How to Get BTC Price in Google Sheets

Tracking Bitcoin prices in real time doesn’t have to mean constant tab-switching or relying on third-party dashboards. With Google Sheets, you can build a live, customizable, and automated crypto tracker—right from your browser. Whether you're monitoring your investment, analyzing market trends, or building a personal financial dashboard, pulling live BTC prices into Google Sheets is a powerful and flexible solution.

In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn how to use built-in functions and custom scripts to fetch real-time Bitcoin data, visualize trends with charts, expand to other cryptocurrencies, and even share your tracker with others—all without writing complex code.

Why Use Google Sheets for Bitcoin Price Tracking?

Before diving into the technical steps, let’s explore why Google Sheets is an excellent tool for tracking cryptocurrency prices.

• Automation: Set it up once and let it run—no manual updates needed.
• Customization: Design your layout, formulas, and visualizations exactly how you want.
• Integration: Combine BTC data with budgets, portfolios, or financial models.
• Accessibility: Access your tracker from any device with internet.
• Cost-effective: Free to use with a Google account.

This combination of simplicity and power makes Google Sheets a go-to for both beginners and advanced users.

👉 Generate real-time crypto insights effortlessly with powerful tools.

Step 1: Set Up Your Google Sheet

Start by creating a new Google Sheet:

1. Go to Google Drive.
2. Click New > Google Sheets > Blank spreadsheet.
3. Name your file—something like “Crypto Price Tracker” works well.

Organize Your Data Table

Create clear column headers to keep your data structured:

• A1: Date
• B1: Time
• C1: BTC Price (USD)

You can expand this later with additional columns like percentage change, moving averages, or other cryptocurrencies.

Step 2: Fetch Live Bitcoin Price Using IMPORTDATA

Google Sheets doesn’t natively support cryptocurrency via GOOGLEFINANCE, but you can use the IMPORTDATA function with a public API.

We’ll use CoinDesk’s free Bitcoin Price Index (BPI) API:

1. Click on cell C2 (where you want the price to appear).
2. Enter the following formula:

=IMPORTDATA("https://api.coindesk.com/v1/bpi/currentprice/BTC.json")

This pulls raw JSON data from CoinDesk’s API into your sheet.

Step 3: Extract the Bitcoin Price from JSON

The imported data is in JSON format, so you need to parse it to extract the actual USD price.

Use this formula in cell D2:

=VALUE(REGEXEXTRACT(C2, "rate\":\"([0-9,]+\.?[0-9]+)"))

This uses REGEXEXTRACT to find the price string and VALUE to convert it into a number for calculations and charts.

💡 Tip: You can hide column C if you only want to display the clean price in column D.

Step 4: Automate Updates with Google Apps Script

Manual refreshes aren’t ideal. Let’s automate price updates using Google Apps Script.

Open the Script Editor

1. In your Google Sheet, go to Extensions > Apps Script.
2. Delete any default code and paste the following:

function fetchBitcoinPrice() {
  const url = "https://api.coindesk.com/v1/bpi/currentprice/BTC.json";
  const response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url);
  const json = response.getContentText();
  const data = JSON.parse(json);
  const price = parseFloat(data.bpi.USD.rate.replace(',', ''));
  
  const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
  const row = sheet.getLastRow() + 1;
  
  sheet.getRange("A" + row).setValue(new Date());
  sheet.getRange("C" + row).setValue(price);
}

Set Up a Time-Driven Trigger

To run this script automatically:

1. In Apps Script, click the clock icon (Triggers) on the left.
2. Click Add Trigger.

3. Configure:

   • Choose function: fetchBitcoinPrice
   • Choose event source: Time-driven
   • Type: Hour timer
   • Select: Every hour

Now, your sheet will log the current date and BTC price every hour—perfect for trend analysis.

👉 Stay ahead with live data updates and smart tracking tools.

Step 5: Visualize Trends with Charts

Numbers tell a story—charts make it clear.

Create a Line Chart

1. Highlight your Date and BTC Price columns (e.g., A:A and C:C).
2. Click Insert > Chart.
3. In the Chart Editor, choose Line chart.
4. Customize titles, colors, and axis labels.

Now you have a dynamic chart that updates automatically as new data comes in—ideal for spotting trends or sharing insights.

Step 6: Expand to Other Cryptocurrencies

You’re not limited to Bitcoin. With minor tweaks, you can track Ethereum, Litecoin, or others.

Example: Add Ethereum (ETH)

1. In a new column (e.g., E1), label it “ETH Price (USD)”.
2. Use:

=IMPORTDATA("https://api.coindesk.com/v1/bpi/currentprice/ETH.json")

3. Extract price using:

=VALUE(REGEXEXTRACT(E2, "rate\":\"([0-9,]+\.?[0-9]+)"))

Note: Not all coins are supported by CoinDesk’s API. For broader coverage (e.g., BNB, SOL), consider using financial data platforms or premium APIs.

Step 7: Share Your Crypto Tracker

Google Sheets excels at collaboration.

How to Share

1. Click the blue Share button in the top-right.
2. Enter email addresses.
3. Set permissions: Viewer, Commenter, or Editor.
4. Click Send.

Perfect for team dashboards, investor updates, or educational use.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Even the best setups hit snags. Here’s how to fix them:

❌ API Returns Error or #N/A

• Ensure the API URL is correct and accessible in your browser.
• Check for typos in formulas.
• If using Apps Script, authorize the script when prompted.

📉 Chart Not Updating or Showing Wrong Data

• Confirm your data range includes new rows.
• Ensure price cells are formatted as numbers (Format > Number > Number).

⏱ Script Not Running on Schedule

• Verify the trigger is active in Apps Script.
• Scripts may be delayed due to Google’s quotas (especially free accounts).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Can I get Bitcoin price without using APIs?
A: Not reliably. While some third-party services offer pre-loaded data, APIs like CoinDesk’s provide accurate, real-time updates directly from trusted sources.

Q: Is this method free?
A: Yes! Google Sheets and CoinDesk’s public API are free to use. Just be mindful of Google’s daily script quotas.

Q: Can I track historical prices?
A: Absolutely. Your automated script logs each entry with a timestamp, building a historical dataset over time.

Q: Does this work on mobile?
A: Yes. Google Sheets syncs across devices, so your tracker updates and displays correctly on smartphones and tablets.

Q: Can I add alerts when BTC hits a certain price?
A: Yes—enhance your script with email notifications using MailApp.sendEmail() when the price crosses a threshold.

Q: Are there limitations to how often data updates?
A: Google Apps Script allows time-driven triggers as frequent as every 5 minutes (for some accounts). Excessive use may hit daily quotas.

Final Thoughts

With just a few formulas and a simple script, you’ve transformed Google Sheets into a powerful Bitcoin price tracker. You can monitor real-time values, visualize trends, automate updates, and even scale to multiple cryptocurrencies—all in a familiar, accessible environment.

Whether you're managing personal investments or building dashboards for a team, this method offers transparency, control, and scalability.

👉 Turn your crypto data into smart decisions—explore powerful tracking now.