Is There a GEOCODE Formula in Google Sheets? Three Practical Options

Why =GEOCODE(A2) does not work by default

Google Sheets recognizes only built-in functions and custom functions attached to the spreadsheet. If a tutorial shows =GEOCODE(A2), that workbook either contains Apps Script code or depends on an add-on. Copying the formula alone into a new spreadsheet will normally produce an unknown-function error.

Three practical ways to add geocoding

A fourth pattern—a menu-driven Apps Script batch—often behaves better than a custom function. It reads a selected range once and writes fixed results. The complete implementation is covered in the Apps Script guide.

A minimal custom function for learning

This example uses the built-in Apps Script Maps service. It is intentionally small; production code should add status handling, batching and an explicit retry policy.

/** @customfunction */
function GEOCODE(address) {
  if (!address) return [["", ""]];
  const response = Maps.newGeocoder().geocode(String(address));
  if (response.status !== "OK" || !response.results.length) {
    return [["NO_MATCH", "NO_MATCH"]];
  }
  const point = response.results[0].geometry.location;
  return [[point.lat, point.lng]];
}

1. Open Apps Script.

   Choose Extensions → Apps Script from the spreadsheet.

2. Add and save the function.

   Replace the starter code with the example, save, and return to the sheet.

3. Enter the formula.

   Use =GEOCODE(A2) with two empty destination cells for the result.

4. Authorize when prompted.

   Review the requested access and continue only if it matches the code you expect.

Do not paste a secret web-service API key into a cell or public spreadsheet. Google recommends restricting keys and keeping web-service keys out of source code.

Choose based on operational responsibility

Use a custom function if you want to learn, have a small sheet, and can tolerate quotas or occasional recalculation. Use a managed add-on when users need to select rows, control output fields and process larger batches without maintaining code. Use a direct API when geocoding is one component of a larger application and your engineering team can own credentials, monitoring, retries and billing.

Common questions