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Importing and exporting

You don't have to type your student list in by hand, and you can share a finished timetable in whatever format your students and parents prefer. This guide covers bringing students in from a spreadsheet and getting your schedule out as a PDF, spreadsheet, or printout.

Ready-made templates and a Google Form

Don't want to build your spreadsheet from scratch? The import templates and forms page has ready-made Excel and CSV templates with the right columns already in place, the full rules for typing availability times (including the * preferred marker), and a recipe for collecting availability straight from students with a Google Form.

Importing your student list

From the Add tab (or the Students screen), choose Import and pick a source:

  • Excel (.xlsx)
  • CSV
  • Google Sheets — paste the share link

Everything is parsed on your device — for Google Sheets, only the spreadsheet file you point to is fetched; no student data is ever uploaded.

Start from a ready-made template

You don't have to guess the layout — grab the template and fill it in. It has the columns the app expects: Name · Activity · Lesson duration (min) · Monday–Sunday · Notes.

  • Excel template (.xlsx) — includes a "How to use" tab. You don't even need Excel to use it: open it in Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbers, or Google Sheets (drag the file into Google Drive and double-click it, or in Sheets choose File → Import → Upload). One file works for all three.
  • CSV template — the same columns in the simplest possible format.

Fill in one row per student, then import the file (or, if you opened it in Google Sheets, share the link and use the Google Sheets option).

Collecting availability with a Google Form

If you'd rather have students fill in their own times, you can send a Google Form. The responses land in a Google Sheet you then import — same on-device parsing, nothing uploaded. There's a short recipe for building the form so its columns match the app (and it can be shared as a one-click "copy" link so every teacher gets their own). See the Templates & Forms section of this guide.

How the columns are read

The app looks for a name column and columns for each day of the week. Day headers are recognised in several languages (English, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, German, French, Spanish, Finnish). If a column isn't recognised, you'll be asked to map it to a day — and your choice is remembered for next time.

Times in a day cell use 24-hour HH:MM-HH:MM (e.g. 15:00-18:00). Separate more than one time slot with a comma (15:00-16:00, 17:00-18:00), and add a * to any time slot you'd prefer (e.g. 15:00-18:00*) — it imports as a starred time slot the scheduler tries first. The * is per-slot, so 15:00-16:00, 17:00-18:00* stars only the second.

Before anything is saved, a preview shows exactly what will be imported.

Exporting your schedule

Open a schedule and tap Export. Choose a format:

  • PDF — a clean timetable to email or save
  • Excel (.xlsx) and CSV — the schedule as data, including a summary sheet
  • Google Sheets — export and open it in Sheets from the share screen
  • Print — send it straight to an AirPrint printer

Every format is generated on your device and shared through the standard iOS share sheet. All times follow your 12-hour or 24-hour setting.

Exports on the free plan

Exports are unlimited on every plan — there's no cap. On the free plan, PDF and printed exports carry a small "Made with Schedule My Lessons" footer. Excel, CSV, and Google Sheets exports are always clean. Upgrading to Pro removes the footer from PDF and print too.

Good to know

  • You can import from Excel (.xlsx), CSV, or Google Sheets (via a share link).
  • When importing from Google Sheets, only the spreadsheet you link is fetched, and only to read it — your students, availability, and schedules always stay on your device.
  • You can export to PDF, Excel, CSV, Google Sheets, or straight to a printer.
  • Exports are unlimited on every plan. Free PDF and print exports carry a small footer; Pro removes it, and spreadsheet exports are always clean.
  • A ready-made Excel and CSV template with the exact columns is available — the Excel file opens in Excel, Apple Numbers, or Google Sheets — along with a Google Form recipe for collecting times from students.
  • To mark a preferred time when importing, add a * to a time slot in a day cell (e.g. 15:00-18:00*); it imports as a starred slot, per-slot, just like the star you can set by hand.
  • Re-importing detects duplicates and lets you update, skip, or add each student.