free template · excel, google sheets, csv
Free home inventory spreadsheet
Everything an insurance claim asks for, one row per item: room, model and serial number, purchase price, and replacement cost, with totals that add themselves up. Download it, or start filling it in right here.
Free, no signup. Both versions have an inventory tab with room and category dropdowns, automatic totals, a room-by-room checklist, and instructions. The Google Sheets button makes your own private copy in your Drive (preview it first). The Excel file also opens in Apple Numbers.
Or fill it in here
saves in this browser as you typeNothing leaves your device. Export a CSV when you are done; it opens in Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers with the same columns as the download.
start with a room| Item | Room | Qty | Brand | Model | Serial | Purchased | Paid | Replace for |
|---|
The model and serial columns are the slow part.
kept fills them in from a photo or a barcode scan, keeps the receipt with the item, reminds you before a warranty runs out, and checks everything you own against product recalls. Bring what you have: export the CSV above and import it into kept in one step. It exports back to a spreadsheet any time.
[ try kept free ] free plan · no card · export your data whenever you wantWhat goes in a home inventory spreadsheet
An inventory is only useful on the worst day: after a fire, a flood, or a break-in, when an adjuster asks you to list everything you lost from memory. The columns in this template are the ones that make that conversation short.
| Column | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Item & room | Lets you walk the house in your head and spot gaps. Sort by room to total each one. |
| Qty | One row for "dining chairs × 6" instead of six rows. Totals multiply by it. |
| Brand, model, serial | Proves the item was yours and which version it was. A "TV" and a specific 65-inch model are paid out very differently. |
| Purchase date & store | Backs up the price and dates the item for depreciation. The store's order history is often enough if you lost the receipt. |
| Purchase price | What you paid. Your evidence. |
| Replacement cost | What the same thing costs new today. This is the number a replacement-cost policy pays, and the total tells you whether your coverage limit is high enough. |
| Warranty ends | Not for insurance; for you. The same list saves a repair bill when something breaks in year one. |
| Receipt / photo | Where the proof lives. A file name, a folder, or a link. |
How to fill it in without giving up halfway
- Start with the expensive rooms. Living room electronics, the kitchen appliances, and the bedroom with the jewelry cover most of the value in most homes. The garage is a close fourth: tools add up fast.
- Do a video walkthrough first. Ten minutes with your phone, opening closets and drawers, narrating as you go. It is proof on its own and it becomes your to-do list for the spreadsheet.
- Group the small stuff. "Kitchen utensils, about 40 pieces" with one estimated value is fine. Itemize anything over roughly a hundred dollars.
- Photograph the serial sticker, not just the item. It is on the back, the bottom, or inside the door. Our guide to finding model and serial numbers covers the usual hiding places.
- Store a copy off-site. Email the file to yourself or put it in cloud storage. A spreadsheet on a laptop that burns with the house does not help.
The Room checklist tab in the download lists the items people forget most: the TV mount, the sump pump, holiday decorations, fitness equipment, the tools in the garage. Our longer home inventory checklist goes room by room in more detail, and home inventory for insurance explains what adjusters actually ask for.
Spreadsheet or app?
A spreadsheet is free, works everywhere, and will still open in twenty years. It is a perfectly good home inventory, and starting with one costs you nothing: kept imports this template (or any CSV or Excel file) whenever you want to switch. Where it falls short is upkeep: every new purchase means opening the file and typing, receipts and photos live somewhere else, and nothing tells you when a warranty is about to end or when something you own is recalled.
| Spreadsheet | kept app | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free plan; kept+ adds more |
| Adding an item | Type every field | Photo or barcode fills brand, model, specs |
| Receipts & photos | Stored separately, linked by name | Attached to the item |
| Warranty reminders | No | Yes, before they lapse |
| Recall alerts | No | Checks your items against CPSC recalls |
| Finding something | Ctrl+F | Ask in plain English: "what filter does the furnace take?" |
| Switching later | — | Imports this template, any CSV, or Excel file |
| Getting your data out | It is already a file | CSV export and a full backup zip, any time |
If you are weighing apps, our comparison of the best home inventory apps covers kept, Sortly, Encircle, and others honestly, including where each one is the better pick.
Common questions
Is there a free home inventory spreadsheet template?
Yes. The template on this page is free with no signup. It downloads as an Excel file that also opens in Google Sheets and Apple Numbers, and it includes an inventory tab with room and category dropdowns, automatic totals for purchase price and replacement cost, a room-by-room checklist, and instructions. You can also fill it in directly on this page and export a CSV.
What should a home inventory list include?
For each item: a description, the room it is in, quantity, brand, model number, serial number, purchase date, where you bought it, what you paid, what it would cost to replace today, and where the receipt or photo is stored. Model and serial numbers prove ownership, and replacement cost is the figure most homeowners policies pay out on, so those columns matter most.
How do I make a home inventory spreadsheet?
Go one room at a time and start with the most expensive items: electronics, appliances, furniture, jewelry. Add one row per item, or one row per set with a quantity for things like dishes or clothing. Photograph each item and its serial sticker as you go. Then save a copy somewhere outside the house, such as email or cloud storage, so it survives the event you made it for.
Can I use this home inventory template in Google Sheets?
Yes. Use the copy to Google Sheets button on this page: it makes your own private copy in your Google Drive with the dropdowns, totals, and checklist already set up. You can also import the Excel download with File, then Import, then Upload. The CSV export from the online editor also imports into Google Sheets.
Should I list purchase price or replacement cost?
Both. Purchase price is what you paid and is backed up by your receipt. Replacement cost is what the same or an equivalent item costs new today. A replacement-cost policy pays the second figure; an actual-cash-value policy pays replacement cost minus depreciation. Your declarations page says which one you have.
How often should I update my home inventory?
Add an item whenever you buy something worth listing, and review the whole thing once a year. An annual review is a good moment to update replacement costs, remove things you sold, and check that your coverage limit still covers the total. If you would rather not maintain a file, the free kept app adds items from a photo and exports back to a spreadsheet whenever you need one.