Create and make changes to a Smartsheet dashboard

Get started on creating and making changes to your dashboard.

Create a new dashboard

1. On the left Navigation Bar, select Solution Center .
2. In the left pane, select Create > Dashboard/Portal.
3. Type a name for your dashboard, and then select OK. 
4. To edit and add information to your new dashboard, in the upper-right area of the screen, select Edit Dashboard . 
5. Add the appropriate dashboard widgets. 
6. In the upper-right area of the dashboard, select Save.

Make changes to a dashboard

If you're the Owner or Admin of a dashboard, you can edit it whenever necessary. You can change the dashboard's background color and add or edit a widget. You can also access additional editing features from the shortcut menu. 

To edit your dashboard

1. In the upper-right area of the screen, select Edit Dashboard.
2. On the right Navigation Bar, select any of these panes:
   • Dashboard Settings: Select a background color or font for the entire dashboard.
   • Add Widget: Add the widgets you wish to appear on your dashboard. 
   • Widget Settings: Edit a widget on your dashboard.
3. Once you're done with your edits, select Save in the upper-right area of the screen.

Need more information about adding and editing dashboard widgets? Read the Add and Edit Widgets on Your Dashboard article.

To edit your dashboard via the shortcut menu

Right-click anywhere on the grid, and then select any of these actions:

• Paste Here: Paste a widget you copied.
• Dashboard Settings: Change the background color or font.
• Add Widget: Add widgets to your dashboard. 
• Consolidate Empty Space: Delete unused rows between top and bottom widgets to consolidate a dashboard's vertical space. This presents the most compact version of the current dashboard without affecting how the widgets are arranged.

Adjust the layout and margins on an image widget

You can select style options for your widgets. 

Layout

• Fill: Default. The image keeps its aspect ratio and fills the widget container. The image will be clipped to fit.
• Fit: The image keeps its aspect ratio but is resized to fit within the widget container.
• Actual:  The image displays at actual size

Margins 

• No margin:  Default.
• With margin: 20px

 Apply custom colors

When selecting colors for fonts, charts, titles, and more, you can choose from standard presets or add a custom color using a HEX code, an RGB code, or a color gradient. 

To create a custom color

1. In the top right corner of the dashboard, select Edit and then select Settings. 
2. Under Dashboard color or Widget color, select Change and then select the plus icon. 
3. Pick a color or enter the hexadecimal color value, and then select Add. You can also set your widget to Transparent, and it will inherit the color from the underlying dashboard. 

What you should know about custom colors

• Up to 20 custom colors can be saved on a dashboard.
• Custom colors are unique to the dashboard; the setting will not apply to other dashboards. If you add a custom color to widget A, you'll be able to quickly select the same custom color on widget B if these widgets are on the same dashboard.
  Start a new dashboard from your current one to keep the custom colors and the other items in it. To create a copy of the dashboard you're editing, select File > Save as New. 
• When viewing a dashboard in the mobile app, custom colors will be replaced by the closest available default colors.

Configure how often a dashboard automatically refreshes

Before you begin

A published dashboard automatically refreshes every 10 minutes. You can’t customize or turn off this behavior.

You can only change the Auto-Refresh feature for your view of the dashboard. For example, if you turn off Auto-Refresh, it'll remain enabled for other collaborators who are viewing the dashboard.

Read on to learn the steps on changing how often the dashboard refreshes when you’re viewing it.

To change the frequency of or to turn off the Auto-Refresh feature

1. In the menu bar, select View.
2. In the View menu, select Auto-Refresh.
3. Select the change you'd like to apply:
   • Select your frequency. 
   • To turn off the Auto-Refresh feature, select Off.

Web Content Widgets won't automatically refresh on dashboards.