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How to generate a unique ID in Excel and Google Sheets
Excel & Google Sheets
=TEXT(ROW()-1,"0000")✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| ID | Name |
| Alice | |
| Bob | |
| Carol |
=TEXT(ROW()-1,"0000")→0000
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Step by step
- 1For sequential IDs, use =TEXT(ROW()-1,"0000") in row 2 to get 0001, 0002, 0003 as you copy it down.
- 2For prefixed IDs, concatenate a label: ="INV-"&TEXT(ROW()-1,"0000") produces INV-0001, INV-0002.
- 3For date-stamped IDs, use ="ID-"&TEXT(TODAY(),"YYYYMMDD")&"-"&TEXT(ROW()-1,"000") to include today's date.
- 4For random IDs that look like GUIDs, combine multiple RANDBETWEEN calls: ="ID-"&RANDBETWEEN(1000,9999)&"-"&RANDBETWEEN(1000,9999) — note these recalculate on edit, so paste as values to freeze them.
Tips
- After generating random or RAND-based IDs, immediately copy the column and paste as Values Only so the IDs stay fixed and don't change on each recalculation.
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Frequently asked
Does Google Sheets have a UUID or GUID function?
No built-in one, but you can use a combination of RANDBETWEEN calls or a Google Apps Script function: =generateUUID() if you add the script.
How do I make IDs that don't change when rows are inserted?
Use ROW()-based IDs only if your table is stable. For robust IDs, generate them once with RANDBETWEEN and paste as values, or store them in a column that you manually populate.