IMPORTFEED Function: Import External RSS or ATOM Feeds Using Google Sheets

About the IMPORTFEED Function

Overview of IMPORTFEED

Retrieve RSS/Atom FeedsGoogle Sheets Function

=IMPORTFEED( URL, [query], [headers], [items] ) Overview The IMPORTFEED function retrieves data from specified RSS or Atom feeds and imports it into Google Sheets.

Used to read web feeds in RSS/Atom format. Automatically fetches the latest updates from news or blogs. Useful for dynamic data collection.

When to Use IMPORTFEED

• When you want to fetch the latest updates from specific RSS or Atom feeds.
• When you want to display updates from news sites or blogs in a list format.
• When you need to track external data in real time.

How to Use IMPORTFEED

The table below explains the basic usage of the IMPORTFEED function.

	A	B
1	URL	Result
2	https://example.com/rss	=IMPORTFEED(A2, “items title”)
3	https://example.com/blog/feed	=IMPORTFEED(A3, “feed description”)

Results

• Cell B2 will display a list of article titles from the feed.
• Cell B3 will display a description of the entire feed.

Arguments of IMPORTFEED

The IMPORTFEED function includes the following arguments:

• URL: Specifies the feed URL (required).
• Query: Specifies the type of information to retrieve from the feed (optional). The following values can be used:
  • “feed”: Information about the entire feed.
  • “feed title”: The title of the feed.
  • “feed description”: The feed’s description.
  • “feed author”: The author of the feed.
  • “feed url”: The URL of the feed.
  • “items”: All items in the feed.
  • “items title”: Titles of each item.
  • “items author”: Authors of each item.
  • “items url”: URLs of each item.
  • “items created”: Creation dates of each item.
  • “items summary”: Summaries of each item.
• Headers: Specifies whether to include a header row in the results (optional). Use TRUE (default) or FALSE.
• Items: Specifies the maximum number of entries to retrieve from the feed (optional). Defaults to retrieving all entries.

Advanced Examples of IMPORTFEED

Use IMPORTFEED to extract specific feed information or combine it with other functions for flexible data collection.

	A	B	C	D
1	URL	Titles Only	Creation Date	URL
2	https://example.com/rss	=IMPORTFEED(A2, “items title”)	=IMPORTFEED(A2, “items created”)	=IMPORTFEED(A2, “items url”)

Results

• Cell B2 will display a list of article titles from the feed.
• Cell C2 will display the creation dates of each article.
• Cell D2 will display the URLs of each article.

Important Considerations

• The URL must be in the correct format. Use HTTP or HTTPS.
• If the feed is not public or has access restrictions, it cannot be retrieved.
• For dynamically updated feeds, the refresh frequency depends on Google Sheets.
• If the query is specified incorrectly, an error may occur.

Summary

• The IMPORTFEED function is a convenient tool for importing RSS or Atom feeds into Google Sheets.
• It is especially useful for real-time updates from news or blogs.
• Combining it with other functions enables more flexible and powerful data collection.