Key register spreadsheet template (CSV)

A key register lists every key set you hold, one row per set, with where it lives and its current status. It is different from a sign-out sheet:

• Register (inventory) — one row per key set. Answers “what do we hold, and where is it right now?”
• Sign-out sheet (log) — one row per movement. Answers “what happened, and when?” See the sign-out sheet template.

Most teams need both. The register goes stale if nobody updates it from the log.

Both files are CSV (plain text), not Excel workbooks. They have no formulas, dropdowns or validation. The example rows are fictional, so replace them with your own.

Opening it in Excel or Google Sheets

• Excel: File → Open and choose the CSV. To keep dropdowns or colours, save a copy as .xlsx. CSV can't store them.
• Google Sheets: File → Import → Upload, then pick “Replace spreadsheet” or “Insert new sheet”.
• If you add a dropdown for status, keep to four values: available, checked_out, missing, retired.

Column notes

• key_number — unique and short. Two sets both called “front door” is how registers break.
• storage_location — the exact cabinet and hook, so returned keys go back to the same place.
• recorded_holder / due_back — filled only while checked out. An old due date is your chase list.
• notes — e.g. “spare for lockbox”. Not addresses or access codes.

Importing into KeyDocket

KeyDocket's importer reads key_number, property, unit, keys_on_ring, storage_location and notes. It does not import status, holder or due dates. Imported sets start as available, and check-outs are recorded from then on so every entry in the history is real. Use the separate import file above, or delete the extra columns first. Rows with a key number that's missing or already used are flagged and skipped.

Where a spreadsheet falls short

Nothing makes the status match reality. People overwrite each other's changes, and there's no history of who changed a row. For a small, single-office team that may be fine. For the signs it isn't, see moving from paper or spreadsheets to software.