Import Prompts from a Spreadsheet into Google Flow (CSV & XLSX)

The hardest part of a large Veo or Nano Banana batch is rarely the generating — it is the planning. When you have a campaign with forty product shots, a series with a recurring character, or a research sweep across a hundred prompt variations, trying to type and manage all of that inside a panel is a recipe for typos, duplicates and lost threads. A spreadsheet is the natural place to plan creative work: you can draft, reorder, color-code and version it long before a single clip renders.

This guide shows how to plan a prompt list in a spreadsheet and import XLSX or CSV into Google Flow with Flow Automation, so each row becomes a queued prompt with its own mode. You will learn how to structure your columns, choose naming conventions that keep output tidy, and walk through the import step by step. Flow Automation is an independent Chrome extension that drives labs.google/flow for you; it is not affiliated with Google.

Why plan prompts in a spreadsheet

Drafting prompts in a sheet instead of typing them into the panel one at a time changes the whole rhythm of batch work:

• Plan before you spend renders. You can refine wording, reorder shots and spot duplicates while it costs nothing, then generate only once the list is solid.
• Set the mode per row. One sheet can mix Text to Video, Frame to Video, Ingredients to Video, Text to Image and Image to Image, so a single import covers a mixed shoot list.
• Version and reuse. A spreadsheet is a document you can copy, tweak and re-run — perfect for iterating on a concept or rerunning last month's campaign with new wording.
• Collaborate. A teammate can fill in rows, leave comments and hand you a finished list to import, with no need to touch the extension.
• Stay organized at the output end. A naming column in the sheet maps directly onto tidy filenames when paired with prefixes and automatic renaming.

How the import works

Flow Automation reads an XLSX or CSV file row by row and adds each row to the generation queue as its own prompt, in order. The prompt text is the heart of each row, and a mode value tells the extension how to interpret it — whether that row should run as a video mode or an image mode. Rows that need reference inputs (a start frame, an end frame or ingredient images for the image-driven modes) are planned in the sheet and attached as those modes require. Once imported, the queue behaves exactly like a pasted list: it runs sequentially or in parallel based on your concurrency, retries failures, and auto-downloads every result.

A sample spreadsheet layout

You do not need a complicated template. A clear, consistent set of columns is enough. Here is a layout that scales from ten rows to a few hundred. Keep the header row at the top and one prompt per row beneath it.

name	mode	prompt	aspect	duration	notes
hero_city_dawn	Text to Video	Aerial drone shot of a misty city skyline at dawn, slow push-in, warm light	16:9	8s	Campaign opener
product_spin_01	Text to Video	Studio turntable of a matte black headphone, soft rim light, seamless loop	1:1	4s	Social tile
char_walk_intro	Frame to Video	Animate the character stepping forward out of shadow into light	9:16	6s	Needs start + end frame
key_visual_a	Text to Image	Flat-lay of summer travel essentials on linen, top-down, soft daylight	1:1	—	Still for ad set
restyle_pack_a	Image to Image	Restyle the supplied product photo into a neon cyberpunk poster	9:16	—	Needs source image

A few notes on the columns. The name column is your naming convention — keep it short, lowercase and unique so it sorts cleanly and maps onto filenames. The mode column is what lets each row run differently; spell the modes consistently. The prompt column does the real work, so write it the way you would type it into Flow. The remaining columns (aspect, duration, notes) keep your plan readable; treat notes as a place to flag rows that need attached frames or source images so nothing is forgotten at import time.

Naming conventions that keep output tidy

The single biggest payoff of planning in a sheet is organized output, but only if your names are disciplined. A few rules go a long way:

• Use lowercase and underscores. hero_city_dawn sorts and reads better than Hero City Dawn and avoids filename quirks.
• Lead with the group, end with an index. Names like product_spin_01, product_spin_02 cluster related shots together automatically.
• Keep names unique. Duplicates make outputs ambiguous; a quick check for repeats in the sheet saves confusion later.
• Mirror the name in your prefix. Pairing a per-project filename prefix with the name column means a file's origin is obvious at a glance.

