Google is now allowing tables in Sheets to be transformed into clear mini-apps via text input – for example, into a Kanban board or a dashboard. The AI Gemini automatically builds the view from the existing data, without any formulas or programming knowledge. The new feature called Sheets Canvas is currently only available with a paid Google subscription and in English.
Gemini builds the view directly from the table
Anyone who clicks on the Gemini icon in Google Sheets and selects “Create Canvas” describes in one sentence what they want to see. Possible options include a Kanban board for open tasks or a dashboard with sales figures. Gemini reads the existing table data and automatically creates a clear, clickable view from it. Further instructions can then be used to adjust the result, such as colors, columns, or filters. Besides Kanban boards, this method also creates calendars, card overviews for contact lists, or simple KPI dashboards, depending on how the table is structured.
If someone changes a value directly in the new view, the underlying table updates immediately – and vice versa. If a task is moved to the “done” column in the Kanban board with a mouse click, the matching cell in the table changes automatically. A second program for project boards or charts becomes unnecessary for many simple cases, as Google Docs with AI-generated diagrams already demonstrates.
Office work loses its Excel tinkering
An administrative assistant maintains a table of vacation requests: name, period, status. Until now, they had to track the overview in a second list or on paper to see which requests are still open. With a sentence like “Create a Kanban board with one column per status,” Gemini builds a board from it. Requests can be moved from “requested” to “approved” with a click. The original table stays automatically up to date, so no one has to keep double records.
Similarly, a budget overview for accounting or a schedule for team planning can be generated without mastering pivot tables or chart functions. The finished view is shared like a normal table: colleagues with access to the file see and edit the same mini-app. Microsoft takes a similar approach with Copilot in Excel. There, though, the AI still mostly redesigns the look of existing tables rather than creating entirely new, clickable views.
Currently paid-only and available only in English
Sheets Canvas has been rolling out since August 13, 2026, initially for paying users. According to the Google Help page, a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription is required. Alternatively, a Google Workspace account at the Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, or Enterprise Plus tier is enough. Free Google accounts currently have no access, nor do users of the mobile Sheets app.
Here is how to find the feature where it has already been enabled:
- Open the table in Google Sheets on a computer in the browser, not in the mobile app
- In the “Insert” or “Tools” menu, select “Create Canvas”
- Describe in the text box what view is wanted, such as “Kanban board with status columns”
- Adjust or refine the result with further text prompts
- Share the finished view as usual through Google Sheets with colleagues
For now, the feature is available only in English, regardless of the account’s language setting. Anyone whose Google Workspace account runs on the so-called Scheduled Release channel has to wait until August 31, 2026, for Sheets Canvas to appear there, according to Google.
What matters now is how quickly Google opens the feature up in German and for free accounts – for now, it stays reserved for paying, English-speaking users. Anyone feeding sensitive company or customer data into an automatically generated view should first check their own guidelines on handling AI tools. Gemini processes the table content to build the view, after all. For the leap from a plain list of numbers to a usable overview, a business or pro account therefore remains necessary for now.
