Free add-on for Google Sheets
Every conditional formatting rule. One place.
Format Rules Manager shows every conditional formatting rule in your spreadsheet — across all tabs, in one sidebar. Copy rules between tabs and spreadsheets, merge duplicates, reorder priorities, and back everything up as JSON.
Free to use
No subscription
No external account required
Only two permissions
Coming soon to the Google Workspace Marketplace
View Privacy Policy
Spreadsheet content is not sent to external CloudNetix servers. Everything runs inside your Google Workspace environment.
Why it matters
Conditional formatting is invisible until it breaks.
Google Sheets shows conditional formatting one tab at a time, in a narrow panel, with no overview. Rules pile up as spreadsheets grow — duplicated by copy-paste, shadowed by priority order, impossible to move between files. Format Rules Manager turns that hidden layer into something you can see and manage.
You can't see your rules
The native dialog lists rules for one tab at a time. Across a workbook with many tabs, nobody knows how many rules exist, what they do, or which ranges they touch.
Copy-paste breeds duplicates
Pasting cells silently multiplies identical rules. Duplicates slow the sheet down, and priority order decides which rule wins — in ways nobody can follow.
No way between files
Google Sheets has no built-in way to copy conditional formatting to another spreadsheet, and no way to back rules up before a risky change.
Simple to use
From scattered rules to a clean sheet in minutes.
Format Rules Manager is a sidebar add-on. No installation beyond the Marketplace, no account needed — just open your sheet and start.
1
Open the sidebar
Launch Format Rules Manager from the Google Sheets Extensions menu. It inventories every conditional formatting rule on every tab — with color swatches, plain-language summaries, and clickable range chips.
2
Manage your rules
Delete or duplicate rules, change their priority order, copy them to other tabs, and merge safe duplicates with one click. Every change can be undone per tab.
3
Back up and restore
Export rules as JSON — a single rule, a tab, or the whole workbook. Paste the JSON into Import in any spreadsheet to restore or transfer them.
What it does
Everything conditional formatting needs — in one sidebar.
Format Rules Manager covers the whole lifecycle of a formatting rule: see it, move it, clean it up, back it up.
Full rule inventory
Every rule on every tab, in priority order — with color swatches, gradient previews, readable summaries, and range chips that jump to the range.
Bulk delete & reorder
Select rules across tabs and delete them in one step. Reorder priorities with arrows and apply the new order in a single write.
Copy between tabs & files
Copy rules to any tabs in the spreadsheet with their exact ranges. Move rules to another spreadsheet entirely via JSON export and import.
Duplicate cleanup
Identical rules are flagged automatically. Merge a duplicate group into one rule covering all its ranges — only when it's provably safe to do so.
JSON backup & restore
Export a rule, a tab, or the whole workbook as structured JSON. Import maps rules tab-by-tab, validates everything, and reports anything it skips.
Undo for every change
Every operation takes a snapshot first. Undo restores the affected tabs exactly — even after closing and reopening the sidebar.
Privacy & trust
Designed with privacy in mind.
Format Rules Manager runs inside your Google Workspace environment. Spreadsheet content is used only to show and manage your conditional formatting rules.
No external spreadsheet storage
Spreadsheet content is not stored on CloudNetix servers. Processing is performed within Google's infrastructure.
No selling user data
User data is not sold, shared for advertising, or used for purposes unrelated to the add-on's core functionality.
No external account required
Users do not need to create a CloudNetix account. The add-on works entirely within your existing Google Workspace.
Only two permissions
Access to the current spreadsheet and permission to show the sidebar — nothing else. No Google Drive access, no access to your other files.
Undo backups stay in the spreadsheet
Undo snapshots are stored in the spreadsheet's own document properties, inside your Google account. Other editors of the same file who use the add-on can see and restore them — and you can clear them anytime.
User-controlled execution
The add-on runs only when you open it and acts only when you click. No background triggers, no scheduled runs, no automatic data collection.
Product preview
See it in action.
Format Rules Manager runs as a sidebar inside Google Sheets. All changes happen directly in your spreadsheet — with undo.
Inventory every rule
Each rule shows its colors, a readable summary, its ranges, and flags for duplicates and no-ops.
Copy rules to other tabs
Pick target tabs and copy rules with their exact ranges — appended after each tab's existing rules, undoable in one click.
Merge duplicates safely
Identical rules are grouped and merged only when it can't change how your sheet looks — anything ambiguous is flagged for manual review instead.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions.
If you have a question not answered here, contact support@cloudnetix.de.
Is Format Rules Manager free?
Yes. Format Rules Manager is free to use. There is no subscription and no external account required.
Does it send spreadsheet data to CloudNetix servers?
No. Spreadsheet content is not sent to external CloudNetix servers. The add-on processes your conditional formatting rules within the Google Workspace environment, and everything it stores stays inside your Google account.
Can I copy conditional formatting to another spreadsheet?
Yes — via export and import. Export the rules you want as JSON, open Format Rules Manager in the other spreadsheet, and paste the JSON into Import. The preview maps rules to target tabs and validates everything before anything is written. This also works as a backup: keep the JSON, and restore it later into the same file or a copy.
Where do undo backups live?
Undo snapshots are stored in the spreadsheet's own document properties — inside your Google account, never on CloudNetix servers. Because they belong to the spreadsheet, other editors of the same file who use the add-on can see and restore them too. Old snapshots are replaced as new changes are made, and you can remove all of them anytime with the “Clear undo history” button. Uninstalling the add-on does not delete them — use Clear undo history first if you want them gone.
Why can't it change font size or other formatting?
Because conditional formatting itself can't. Google Sheets conditional formatting supports bold, italic, strikethrough, underline, text color, and background color (plus color scales) — font size and font family are not part of the platform's conditional formatting model. Format Rules Manager manages exactly what Google Sheets supports, without workarounds that could corrupt your rules.
What happens on very large spreadsheets?
The add-on degrades honestly instead of failing: very large workbooks load tab-by-tab with a “Load anyway” option, tabs with hundreds of rules show the first 300 with a clear notice (exports still include everything), and every cap is announced in the interface — nothing is silently truncated.
Is this an official Google product?
No. Format Rules Manager is an independent add-on developed by CloudNetix. Google Sheets and Google Workspace are trademarks of Google LLC. Format Rules Manager is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google LLC.
Get started
Take control of your conditional formatting.
See every rule, clean up the duplicates, and keep a backup — directly inside Google Sheets. Free, with no subscription.
Coming soon to the Google Workspace Marketplace
Contact support