I have set up an n8n workflow that should add new data to my Google Sheets document whenever a webhook gets triggered. My target worksheet is called ‘Data_Export’ and I’m using the Google Sheets node configured with the Append operation.
The problem I’m facing is really frustrating. Even though the workflow runs without errors and connects to Google Sheets successfully, the behavior is completely wrong. Instead of adding the new information to the bottom of my existing data, it wipes out everything and starts writing from row 1. This means my header row gets deleted too.
I’ve tried switching between the Append and Append or Update modes but both give me the same result. The execution shows as successful in n8n but my spreadsheet gets completely overwritten each time.
Has anyone encountered this issue before? I must be missing something in my configuration but I can’t figure out what’s causing this behavior.
Same nightmare here! My range setting was the culprit - I’d set it to specific cells like A1:Z100 instead of leaving it blank for append mode. When you specify a range, it overwrites that exact area. Clear the range field completely and let Sheets find the next empty row on its own.
You’ve hit a common n8n and Google Sheets issue. I’ve been there too. First, check your Google Sheets permissions - even when everything looks right, the service account might not have append rights. Also, double-check that ‘Data_Export’ is spelled exactly right in your node. Tiny differences cause weird overwrites. If you’ve got protected cells (especially headers), that’ll break the append function. Try removing those protections and see if it fixes things.
Had the exact same problem after a Google Sheets API update last year. Turned out I’d accidentally set ‘Value Input Option’ to ‘Raw’ instead of ‘User Entered’ in my node config. Raw mode makes Google Sheets handle data differently and causes overwrites. Check for formulas or data validation in your sheet too - they can mess things up. I actually had to rebuild my entire sheet because some hidden formatting made the append function fail silently and fall back to overwrite mode.