MergeDoc Help

MergeDoc is an add-on for Google Sheets™. It turns each row of your sheet (including Google Forms™ responses) into a Google Docs™ document and/or a PDF, using a template document.

How to open MergeDoc

1. Open the Google Sheets spreadsheet that holds your data.
2. In the menu, click Extensions → MergeDoc → Open.
3. The MergeDoc sidebar opens on the right side of the sheet.

If you just installed MergeDoc and do not see it under Extensions, reload the spreadsheet page.

“Can’t open” or nothing happens: multiple Google accounts

Google add-ons often fail to open when you are signed in to more than one Google account in the same browser. You may see “Sorry, unable to open the file at this time”, an empty sidebar, or nothing at all.

Try one of these:

1. Open the spreadsheet in an incognito / private window and sign in with only the account that installed MergeDoc.
2. Or sign out of all Google accounts, then sign in first with the account that installed MergeDoc (the first account you sign in with becomes the default).
3. Or use a separate browser profile for each Google account.

Writing a template with {{Column}} tags

1. Create a normal Google Docs document. This is your template. MergeDoc never changes or deletes it.
2. Where a value from your sheet should go, type the column name between double braces, for example {{Full name}} or {{Course}}.
3. Tags work in the body, tables, headers and footers.
4. Tag names are case-sensitive. Spaces at the start and end are ignored: {{ Full name }} is the same as {{Full name}}.
5. Templates from Autocrat with <<Full name>> tags also work.

In the sidebar, MergeDoc lists the tags it found and matches them to columns with the same name. You can change each match. A tag without a column is left blank, and MergeDoc warns you before running.

Values are inserted exactly as the sheet displays them, so dates, numbers and currency keep your sheet’s format.

The file name can use tags too, for example {{Full name}} - Certificate. Characters that are not allowed in file names are replaced with _. If the name ends up empty, the file is named Row <number>.

Running a job, statuses and re-running errors

Click Run and keep the sidebar open. MergeDoc adds three columns at the end of your data tab:

Rows with OK are never created twice. If you close the sidebar, click Run again later and MergeDoc continues where it stopped. After fixing rows with errors, click Re-run errors only. Every run is also recorded in the MergeDoc Log sheet.

Do not insert or delete columns while a job is running. If you do, MergeDoc stops safely with “Sheet layout changed — run again”. Click Run again.

Turn on Run on form submit to create the files for each new Google Forms response automatically.

Pricing and the Free limit

One merged row counts as one file, even when you create both a Doc and a PDF. Rows skipped by your condition do not count.

When you reach the Free limit, MergeDoc stops cleanly and marks the remaining rows SKIPPED_QUOTA. To continue:

1. Click Upgrade to Pro in the sidebar and choose Monthly or Yearly.
2. Pay with the same email as your Google account.
3. Click Refresh license in the sidebar, then click Run again.

Google limits

Google limits how many documents and how much script run time each account can use per day. Personal Gmail accounts have lower limits than Google Workspace accounts. When Google’s limit is reached, rows show ERROR: Google limit reached…. Wait until the next day, then click Re-run errors only. Paying for Pro does not raise Google’s limits.

Contact support

Email support@getmergedoc.com. Include the job name, the row number and the text in the MergeDoc Status column (the ref code helps us find the problem). Never send us the content of your sheet.

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