How to Use Coda Templates

Learn how to find, preview, and customize Coda templates from the Templates Gallery to build docs faster without starting from scratch.

Quick answer

To use Coda templates, open the Templates Gallery from your workspace home, browse or search by category, and click Use Template on any doc that fits your needs. Coda creates a new copy in your workspace that you can rename, customize, and share with collaborators immediately—no paid plan required to get started.

Steps at a glance

  1. Click Templates in the left sidebar or workspace home screen.
  2. Browse the Templates Gallery by category, team, or use case.
  3. Preview a template by clicking its thumbnail to see sample content.
  4. Click Use Template to copy it into your workspace.
  5. Rename the new doc and customize tables, pages, and data.
  6. Adjust permissions and share the doc with collaborators as needed.
  7. Save your customized version as a reusable template later.

Summary

Coda templates are pre-built docs covering common workflows like project tracking, CRM, and goal setting. Instead of building a doc from a blank page, you can copy a template into your workspace and adjust it to match your own data and process.

Step-by-step guide

  1. Step 1

    Open the Templates Gallery

    Log into Coda and go to your workspace home screen. Click 'Templates' in the left sidebar, or click the 'Templates Gallery' link if you're starting a new doc from the '+ New doc' menu. This opens a library of pre-built docs organized by category.

  2. Step 2

    Browse or search for a template

    Scroll through the gallery or use the filters at the top to browse by team (Product, Sales, Marketing, Engineering), scenario, or theme. If you know what you're looking for, type a keyword like 'CRM' or 'roadmap' into the search bar to narrow the results instantly.

  3. Step 3

    Preview the template before committing

    Click any template thumbnail to open a live preview. You can scroll through its pages, tables, and sample data to see whether the layout fits your workflow before adding it to your workspace.

  4. Step 4

    Click 'Use Template' to copy it

    Once you find a template you like, click the 'Use Template' button, usually located in the top-right corner of the preview. Coda creates a fresh copy of that doc in your workspace, complete with all its original tables, views, and formulas.

  5. Step 5

    Customize the doc for your needs

    Rename the doc, edit table columns, and replace sample rows with your own data. You can follow the same process used to add rows to a table or adjust column types to match your workflow, since templates behave like any other editable Coda doc.

  6. Step 6

    Set permissions and share the doc

    Once your template-based doc is ready, decide who needs access. Open the share menu to share a doc with teammates, or adjust folder-level permissions if the doc lives in a shared workspace.

  7. Step 7

    Save your own version as a future template

    If you've customized a doc in a way you'll reuse often, you can save it as a personal template for faster setup next time, instead of rebuilding it or re-copying from the gallery each time.

Why this matters

You need a project tracker, CRM, or planning doc by end of day and don't have time to design tables and views from scratch. Using a template gets you a working structure in minutes, so you can focus on filling in your data instead of building the framework.

Frequently asked questions

  • Are Coda templates free to use?

    Yes. The Templates Gallery is available on Coda's free plan, and copying a template into your workspace doesn't require a paid subscription unless the template itself depends on premium Packs.

  • Can I turn my own doc into a template?

    Yes. You can duplicate an existing doc and adjust it into a reusable starting point for future projects, which is useful once you've built a layout you want to repeat.

  • Do Coda templates include integrations?

    Some templates come with built-in Packs that connect to tools like Google Sheets, Slack, or Jira. You'll need to authenticate those connections the first time you open the copied doc.

  • Can I still edit a doc after creating it from a template?

    Yes. Once a template is copied into your workspace, it behaves like any standard Coda doc — you can add columns, rename tables, delete pages, or rebuild sections entirely.

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