How to Send Automatic Email Reminders from a Date Column in Google Sheets (2026)

A column of due dates, renewal dates or follow-ups is easy to keep in Google Sheets. Getting an email a week before each one is not built in. Here is what native features can do, then a free script that does it properly.

What Google Sheets can do natively

Conditional formatting (Format › Conditional formatting › Custom formula) can highlight upcoming dates, for example =AND($C2>=TODAY(), $C2-TODAY()<=7). It only helps when someone opens the sheet.
Notification settings (Tools › Notification settings) email you when the sheet is edited or a form is submitted. They don't fire because a date in a cell arrived.
Google Calendar handles reminders well, but you'd have to copy every date across by hand or by script.

The free fix: a daily Apps Script

Name a tab Reminders with columns: Task, Email, Due date (formatted as a date), Days before, Sent.
Open Extensions › Apps Script, paste this, and save:

/**
 * Daily email reminders from a date column.
 * Columns: A Task | B Email | C Due date | D Days before (e.g. 7) | E Sent
 * Set a time-driven trigger: Triggers > Add trigger > sendReminders > Time-driven > Day timer.
 */
function sendReminders() {
  const sh = SpreadsheetApp.getActive().getSheetByName('Reminders');
  const rows = sh.getDataRange().getValues();
  const today = new Date(); today.setHours(0, 0, 0, 0);
  const tz = Session.getScriptTimeZone();

  for (let r = 1; r < rows.length; r++) {
    const [task, email, due, daysBefore, sent] = rows[r];
    if (!email || !(due instanceof Date) || sent) continue;   // skip blanks and already-sent rows
    const remindOn = new Date(due); remindOn.setHours(0, 0, 0, 0);
    remindOn.setDate(remindOn.getDate() - (Number(daysBefore) || 0));
    if (today < remindOn) continue;
    if (MailApp.getRemainingDailyQuota() < 1) break;          // stop before hitting the Gmail quota
    MailApp.sendEmail(email,
      'Reminder: ' + task + ' due ' + Utilities.formatDate(due, tz, 'MMM d, yyyy'),
      task + ' is due on ' + Utilities.formatDate(due, tz, 'EEEE, MMM d, yyyy') + '.');
    sh.getRange(r + 1, 5).setValue('Sent ' + Utilities.formatDate(new Date(), tz, 'yyyy-MM-dd'));
  }
}

Run sendReminders once by hand to approve permissions.
In Triggers (clock icon), add a time-driven Day timer trigger, for example 7–8 am.

The Sent column is what prevents duplicate emails: once a row is sent, it is skipped. Clear the cell to send again, or use a separate column per reminder step if you want 30, 14 and 7 days (see our renewal alerts guide).

Quotas and caveats

Daily email limit. MailApp sends from your account and counts against a daily recipient quota, which is much lower for free Gmail accounts than for Google Workspace accounts. Google lists the current numbers on its Apps Script quotas page; the script checks getRemainingDailyQuota() before each send.
Trigger timing. A day timer runs at some point within the hour you pick, not at an exact minute.
Real dates only. Dates stored as text are skipped; use Format › Number › Date.
Ownership. The trigger runs as whoever created it. If that person leaves the organisation, reminders stop.
Permissions. The script asks to send email as you and to access your spreadsheets.

Want reminders without maintaining a script? SheetReminders (disclosure: we make it) is a Google Sheets add-on that watches date columns and sends scheduled email reminders before, on or after each date, for example 30, 14 and 7 days before a renewal or due date. Sheet data stays inside your Google account and it uses narrow scopes. 14-day free trial, no credit card required. It is live on the Google Workspace Marketplace.
See SheetReminders
Short on time? Watch the 50-second version

Related Google Sheets guides

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