I’m working on embedding Google Sheets documents in my web application using an iframe. The problem is that when the spreadsheet loads, it displays the full Google Workspace navigation bar on the left side. This includes links to Gmail, Calendar, Drive, and other Google services.
I noticed that when you view documents through Dropbox Paper, they manage to hide this navigation completely. The document appears clean without any extra menus or toolbars.
My goal is to create a toggle functionality where users can hide or show this sidebar navigation. I want the embedded sheet to look more integrated with my application rather than showing all the Google branding and menu options.
Has anyone found a way to control this through URL parameters or API settings? I’m particularly interested in .NET solutions since that’s what I’m using for the backend.
Had this exact problem last year building a dashboard with multiple Google Sheets. The sidebar was ruining the clean look I wanted. Here’s what fixed it for me: use “Publish to web” instead of regular sharing. Go to File > Publish to web, then use that URL for embedding. Way cleaner interface - no workspace navigation cluttering things up. You can add &single=true to show just one tab and &widget=true to strip out even more UI stuff. These published URLs are way more reliable than trying to hack regular sharing URLs with chrome parameters. Only catch is your sheet has to be public, but that’s usually fine for read-only embeds.
The URL parameter thing works, but Google’s interface changes mess with it sometimes. I switched to using /preview instead of the regular sharing URL - just swap out /edit or /view with /preview in your Google Sheets URL. You get a way cleaner embedded view right off the bat. Throw in rm=minimal and it strips most of Google’s UI clutter too. For that toggle feature you want, just do it client-side by switching between two iframe sources - one showing navigation, another with these parameters hiding it. I’ve done this on several projects and it’s way more reliable than depending on chrome=false.
try adding &chrome=false to your iframe src. it hides that sidebar in sheets. if you also use &headers=false, it cleans up the whole view. im not super familiar with .NET, but it should work for you!