~ TUTORIAL ~
Spreadsheet Pixel Art — How to Make Pixel Art in Google Sheets (or Excel)
Updated May 2026 · ~10 min read
Pixel art doesn't need Photoshop or Aseprite — every cell in a spreadsheet is already a pixel. Resize cells to be square, color them manually or with conditional formatting, and you have an instant pixel art canvas. This guide walks through the 7-step setup, the 4 techniques used by serious spreadsheet pixel artists, the formulas that make it fast, and how to convert any photo into a number-coded sheet you can paint by typing.
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7-Step Setup: From Blank Sheet to Pixel Canvas
Create a new Google Sheet (or Excel workbook)
Open Google Sheets at sheets.new (or File → New in Excel). A blank sheet has cells around 100 pixels wide and 21 pixels tall by default — way too rectangular for pixel art. Step 2 fixes that.
Make every cell square
Select all cells (click the empty box in the top-left corner where row and column headers meet, or press Ctrl+A / Cmd+A). Right-click any column header → Resize column → 22 pixels. Right-click any row header → Resize row → 22 pixels. Now every cell is a tiny perfect square — the pixel grid is ready.
Decide on a grid size and palette
For a first project, pick a 16×16 or 24×24 grid and limit yourself to 4–6 colors. Block out the area you'll work in (click cell A1, then Shift+click cell P16 for 16×16, or X24 for 24×24). This is your pixel canvas. The rest of the sheet stays empty.
Color cells one by one (manual method)
Click a cell, then click the fill color icon in the toolbar (the paint bucket). Pick a color and the cell fills. Drag-select to fill multiple cells with the same color at once. This is the manual method — slow but precise. Good for small pieces (under 30×30) or for following a printed pattern.
Use number codes + conditional formatting (faster method)
For larger pieces, swap manual coloring for number-coded cells. Type a number (1, 2, 3, etc.) in each cell — each number represents one color. Then apply conditional formatting: Format → Conditional formatting → 'Cell is equal to' → 1 → background red. Repeat for each number → color mapping. Now you can paint by typing numbers; the colors fill automatically.
Hide the gridlines and zero-pad the borders
Pixel art looks better without spreadsheet gridlines showing. In Sheets: View → Show → uncheck Gridlines. In Excel: View tab → uncheck Gridlines. For a clean export, add a few empty rows/columns of margin around your art before screenshotting or printing.
Export as image (the fun part)
In Sheets: File → Download → PDF, then crop to your art area. Or use a screenshot — modern Macs (Cmd+Shift+4) and Windows (Win+Shift+S) both let you snip just the pixel canvas. In Excel: paste your art into Word or use 'Save as PDF' for the cleanest result. For social media, screenshot is fastest.
The 4 Spreadsheet Pixel Art Techniques
Different jobs need different approaches. Here's the cheat sheet — pick the one that matches your project size and goal.
Manual fill (drag select)
USE WHEN: Small pieces under 24×24, organic shapes
HOW: Click a cell, pick fill color from toolbar, drag to fill adjacent cells with the same color. Fastest for big solid blocks.
✓ Direct, visual, no formulas
✗ Slow at scale, hard to recolor entire palette later
Number-code + conditional formatting
USE WHEN: Most pixel art over 16×16 — the standard spreadsheet pixel art workflow
HOW: Type 1-9 in cells. Set conditional formatting rules: =1 → red, =2 → blue, etc. Cells fill automatically as you type.
✓ Fast, scalable, recolor whole palette by editing one rule
✗ Setup takes 5 minutes
Paste from image (semi-automatic)
USE WHEN: You already have a pixel art image and want it editable in a sheet
HOW: Use a script or add-on (like Pixel Art for Google Sheets) that reads pixel colors from an image and writes them to cells with matching backgrounds.
✓ Imports existing pixel art in seconds
✗ Requires an add-on or script; output is read-only colors
CSV/grid import from a pattern maker
USE WHEN: Working from a pre-designed pattern (Perler bead pattern, cross stitch chart)
HOW: Generate the pattern in MakeBead, export as PNG, then trace into the sheet with number-codes. Or use the gridded PDF as a paint-by-numbers reference.
✓ Best of both worlds — design in a real tool, color in a sheet
✗ Manual tracing step
Formulas That Make It Fast
Four spreadsheet snippets that turn pixel art from "manual cell-by-cell coloring" into a flexible, recolorable system. Copy these directly into your Google Sheet.
Conditional formatting rule (one per color)
Custom formula: =$A1=1 Background: red Text color: white Repeat for =2, =3, ... with different colors
USE WHEN: Step 5 of the setup. Sets up the number→color mapping for the whole sheet.
Auto-display a number-to-color legend
=ARRAYFORMULA({"Code","Color";1,"Red";2,"Blue";3,"Yellow";4,"Green";5,"Black";6,"White"}) USE WHEN: Put this in a free cell (e.g. AC1) to show your palette legend next to the art.
Count stitches/beads per color
=COUNTIF(A1:P16, 1) =COUNTIF(A1:P16, 2) etc.
USE WHEN: Useful if you're going to physically build the art (Perler beads, cross stitch). Tells you how many of each color you need.
Mirror the right half from the left
In cell I1 (right of a 16-wide canvas): =H1 Then drag across to make right half = left half mirror
USE WHEN: For symmetric designs (butterflies, faces) — design only half, mirror the rest.
