Google Sheets just got a massive speed boost

Summary

• Google Sheets now offers faster calculations in Chrome and Microsoft Edge, doubling speeds for running formulas.
• Technological changes with WasmGC enable quicker code execution, leading to improved data management in Sheets.
• Google promises future updates to bring improvements to initial load time, copy/paste, and filter performance in Sheets.

If you’re someone that religiously uses Google Sheets, you’ll know that the brand periodically introduces updates to the platform that can really boost productivity. Most recently, Sheets got a much requested feature with smooth scrolling on web, and now the brand has introduced a new change that could really end up helping with your daily workflow.

Google has announced these new improvements through its own Workspace blog, sharing that it will now be even faster to “format, calculate, and manage your data” in Sheets (via 9to5Google). With that said, let’s go ahead and take a look at what’s new.

Calculations get a boost

Those looking for faster calculations will be happy to know that Google is now bringing an improved experience when using Sheets in Chrome and Microsoft Edge. The brand has shared that calculation speeds will now be double when using the aforementioned browsers, with improvements to “running formulas, creating pivot tables, using conditional formatting, and more.”

Of course, if you’re just doing something minor, you might not notice these changes, but Google does state that calculations as a whole are now improved, which means no matter how simple or complex your sheet is, you’re going to see vast improvements.

And as far as technological changes, Google shared that all of the above is possible thanks to WasmGC, which is “a new web technology that enables faster code execution.” Google shared how it made all of this possible in a separate post if you’re interested in knowing all the details.

Now, one thing you might have noticed is that for now, the improvement will only be available if you’re a Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser user. And if you don’t use these two browsers, then you might end up feeling a little left out. Luckily, Google has shared that these changes will eventually be coming to Safari, as well as Firefox too.

And if that wasn’t enough, Google also teased that it’s also working to “reduce initial load time and improve copy/paste and filter performance” in a future update. So there’s already something to look forward to. With that said, if you haven’t given it a try, and you’re curious, now’s going to be a great time to get a new Sheets started using your current Google account.