Expiry Tracker Help
Setup guide, answers to common questions, and a free assistant for the Expiry Tracker Google Sheets template.
Ask the assistant
Hi! Ask me anything about the Expiry Tracker sheet: setup, reminders, renewals or linking Doyouok.
Get started
- Open the "Expiry Tracker" tab. Type over the example row and add your own items: Item, Expiry Date, Renewal Term, Renewal Fee, Notes. The grey Days Left / Status columns and the summary cards update by themselves.
- Press TURN ON REMINDERS at the top of the Expiry Tracker (or menu "Expiry Tracker" > "Turn on reminders"). Google asks for permission once (see the FAQ below), then a test email is sent right away.
- From then on the sheet checks every day around 8:00 and emails you on each "Remind Days Before Expiry" day (default 30, 7, 1 and 0 days before), and every day after expiry until the item is renewed.
Renew an item
- Press OPEN RENEWALS at the top of the Expiry Tracker (or menu > Open renewals). A side panel lists everything expiring within 60 days or already expired.
- Pick the Renewal Term (1, 2, 3, 5 or 10 years), press Renew, then Confirm. The expiry date moves forward and reminders start over for the new date.
- You can also just type the new expiry date in the sheet.
Link Doyouok (free): know if reminders ever stop
- Sign up for free at doyouok.com.
- On the Doyouok dashboard create a check: Task Name "Expiry Tracker", Timeout (hours) 26, then press Create.
- Press "Copy Link" on that check and paste it into Settings > "Doyouok Ping URL" in the sheet.
- In Doyouok > Notifications, connect Telegram, Slack or Discord.
- Press "SEND TEST EMAIL" in Settings. The check turns "Up" on your Doyouok dashboard.
- You then get one daily message on Telegram / Slack / Discord listing what is due, and an alert (email included) if the sheet stops checking in or reports a failed reminder.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The script is your own private copy inside your spreadsheet, so Google shows this for every personal script. Click "Advanced", then "Go to (project name)", then "Allow". You only do this once.
Edit this spreadsheet (update expiry dates and the reminder log), send email as you (the reminders), run on a daily timer, show the Renewals side panel, and connect to an external service (only used if you add a Doyouok Ping URL).
Check your spam / junk folder first; Outlook and Hotmail often filter it. The email is sent from your own Google account, so add that address to your contacts. Make sure Settings > "Email Reminders To" has the right address (blank = your Google account email), then press SEND TEST EMAIL again. The pop-up tells you where it was sent or what failed.
Open the sheet and use menu > "Turn on reminders" again; this recreates the daily timer and re-asks for permission if Google removed it. To be told automatically next time, link Doyouok (see above): it alerts you when the daily check-in stops.
Edit Settings > "Remind Days Before Expiry", e.g. "60, 14, 0" (0 = on the expiry date). The daily run is around 8:00 in the spreadsheet's time zone (File > Settings).
Renew it (OPEN RENEWALS or type the new date), delete the row, or set Settings > "Keep Reminding After Expiry" to No.
Reload the spreadsheet; the menu appears a few seconds after it opens. Buttons and menus don't work in the Google Sheets mobile app; use a computer browser.
Yes. Use the filter button in any header to sort or filter, and add rows at the bottom. Don't delete the hidden ID column (column A); reminders use it.
The sheet has no subscription. Free Gmail accounts can send up to 100 emails a day, far more than a personal tracker needs. Doyouok's free plan covers one Expiry Tracker check.
Nothing unless you add a Doyouok Ping URL. With it, only the item name, expiry date and days left of items being reminded that day are sent. Fees and notes never leave your spreadsheet.
Menu > "Turn off reminders". Nothing is sent until you turn them on again.
Menu > Setup > "Rebuild template". Warning: this erases all your data, so copy your rows somewhere first.