12 Spreadsheet Pixel Art Ideas to Start With
Each pick fits in a manageable cell range and has a recognizable silhouette at sheet resolution. Tried-and-tested starter sprites + 3 practical "spreadsheet pixel art is actually useful for X" examples at the bottom.
1. Mario walking sprite
16×16The classic NES Mario — fits perfectly in a 16×16 grid with 5 colors.
~ 5 COLORS ~
2. Hello Kitty face
24×24Round head, pink bow, yellow nose. Classic sanrio sprite at sheet-friendly resolution.
~ 4 COLORS ~
3. Pixel heart (Zelda style)
11×11Three-color heart sprite. The fastest sheet you can build.
~ 3 COLORS ~
4. Pokéball
29×29Red top, white bottom, black band, white button. Highly recognizable.
~ 4 COLORS ~
5. Pikachu
32×32Yellow body, brown stripes, red cheeks, black eyes & ears. SNES-era sprite.
~ 5 COLORS ~
6. Creeper face
8×8Minecraft's most iconic sprite. Tiny 64-cell grid, finished in 5 minutes.
~ 3 COLORS ~
7. Smiley face
15×15Yellow, black eyes, black smile. The "Hello World" of pixel art.
~ 3 COLORS ~
8. Strawberry
13×16Red body, green leaves, yellow seed dots. Cute aesthetic warmup.
~ 4 COLORS ~
9. Pixel daisy
15×15White petals, yellow center, green stem. Mirror-friendly.
~ 3 COLORS ~
10. QR code
variableGenerate a QR code online, then trace it cell by cell in two colors. Functional pixel art.
~ 2 COLORS ~
11. Calendar grid art
7×N"Conditional formatting" your calendar to auto-color days by event type — practical pixel art.
~ -2 COLORS ~
12. Wedding seating chart
variableEach guest is a cell, color-coded by table. A practical pixel-art use case.
~ -2 COLORS ~
Free Template: Convert a Photo → Spreadsheet Pixel Art
The fastest workflow: generate the number-coded pattern from a photo with MakeBead's free converter, then transcribe the codes into your sheet (which has conditional formatting pre-applied). No need to start from scratch in the sheet.
01 · Generate
Upload any photo to the Pixel Art Converter. Set grid size (24×24 to 50×50 for sheets) and Max Colors (4–8).
02 · Export
Download the PDF — it has the gridded color chart with numeric color codes for every cell.
03 · Transcribe
Open a fresh Sheet, set up the 7-step canvas, and type the numbers cell by cell. Conditional formatting fills the colors as you go.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make pixel art in Google Sheets?
Open a blank Google Sheet, select all cells, and resize columns and rows to 22 pixels each so cells are square. Use the fill bucket to color cells one at a time (manual method), or type numbers and use conditional formatting to color cells automatically (faster). Hide gridlines (View → Show → Gridlines) for a clean look, then screenshot or PDF export your finished pixel art.
How do I make pixel art in Excel?
Excel works identically. Select all cells (Ctrl+A), right-click a column header → Column Width → 1.71 (which gives ~22-pixel cells), right-click a row header → Row Height → 13. Use the fill color picker on the Home tab, or set up conditional formatting via Home → Conditional Formatting → New Rule → 'Format only cells that contain' → equal to → 1 → format → Fill → red. Repeat for each color number.
What size cells should I use for spreadsheet pixel art?
22×22 pixels is the standard — it makes each cell visually a clean square and large enough to see clearly on most monitors. For small pieces (under 20×20 grid) you can go up to 30×30 px cells. For very large pieces (50×50+ grid), drop to 15×15 px cells so the whole image fits on one screen.
Why use conditional formatting for spreadsheet pixel art?
Two big reasons. (1) Speed — typing a number is faster than picking from a color palette every time. (2) Editability — to recolor your entire art, you just edit one conditional formatting rule (e.g. change red to pink) and every '1' cell updates automatically. Manual fill colors don't have this.
How do I export pixel art from Google Sheets as an image?
Two methods. (1) Screenshot — Cmd+Shift+4 on Mac, Win+Shift+S on Windows — snip just the pixel canvas. Fastest, works on any screen. (2) File → Download → PDF, then open the PDF and crop to the pixel area in Preview (Mac), Acrobat, or any image editor. For social media, screenshot is fine; for printing, PDF is sharper.
Is there a pixel art template for Google Sheets?
Yes — use MakeBead's free Pixel Art Converter to generate a number-coded grid from any photo, then transcribe the numbers into a pre-formatted sheet. The downloadable template at the end of this guide has the conditional formatting rules pre-configured for 6 common colors so you can start typing numbers immediately.
Can I convert a photo to spreadsheet pixel art automatically?
Yes. Use MakeBead's free Pixel Art Converter to convert any photo to pixel art at your chosen grid size and color count. Export the PDF with grid + color codes, then transcribe the numbers into Google Sheets or Excel where conditional formatting fills the colors automatically. The PDF doubles as your "paint by numbers" reference.
What's the biggest spreadsheet pixel art people have made?
Reddit users have made spreadsheet pixel art up to 1000×1000+ cells — full landscape paintings, recreations of famous artworks, even animated GIFs by stepping through frames. The practical limit for most users is around 100×100, which still gives you 10,000 cells of detail.
Why is spreadsheet pixel art a thing?
Three reasons. (1) Accessibility — Google Sheets works on any device with a browser, no software install. (2) Meditative — coloring cells is therapeutic, like a digital coloring book. (3) Office-friendly — you can pixel-art at work and it just looks like you're working in a spreadsheet.