Tutorial — Google Sheets Live Sync

In this tutorial, you will set up a Google Sheet that auto-syncs with your store. Change a price in the sheet, watch the store update within 5 minutes.

Perfect for teams

Your team edits a shared spreadsheet. Products, prices, and stock update automatically. No developer needed.

Scenario

  • Your team manages 500 products in a Google Sheet
  • They update prices, stock, and descriptions throughout the day
  • Your WooCommerce store should stay in sync
  • No manual imports needed

Time Required

About 20 minutes for full setup.

Prerequisites

  • WordPress with this plugin installed
  • Google account
  • Products already in your store (or ready to be created)

Part 1 — Prepare the Google Sheet

Step 1 — Create a New Sheet

  1. Go to sheets.google.com
  2. Click + Blank spreadsheet
  3. Name it Store Products

Step 2 — Add Header Row

In Row 1, add these columns:

SKU    Name    Regular price    Sale price    Stock    Categories    Description

Step 3 — Add Sample Data

Add a few products:

SKUNameRegular priceSale priceStockCategoriesDescription
WK-TEE-001Cotton T-Shirt29.9924.99150Clothing > T-ShirtsSoft cotton tee
WK-MUG-002Coffee Mug18.5080Home > Kitchen12oz ceramic mug
WK-BOOK-003Notebook A59.997.99200Stationery120-page notebook

Step 4 — Make the Sheet Shareable

  1. Click Share (top-right)
  2. Click Anyone with the link (dropdown under "Get link")
  3. Set to Viewer (the plugin only reads, does not write)
  4. Click Copy link

You now have a URL like:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1abc123XYZ/edit?usp=sharing

Copy this URL. You'll paste it into the plugin.

Part 2 — Set Up the Import Job

Step 1 — Open Quick Import

WordPress admin → Webkul WC Addons → Quick Import.

Step 2 — Configure Step 1

Fill in:

FieldValue
Entity TypeProducts
Import ModeCreate + Update
File FormatAuto-Detect
Source TypeGoogle Sheets

In the Google Sheets panel, paste the URL from Part 1.

Google Sheets source panelGoogle Sheets source panel — paste the share link, optionally pick a sheet tab, and the plugin pulls the rows live on every scheduled run.

Leave Sheet Name blank (uses the first tab).

Click Next.

Step 3 — Verify Column Mapping (Step 2)

The plugin auto-loads your sheet's headers.

Left (Sheet)Right (WooCommerce)
SKUSKU
NameName
Regular priceRegular price
Sale priceSale price
StockStock
CategoriesCategories
DescriptionDescription

All should auto-match. Click Next.

Step 4 — Preview (Step 3)

Step 3 shows:

  • Rows found: 3
  • Will create: 3
  • Will update: 0 (first time)
  • Errors: 0

Click Start Import.

Step 5 — Wait for Completion

Step 4 shows progress. For 3 rows, it takes 1-2 seconds.

Step 5 shows result: 3 created, 0 failed.

Step 6 — Verify in WooCommerce

Go to WooCommerce → Products. You should see 3 new products.

Part 3 — Save as a Scheduled Job

Now let's automate it.

Step 1 — Save as Job

On the result page (Step 5), click Save as Job.

Fill in:

FieldValue
TitleGoogle Sheet Auto-Sync
ScheduleEvery 5 minutes

Click Save.

Step 2 — Verify the Job

Go to Webkul WC Addons → Jobs.

Jobs page with saved sync jobThe Jobs grid lists your saved sync with an Enabled status, next run time, and a Run Now action.

You should see:

IDTitleEntityScheduleStatus
1Google Sheet Auto-SyncProductsEvery 5 minutesEnabled

Open the job. Go to the Advanced tab.

  • Check Delta Import (only process changed rows)
  • Save

Now the job only processes rows that changed since the last run. Massive speedup for daily syncs.

Part 4 — Set Up Server Cron

WordPress cron is unreliable. Set up real server cron.

See Server Cron Setup for full details. Quick version:

Add to your server crontab:

*/5 * * * * curl -s https://your-site.com/wp-cron.php > /dev/null 2>&1

Part 5 — Test the Auto-Sync

Change a Value in the Sheet

Open your Google Sheet. Change the price of WK-TEE-001 from 29.99 to 34.99. Save.

Wait 5 Minutes

The cron fires. The job runs. The plugin pulls the sheet, detects the change, updates the product.

Verify

Go to WooCommerce → Products → WK-TEE-001. Price should now show 34.99.

Part 6 — Add a New Product

Add a Row in the Sheet

Add a new row:

SKUNameRegular priceStock
WK-HAT-004Baseball Cap24.9950

Save.

Wait 5 Minutes

The plugin detects the new row and creates the product.

Verify

WooCommerce → Products → search for WK-HAT-004. New product exists.

Part 7 — Handle Products Not in the Sheet

Scenario

A product was in your store but is no longer in the Google Sheet. What should happen?

Option A — Keep Them (Default)

The plugin leaves them alone. Old products stay in your store.

Option B — Remove from Sheet = Remove from Store

Edit the job. Find "Products not in file":

  • Do nothing (default)
  • Set out of stock
  • Disable (set to draft)
  • Delete

Pick based on your workflow. Most users pick Set out of stock to be safe.

Common Workflows

Price Changes

Your team edits prices in the sheet. Plugin syncs every 5 minutes.

Stock Sync

Your supplier provides a stock CSV. Upload to Google Drive, link from the sheet, plugin syncs.

Description Updates

Writers update descriptions in the sheet. Plugin syncs the changes.

Photos

Add an Images column with image URLs. Each URL becomes a product image.

Troubleshooting

ProblemFix
"Access denied"Sheet is not public. Re-share with "Anyone with the link can view"
Changes not syncingCheck server cron is running. Run wp cron event list
Product count does not matchCheck for duplicate SKUs in sheet
Images not downloadingCheck Settings → Image & Media → Download Images is on
Sync every 5 min is too oftenChange schedule to Every 15 or 30 minutes
Sheet very large, sync slowUse Delta Import (only processes changes)

Next Steps

Now that your auto-sync works, consider:

  • Add email notifications on failure (Settings → Email Notifications)
  • Save a mapping preset for future new sheets
  • Add more columns (SEO, Yoast title, etc.) with compat turned on
  • Use a different schedule for night vs day