Templates
Key register template for Excel and Google Sheets
A key register with inventory, checkouts and returns that works out status and overdue keys by itself — as an Excel file, for Google Sheets and on paper.
Free · no sign-up · Excel, Google Sheets and PDF
Download
Three ways to your key register
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Excel template (.xlsx)
Five sheets: guide, keys, checkouts, people and overview. Status, overdue keys and figures calculate themselves.
Download the Excel template -
Google Sheets
Creates your own copy in your Google account.
Make a copy in Google Sheetsopens Google Sheets in your Google account
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Print sheet (PDF)
Key register sheet in landscape with 20 rows per page: fill it in on screen or print it blank; signatures go on paper.
Download the print sheet
How to make your copy in Google Sheets
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Click “Make a copy in Google Sheets” and sign in to your Google account if you aren’t already. A free account is enough.
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Google asks whether you want to copy the document. Confirm with “Make a copy”. The copy is then saved in your Google Drive under “My Drive”.
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Rename the copy, for example after the building, and start entering. The copy is yours: Log+Key can’t see your entries. To work on it with colleagues, use “Share”.
In brief
A key register is the running list of an organisation’s keys: which exist, who has which one right now and when it is due back. Each checkout gets its own row so nothing is overwritten.
What goes in
What belongs in a key register
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A unique key ID – so two similar keys can never be mixed up
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Description, property and locking system – what the key is for, clear even to new colleagues
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Number of copies – so a missing copy stands out
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Where it is kept – where the key goes back after its return
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Checkout with date, recipient and issuer – every movement on its own row, nothing gets overwritten
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Planned and actual return – makes open and overdue keys visible
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Signature on receipt and return (print sheet) – on paper the recipient confirms in person
To be honest
When Excel reaches its limits
A spreadsheet works as long as one person keeps it. It gets tight in three places: when that very person is on holiday, at the first dispute about a missing key — a cell can be overwritten without anyone noticing — and as soon as two colleagues edit the file at once.
If you switch later, archive the list on the day you switch instead of keeping it going in parallel. On request, the Log+Key team takes care of the first import from an existing list.
Tips from practice
What works in practice
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One person keeps it, everyone can look
The list works as long as it is clear who keeps it. Decide now who takes over during holidays — that is where a key register most often breaks.
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Every checkout is a new row
Never overwrite an old row. A cell can be changed without anyone noticing what it said before; new rows keep the history.
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Keys belong to roles
Describe what a key is needed for, e.g. “Caretaker, Sample Street”. Then the list stays right after staff changes.
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Check overdue keys at month end
The “Overview” sheet counts overdue checkouts. A quick look at the end of each month is enough to get keys back before anyone misses them.
From our “What we learned” series — lessons from alarm services, care, property management, facility services and the public sector. Read the key management guide
Without paper
When the list is no longer enough
One sheet per handover works — until there are fifty a month and the folders fill up. In Log+Key, the record is created with every handover:
- Signature right on the screen — tablet, smartphone or terminal
- PDF receipt by email to whoever takes the key
- A complete history: who had which key when
- Return deadline with an automatic email reminder
Log+Key is free for up to 10 objects, for good.
A handover in Log+Key: checkout with a signature on screen
Screencast: a bunch of keys is opened in the object list and taken out; the checkout is confirmed with the signature “M. Muster” on screen, followed by the PIN prompt
FAQ
Questions about the key register template
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Does the template work in Google Sheets and LibreOffice?
Yes. The formulas only use functions that Excel 2016 and later, LibreOffice and Google Sheets all know. For Google Sheets, use “Make a copy in Google Sheets” above to create your own copy in your Google account — or upload the Excel file to Google Drive and open it there.
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Why are some columns locked?
Status, open checkouts and description are calculated. So nobody overwrites the formulas by accident, these columns are protected — without a password. Use “Review → Unprotect sheet” to adapt the file.
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How many keys does it hold?
The formulas are set up for 500 keys and 500 checkouts. If you need more, copy the last row down — or ask yourself whether a spreadsheet is still the right tool.
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Do I need an account?
No. You download the files without signing up.
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Can I move my key register into Log+Key later?
Yes. On request, the Log+Key team takes care of the first import from an existing list. What software changes compared with the spreadsheet is set out in the comparison of Excel key log and software.
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Where do I record which key opens which door?
In a master key plan. The key register shows who has which key right now; the plan shows which doors a key opens. There is a separate master key plan template for Excel.
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May I adapt the template?
Yes. Change the standard wording right in the generator; you may use and share the fillable PDF within your organisation. The template is a sample without warranty and not legal advice; if every word matters, have the text checked.
Sample based on German practice. Not legal advice.