FlowStep
← All walkthroughs
Full libraryn8n FormGoogle SheetsGmail

Capture form submissions into a spreadsheet

Build a hosted form with n8n, drop every submission into a Google Sheet, and email yourself the moment a new lead arrives.

20 minBeginner16 steps
Start walkthrough

What this looks like

One step on screen at a time. Read it, do it, tap Next.

Capture form submissions into a spreadsheet

Step 1 of 16

01 / 16Step

Prepare the spreadsheet first

Open Google Sheets and create a new blank spreadsheet. Name it, then put your column headings in row 1 and nothing else.

Checkpoint

Your spreadsheet has four headings across row 1 and no other data.

Back
Next

Before you begin

Tick these off as you sort them. Stopping halfway to create an account is how a fifteen-minute build becomes an hour.

0 of 5 ready

Ticks are saved on this device, so you can come back to them.

  • Account

    Any personal or Workspace account works. You will authorise it once with OAuth.

  • Have ready

    Create it before you start. The header row is what n8n reads to work out which columns exist, so it has to be there first.

  • Have readyOptional

    The final step sends you a message when a submission arrives. You can skip that step if you only want the spreadsheet.

The basics — ticked once, remembered everywhere

  • Account

    Either the hosted version or a self-hosted install. Everything here works the same on both — the only visible difference is the shape of your webhook URLs.

    Create a workspace
  • Know-how

    Adding a node, connecting two of them, and pressing Execute. If any of that is new, the free primer covers it in about ten minutes.

  • Credential

    You will paste at least one secret during setup. A password manager beats a notes app, and it stops you pasting a live key into a chat window by accident.

The shape of the workflow

The nodes you will end up with, left to right, in the order you add them.

n8n Form TriggerEdit Fields (Set)Google SheetsGmail
The finished Capture form submissions into a spreadsheet workflow on the n8n canvas4 things to set here
  1. 1Prepare the spreadsheet first — the trigger — everything starts here
  2. 2n8n Form Trigger — Create the workflow and add a Form Trigger
  3. 3n8n Form Trigger — Give the form a title and description
  4. 4n8n Form Trigger — Add the form fields
The finished workflow on the n8n canvasTap to enlarge

Skip the node hunting

Import a starter file with every node for this build already on the canvas, named after its step and wired in order, each one carrying a sticky note with the values to enter. You still connect your own accounts and fill the fields — that is what the walkthrough takes you through — but you never start at a blank canvas.

In n8n: Workflows → Import from file.

Included with the library

What you will build

Jump straight to any step, or print the list and tick it off beside your n8n tab.

  1. 1Prepare the spreadsheet first
  2. 2Create the workflow and add a Form Trigger
  3. 3Give the form a title and description
  4. 4Add the form fields
  5. 5Open the form and submit a test entry
  6. 6Pin the test data
  7. 7Add a Set node to shape the data
  8. 8Map each field
  9. 9Add the Google Sheets node
  10. 10Point it at your spreadsheet
  11. 11Add the notification email
  12. 12Run the full workflow
  13. 13Unpin, activate, and share the real URL
  14. 14Submit through the production URL
  15. 15Check the sheet, then the inbox
  16. 16Submit a deliberately awkward entry

If something goes wrong

Everything ready?

Start walkthrough