Too many of us treat Google Sheets like digital graph paper. We enter data, and when we need to find an answer, we manually scroll. We waste time hunting for rows or applying temporary filters that shuffle our data and risk messing up the whole sheet.
There is a better way. Itโs called the FILTER function.
Unlike the basic filter buttons you see on the toolbar, the FILTER function is a powerhouse that turns static lists into interactive dashboards. It extracts exactly what you need, instantly, without ever touching your original data.
At its core, this function looks at a messy pile of data and spills a clean, new list into a blank space on your sheet. If you need a comprehensive reference, this guide to the FILTER function covers every syntax variation. But for now, here is the secret sauce you need to get started.
The real power lies in something called Boolean Logic. It sounds complex, but it’s just a fancy way of saying “AND” vs. “OR.”
Most people know how to filter for two things at once (Condition A AND Condition B). But few know how to filter for “this OR that.” In Google Sheets, the secret is using the plus symbol (+).
Fixing Your Budget Dashboard
Let’s say you have a Google Sheets expense tracker populated with a year’s worth of spending. Scrolling through 12 months of transactions to find specific “leaks” is tedious.
Suppose you want to see every time you ate out or bought groceries, but only if the bill was over $50. You want to isolate those high-cost food trips.
Instead of highlighting rows manually, create a new tab called “Dashboard” and paste this formula in cell A1:
=FILTER(A2:C, (B2:B="Groceries") + (B2:B="Dining"), C2:C>50)
What just happened? You told Sheets: “Show me rows where the category is Groceries OR Dining (that’s the + sign), AND where the cost is over $50.” Instantly, a 2,000-row spreadsheet becomes a concise 15-row list of actionable data.
Smarter Fitness Tracking
If you track your lifts in a workout log, you know the pain of scrolling up to see what you lifted three months ago.
You can use FILTER to create a “Personal Records” view. Let’s say you want to see every Squat or Deadlift session where you moved more than 200 lbs.
=FILTER(Data!A:E, (Data!B:B="Squat") + (Data!B:B="Deadlift"), Data!C:C>=200)
Now, instead of a wall of dates, you have a clear view of your heavy lifting days, making it easy to spot if your numbers are trending up or stalling.
The “Travel App” Hack
This is my favorite trick for travel. A master itinerary is great for planning, but terrible when you’re rushing through an airport and just need to know your flight number.
Try this: Set a cell (letโs say E1) as a dropdown menu with your trip dates. Then, use this formula:
=FILTER(A2:D20, A2:A20=E1)
When you change the date in cell E1, your list instantly updates to show only that day’s plan. Youโve just turned a spreadsheet into a simplified travel app.
And because Google Sheets works on mobile, it’s one of the cheapest options for tracking travel plans on your phone. If you download your sheet before you go, this all works without an internet connection.
Stop Storing, Start Retrieving
The difference between a novice and a pro is how they retrieve data. Typing numbers into boxes is easy; getting insights out of them is where the value lies.
By mastering the FILTER function, and specifically that clever + sign for “OR” logic, you stop performing manual labor and start building tools. Next time you open your sheet, stop scrolling and let the formula do the work.