Free guides and template
The best answer, right in your sheet.
Learn to do in Google Sheets what Excel’s Solver and Goal Seek do: what to make, how to ship, who works each shift. With a worked example and a free template that solves it for you.
- Free, no sign-up
- Works in Google Sheets
- Your data never leaves your sheet
| Row | A | B | C | D | E | F | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Objective | Maximize | Value | $2,600 | |||
| 6 | Status | ✓ Optimal solution | |||||
| 8 | Variables | Part A | Part B | ||||
| 12 | Obj. coefficients | 40 | 30 | ||||
| 13 | Solution | 20 | 60 | ||||
| 15 | Constraints | A | B | Used | Sign | Limit | Slack |
| 16 | Lathe hours | 2 | 1 | 100 | ≤ | 100 | 0 |
| 17 | Mill hours | 1 | 1 | 80 | ≤ | 80 | 0 |
| 18 | Part A orders | 1 | 0 | 20 | ≤ | 40 | 20 |
Start here
Two guides and a tool, no jargon.
Whenever you have to decide how much of several things to do without going over your resources, you have an optimization problem. These guides show how to solve it in Google Sheets for free.
Solver in Google Sheets, step by step
Linear programming explained with a two-part workshop, how to set the problem up in your sheet and three free ways to solve it today. With a chart you can move.
Read the guide Guide · Goal SeekGoal Seek in Google Sheets: four ways
Which interest rate gives the payment you want, or what price you need to make the profit you’re after. With a function, with algebra, with Google’s add-on or with the template.
Read the guide New · ToolFree online linear programming solver
Type your problem into a table and solve it in your browser, with nothing to install. Linear and integer programming, with five solved examples and a link to share it.
Open the online solverThe template
A Google Sheet that solves the problem for you.
Make a copy in your Google Drive, type in your numbers and choose . It uses the optimization engine Google includes in its spreadsheets.
- A worked example and a blank model ready to adapt to your own problem.
- Goal Seek in a side panel.
- Continuous, integer and binary variables (yes or no), and error messages that tell you which cell to check.
- Your data never leaves your sheet. The script can only read and write the spreadsheet it lives in.
| Row | A | B |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Loan amount | $15,000 |
| 7 | Term (months) | 60 |
| 8 | Annual interest rate | 4.55% |
| 9 | Monthly payment | $280.00 |
FAQ
What people usually ask.
Does Google Sheets have a Solver?
Not built in. Excel ships the Solver add-in for free; Google Sheets has no menu or function that does the same. You can still get it for free in three ways: a script template like ours, the OpenSolver add-on, or downloading the sheet and using Solver in desktop Excel or LibreOffice. All three are explained in the Solver guide.
Does Google Sheets have Goal Seek?
Not built in either. Google offers a free add-on called “Goal Seek”. Often you don’t even need it: a function like RATE or a bit of algebra gives the answer directly. See the Goal Seek guide.
Is the template really free?
Yes. It’s a Google Sheet with an open-source script. No sign-up, no e-mail, no payment details. You make a copy and it’s yours.
Does my data leave my sheet?
No. The script runs inside your own Google account and can only read and write the spreadsheet it lives in. It sends nothing anywhere, not even to us.
How big a problem can it solve?
Classroom problems and the day-to-day problems of a small business: tens or a few hundred variables, in seconds. Models with many integer variables can take longer; the template waits up to 60 seconds and tells you if the solution might not be the best one.
What if my problem isn’t linear?
The template solves linear problems: each variable is multiplied by a fixed number and added up. If your model multiplies variables together or uses powers, you need another method, such as GRG Nonlinear in desktop Excel’s Solver. The guide explains how to tell if your problem is linear.
Four more worked examples (product mix, transportation, staff scheduling and capital budgeting) are available in Spanish.
Waitlist
Want it in every sheet, without copying templates?
We’re considering building a Google Sheets add-on with Solver and Goal Seek. We’ll build it if there’s enough interest. Join the list and you’ll try it free before anyone else: we’ll e-mail you just once, if it launches, with your access.
- It would read your model as it is, with your own formulas.
- Integer and binary variables, plain-language reports and Goal Seek.
- It would solve inside your browser: your data would never leave your sheet.