Step-by-step: import your spreadsheet

1. Build the sheet. In any spreadsheet app, create the columns above, add a header row, and write one prompt per row with its mode. Flag rows that need a frame or source image in the notes.
2. Export to XLSX or CSV. Save the file in either format. CSV is the most portable; XLSX preserves your formatting if you want to keep editing later.
3. Install the extension. Add Flow Automation from the Chrome Web Store. It is free to install.
4. Open Google Flow signed in. Go to labs.google/flow in a tab where your Google account is logged in, then click the extension icon to dock the side panel.
5. Create or open a project. Use a reusable project for this batch so its settings and folder stay grouped and you can re-run it later.
6. Import the file. Choose import in the panel and select your XLSX or CSV. Each row is read in order and added to the queue as its own prompt, with the mode applied per row.
7. Attach any reference inputs. For Frame to Video, Ingredients to Video or Image to Image rows, add the start/end frames or source images those modes require.
8. Set output options. Choose aspect ratio (16:9, 9:16 or 1:1), duration (4s, 6s or 8s) for video, number of outputs per prompt, and download quality — video 720p/1080p/4K and image 1K/2K/4K independently.
9. Configure the download folder. Name the Downloads subfolder (default Flow-Automation), add a filename prefix that matches your naming scheme, and enable automatic renaming so files arrive sorted.
10. Tune reliability. Set concurrency, a maximum retry count, and a randomized delay between prompts so a long import runs smoothly.
11. Run and walk away. The extension works through every row, retries failures, and auto-downloads each result. Watch the live progress bar and action log, or come back to a finished folder — progress survives reloads and Manifest V3 restarts.

Tips for large imports

• Test with a small file first. Import five rows to confirm your column layout and mode spelling behave before you commit a 200-row sheet.
• Group by mode where you can. Clustering all the video rows and all the image rows keeps a mixed batch easy to reason about and review.
• Keep one project per campaign. A dedicated project with its own folder and prefix means a big import never mixes with another job's output.
• Use the randomized delay. A 20–30s gap between prompts paces a long queue naturally instead of hammering Flow back to back.
• Match download quality to use. Render social cutdowns at lower quality and reserve 4K for finishing to keep file sizes and render time sensible across a big sheet.
• Re-run by editing the sheet. When you want a second pass, tweak the spreadsheet and import again rather than rebuilding the queue by hand.

Who this is for

Marketers and ad teams can plan an entire campaign's shot list in a sheet, hand it round for review, and import it as one batch organized by campaign folder. Video creators and studios can storyboard a series as rows — mixing video and still modes — and generate the whole list overnight. Researchers and prompt engineers can manage hundreds of systematic prompt variations in a sheet and capture every output with consistent filenames for analysis. Agencies can keep a reusable spreadsheet per client and re-run it whenever a refresh is needed. New to batching? Start with our guide to batch-generating Veo 3 videos, decide which tier fits with Veo 3.1 Quality vs Fast vs Lite, and for stills see Nano Banana bulk image generation.

Frequently asked questions

What spreadsheet formats can I import into Google Flow?

Flow Automation imports XLSX and CSV files. Each row becomes one queued prompt, and you can set the generation mode per row so a single sheet can mix Text to Video, Frame to Video, Text to Image and the other modes in one batch.

Does each spreadsheet row become a separate prompt?

Yes. The importer reads the file row by row and adds each row to the queue as its own prompt, in order. A 200-row sheet becomes a 200-prompt batch that runs sequentially or in parallel depending on your concurrency setting.

Can different rows use different generation modes?

Yes. Because the mode is read per row, one sheet can contain Text to Video rows, Frame to Video rows, Text to Image rows and more. This lets you plan a mixed shoot list — video and stills together — and run it as a single import.

How do I keep the output files organized after a large import?

Set a named Downloads subfolder per project, add a filename prefix, and enable automatic renaming. Combined with a consistent naming column in your sheet, every output lands sorted and identifiable instead of with cryptic Flow filenames.

Is there a limit to how many rows I can import?

The extension does not impose a fixed cap. Large sheets simply become long queues. For very large imports, run sequentially or at modest concurrency with a randomized delay so the session stays stable, and remember progress survives reloads and Manifest V3 worker restarts.

Do I need an API key or coding to import a spreadsheet?

No. Flow Automation runs in your own signed-in browser at labs.google/flow with no API key and no scripting. You build the sheet in any spreadsheet app, export XLSX or CSV, and import it from the side panel.

Is Flow Automation affiliated with Google?

No. Flow Automation is an independent Chrome extension and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Google. "Google Flow" and "Veo" are trademarks of Google LLC. For higher-volume needs, see Flow Automation pricing.