Asana Google Sheets two-way sync: what can go back
Asana Google Sheets two way sync, field by field: which edits in a sheet go back to Asana, what stays read-only, and why CSV import can't update existing tasks.
·7 min read
Key takeaways
Asana's own tools are one-way: a CSV import only adds new tasks and never updates existing ones.
Asana to Sheets sends edits back on its Business plan, at $39 a month flat: name, notes, assignee, dates, section, completed state and custom fields.
Formula fields, created and completed dates, task links and logged time stay read-only.
Asana allows one assignee per task, and select fields only take options that already exist in Asana.
Unito also syncs both ways with a direction per field, and Zapier or Make can do it if you build the matching yourself.
Friday planning happens in the spreadsheet. Someone sorts 40 tasks by due date, pushes 6 of them a week, reassigns 3 and marks 2 done. Then the same person opens Asana and clicks through every one of those changes again.
An Asana Google Sheets™ two-way sync removes that second pass. Edit the cell, and the task in Asana changes too. This post covers which fields can travel back, which can't, and the Asana rules that shape what a sheet can do.
We checked fields and plans on 21 October 2026.
The short answer
Asana's own options are one-way. The CSV export goes out, and CSV import can only add new tasks. Asana's own Sync to Google Sheets only ever describes data flowing into the sheet.
To edit Asana tasks in Google Sheets and see the change in Asana, you need a third-party tool. Asana to Sheets, our Asana to Google Sheets add-on, does it on its Business plan, at $39 a month flat. It sends back the task name, notes, assignee, dates, a move to another section, the completed state and custom field values. Formula fields stay read-only. Unito also syncs both ways, and you can build Zapier or Make to do it.
CSV import adds tasks and never updates them
The obvious idea is to export a CSV, edit it and import it again. Asana's import doesn't allow it.
Its help page on CSV import says it "will not update any existing tasks in the project." An import adds new tasks. Run the edited file back in and the project ends up with 2 copies of every row, the old task and a new one.
The import has other rules worth knowing. Due dates must be in US month/day/year format. Custom fields made by an import are local to that project. It's a fine way to load a list of new tasks once, and a dead end for edits.
Columns Asana accepts from the sheet
On the Business plan, your edits in these columns go back to Asana.
Column in the sheet
Goes back to Asana
What to know
Task name
Yes
Plain text
Notes
Yes
The task description
Assignee
Yes
One person only, because Asana allows one assignee
Start and due dates
Yes
Asana only keeps a start date when the task has a due date
Status (section)
Yes
Changing it moves the task to that section of the project
Completed
Yes
Marks the task done or reopens it
Text, number, currency, percentage fields
Yes
Typed values
Single-select, multi-select fields
Yes
Use options that already exist on the field in Asana
Date and people fields
Yes
A people field can hold more than one person
Reference fields
Yes
Custom fields, so they travel with the rest
Formula fields
No
Asana calculates them, so they're read-only everywhere
Here's how a planning session goes. Sort the tab by due date, push your 6 late tasks a week, put a new name in 3 assignee cells and mark 2 tasks done. Your team opens Asana on Monday and sees the new plan, with nobody retyping it.
The Status column needs a word. Asana has no built-in status. The column holds the task's section in that project, so typing a different section name moves the task on the board. If the project uses Asana's own Status field, that's a custom field and edits to it go back like any other.
Read-only columns
Some values describe history, and Asana won't take them from outside. Treat these columns as read-only.
The date someone created a task and the date they finished it
The task's link
Actual time logged, which comes from time entries
Formula fields
How many subtasks a task has
Tags, followers and the projects a task belongs to aren't in the two-way list. Change those in Asana.
Deleting rows isn't a way to delete tasks. Use Asana for that. Don't delete or rearrange columns in the synced tab either. Resizing and hiding columns are safe, and reports belong on a second tab.
Asana's rules shape what the sheet can do
A few limits come from Asana, and every two-way tool runs into them.
One assignee. Asana allows a single assignee per task. A cell with 2 names has nowhere to go. If more people share the work, put them in a people custom field, or add them as followers in Asana.
Existing options only. Someone in your workspace defined the options on each single-select and multi-select field. Type one of those options exactly. A new word in that cell won't create a new option in Asana.
Custom fields need a paid Asana plan. They're on Starter and above. Formula fields need Advanced or higher. On the free Personal plan, the two-way list shrinks to the task's own fields.
Asana paces every tool. It allows about 150 requests a minute on free workspaces and 1,500 on paid ones. A big batch of edits pushed at once can mean a short pause before the last ones land. Changes have their own cap of 15 at the same moment, covered in our post on Asana API limits.
Other ways to get two-way sync
Unito. Unito's Asana and Sheets integration syncs both ways, with the direction set per field. That's deeper than ours, and it suits a team that needs rules about which side wins on each field. Its prices aren't public. Unito counts each synced item twice, once per tool, and its plans update every 5 to 15 minutes. Its Google Sheets connector doesn't sync subtasks. The full comparison is in Asana to Sheets vs Unito.
Zapier or Make. Zapier has an Update Task action for Asana and a New or Updated Spreadsheet Row trigger. Make has 59 Asana actions and a Watch Changes trigger for Sheets. Joining them into a two-way sync means building the matching yourself, with a task ID column and a lookup step. On Zapier a run costs a task, and on Make it costs credits. It works for a narrow job, such as marking tasks done from a sheet. A whole project is a lot of wiring.
Coefficient and Coupler.io. Both pull Asana into Sheets for reporting. Coefficient's Asana page doesn't mention writing back.
Option
Two-way
Subtasks in the sheet
Price
CSV export and import
No, import adds only
Parent Task column
Free
Asana's own sync
Not described
Not documented
Included in Advanced
Asana to Sheets
Business plan
Yes, with parent name
$39 a month, flat
Unito
Yes, per-field direction
Not in the Sheets connector
Shown in the app only
Zapier or Make
If you build it
Separate trigger
Per task or credit
Frequently asked questions
Can I update Asana from Google Sheets without a paid tool?
Not with Asana's own tools. Its CSV import only adds new tasks, and its Sheets sync only describes data coming into the sheet. Zapier's free plan gives 100 tasks a month, enough to test a single update step.
Which plan of Asana to Sheets has two-way sync?
Business, at $39 a month or $390 a year, flat per account. It also includes live sync, so changes made in Asana show up in the sheet within seconds. There's a 7-day free trial with no credit card.
Can I edit formula fields in the sheet?
No. Asana calculates formula fields itself, so they're read-only in Asana and in the sheet. Change the inputs the formula uses and Asana updates the result.
Does deleting a row delete the task in Asana?
Deleting rows isn't a way to delete tasks, so delete them in Asana. Leave the columns of the synced tab in place too. Resizing and hiding them is safe.
Can I give a task 2 assignees from the sheet?
Asana allows one assignee per task, so the Assignee column takes one person. Put extra people in a people custom field, which does sync back, or add them as followers in Asana.
Try it on one project
Pick a project you replan in a spreadsheet every week. Sync it, change 3 due dates in the sheet, and check them in Asana. The Business plan and its trial are on the pricing page, and the other ways to sync Asana to Google Sheets sit side by side in our main guide.
Asana is a trademark of Asana, Inc. Google Sheets and Google Workspace are trademarks of Google LLC. Asana to Sheets has no affiliation with either, and neither endorses it.
