Open a CSV file in Excel or Google Sheets

Carolina Villatoro Updated by Carolina Villatoro

Having trouble opening CSV reports?

Opening a CSV file in Excel or Google Sheets can cause data to be difficult to read. This is because data in CSV files are separated by commas (CSV = Comma Separated Value) and other variances. This is a common issue users face and can easily be resolved with a few simple steps.  Below are instructions on how to import all text/data in either Excel or Google Sheets.

Excel

If opening with Excel:

  1. Open a blank worksheet in Excel and click on the Data tab
  2. Click on “Get Data (Power Query)" and select “Text/CSV” as the Data Source
  3. Locate the CSV file on your computer and click Next
  4. In the “Preview file data” section, just select “Load” (make sure "Comma" is set for the Delimiter field.
  5. Excel will now open the CSV file with the data in separate columns

Google Sheets

If opening with Google Sheets:

  1. Open Google Sheets and start a new spreadsheet
  2. Click on File > Import > Upload then browse for the CSV file 
  3. Click Open
  4. An “Import File” box will pop up, uncheck “Convert texts to numbers, dates, and formulas”
  5. Click on “Import Data”

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