SheetAI

How to Create an OpenAI API Key

To use SheetAI with OpenAI models (GPT-4o, GPT-4, GPT-3.5), you need an API key from OpenAI. This is separate from a ChatGPT subscription.

Important: A ChatGPT Plus subscription does not include API access. You need a separate OpenAI API account with billing set up.

Step 1: Create an OpenAI account

  1. 1
  2. 2

    Sign up with your email, Google, or Microsoft account

  3. 3

    Verify your phone number (required for free trial credits)

Step 2: Set up billing

OpenAI gives new accounts a small amount of free credits. Once those expire, you need to add a payment method.

  1. 1

    Go to Billing dashboard

  2. 2

    Click "Add payment method" and enter your card details

  3. 3

    Set a spending limit to control costs (recommended: $5-10/month to start)

Tip: Paid accounts get higher rate limits (3,500 RPM after 48 hours) and faster response times compared to free trial accounts.

Step 3: Generate your API key

  1. 1

    Go to platform.openai.com/api-keys

  2. 2

    Click "Create new secret key"

  3. 3

    Give it a name (e.g. "SheetAI") and click "Create secret key"

  4. 4

    Copy your key immediately — you won't be able to see it again. It starts with sk-

Step 4: Add the key to SheetAI

  1. 1

    Open Google Sheets and go to Extensions → SheetAI App → Launch sidebar

  2. 2

    Click on Settings in the sidebar

  3. 3

    Select "OpenAI" as the provider

  4. 4

    Paste your API key and click Save

  5. 5

    Test it: type =SHEETAI("hello") in any cell

How to check your OpenAI usage

Monitor how much you're spending on API calls:

Using other AI providers?

SheetAI also supports Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, xAI Grok, and DeepSeek. See the full API key setup guide for instructions on all providers.

Need help?

If you run into errors, check the common errors page or email us at support@sheetai.app