Automatically move or copy rows between sheets

With the Move rows and Copy rows actions, you can automatically move or copy a row to another sheet when conditions are met. Here’s an example:

1. A procurement request is submitted to your sheet through a form.
2. After adding details to the request, you assign this request to your IT team.
3. The IT manager approves the request.
4. The row containing the procurement request is automatically moved to an active IT project sheet for further action.

To create a workflow that automatically moves or copies rows, both you and the owner of the source sheet must have Owner- or Admin-level sharing permissions to the destination sheet.

Set up an automated move or copy rows action

In your source sheet:

1. Create a new workflow, and set up the workflow triggers and conditions.
2. In the Select an action box, select Move rows or Copy rows.
3. Under Move rows or Copy rows, choose Select a sheet.
4. In the Select a sheet dialog, choose your destination sheet, and then select OK.

To prevent infinite approval loops, cells which contain cross-sheet formulas or cell links won’t trigger an automation that automatically changes the sheet (move row, copy row, lock row, unlock row, or approval request). To work around this, consider using time-based automation or recurrence workflows.

Things to know about moving rows and copying rows between sheets

Keep the following in mind when moving or copying rows between sheets:

• When you move rows between sheets: 
  • The moved rows will be deleted from the source sheet and added to the destination sheet, and 
  • The history for cells in the rows will still be available. 
• When you copy rows between sheets: 
  • The copied rows will be retained in the source sheet and added to the destination sheet, and
  • The cell history will not be maintained in the destination sheet.
• You’ll find moved or copied rows at the bottom of the destination sheet, which you can select and drag to a different location.
• Any attachments or comments on the row will be moved automatically to the destination sheet.
• Any formulas in the row will be replaced with static values in the destination sheet.
• If the source sheet contains columns the destination sheet doesn’t have, these columns will be automatically created in the destination sheet when a row is moved or copied.

When you move rows or copy rows with system or baseline columns

• If a column exists on the destination sheet but not on the source sheet, the Created By column will note the date/time when the row was moved or copied.
• The Created By column will show the user who moved or copied the row. If the row was moved or copied by automation, it will display automation@smartsheet.com.
• If a column exists on both the destination and the source sheet, the value from the source sheet will carry over to the destination sheet. Unlike other column types, the column names do not need to match.

If a system column or a baseline column has a name that matches a column with a different column type (dropdown, text/number, etc.), you may encounter the following errors:

• Rows can't be added to the destination sheet because a column has the same name as a system column on the source sheet.
• Rows can't be added to the destination sheet because a system column has the same name as a column on the source sheet.

To resolve this, you can either rename one of the columns or change the column type so it matches the source sheet.