analyze venue usage
• Organizer: Track who scheduled each event
• Summary and Description: Pull full event details for reports

Need to import bulk calendar data? While Event Chips excel at individual event tracking, Calendar Importer automates the entire process for multiple events, letting you import entire calendars with filtering options and automatic updates.

Example: Creating an Event Dashboard

To build an event tracking dashboard:

1. Insert Event Chips from your Google Calendar into column A
2. Use formulas to extract data:

• Column B: =A2.[start date] (Event start time)
• Column C: =A2.[end date] (Event end time)
• Column D: =A2.attendees (Attendee list)
• Column E: =A2.location (Meeting location)

This approach works well for tracking individual events. However, if you’re managing dozens or hundreds of calendar events, manually creating Event Chips becomes time-consuming.

Video Tutorial

Conclusion

Smart Chips offer powerful data extraction capabilities in Google Sheets. By using either the Data Extraction sidebar or formulas, you can quickly pull additional information from various chip types, streamlining your spreadsheet workflow and enhancing data accessibility.