How To Open A Text File In Excel

There are two ways to import information from a text file with Excel: you tin can open up it in Excel, or you tin can import it equally an external data range. To consign data from Excel to a text file, use the Save Equally command and change the file type from the drop-down menu.

There are 2 commonly used text file formats:

Delimited text files (.txt), in which the TAB character (ASCII character code 009) typically separates each field of text.
Comma separated values text files (.csv), in which the comma grapheme (,) typically separates each field of text.

You can change the separator grapheme that is used in both delimited and .csv text files. This may exist necessary to make sure that the import or export operation works the way that y'all want it to.

Note:You can import or consign upward to 1,048,576 rows and sixteen,384 columns.

Import a text file by opening it in Excel

You can open a text file that you lot created in another program equally an Excel workbook by using the Open command. Opening a text file in Excel does non change the format of the file — you can see this in the Excel title bar, where the name of the file retains the text file name extension (for instance, .txt or .csv).

Get to File > Open up and browse to the location that contains the text file.
Select Text Files in the file type dropdown listing in the Open dialog box.
Locate and double-click the text file that you want to open.
- If the file is a text file (.txt), Excel starts the Import Text Wizard. When you are washed with the steps, click Finish to complete the import functioning. See Text Import Wizard for more information almost delimiters and advanced options.
- If the file is a .csv file, Excel automatically opens the text file and displays the data in a new workbook.
  
  Note:When Excel opens a .csv file, it uses the electric current default data format settings to interpret how to import each column of information. If you want more flexibility in converting columns to different data formats, yous tin can utilise the Import Text Wizard. For case, the format of a data column in the .csv file may be MDY, but Excel's default data format is YMD, or you want to convert a column of numbers that contains leading zeros to text so you can preserve the leading zeros. To strength Excel to run the Import Text Wizard, yous can change the file name extension from .csv to .txt before you open it, or you can import a text file past connecting to it (for more information, see the following section).

Import a text file past connecting to it (Ability Query)

You can import information from a text file into an existing worksheet.

On the Data tab, in the Go & Transform Information group, click From Text/CSV.
In the Import Data dialog box, locate and double-click the text file that you want to import, and click Import.
In the preview dialog box, you accept several options:
- SelectLoad if you desire to load the data directly to a new worksheet.
- Alternatively, select Load to if yous want to load the data to a table, PivotTable/PivotChart, an existing/new Excel worksheet, or simply create a connexion. You besides have the choice of calculation your data to the Data Model.
- Select Transform Data if you desire to load the information to Ability Query, and edit it before bringing it to Excel.

If Excel doesn't convert a particular column of information to the format that yous want, so you can convert the data subsequently you import information technology. For more than data, see Convert numbers stored as text to numbers and Convert dates stored every bit text to dates.

Export data to a text file past saving information technology

You can convert an Excel worksheet to a text file by using the Save As command.

Get to File > Save As.
Click Browse.
In the Save As dialog box, under Save equally type box, choose the text file format for the worksheet; for instance, click Text (Tab delimited) or CSV (Comma delimited).

Note:The unlike formats support unlike feature sets. For more information about the feature sets that are supported by the different text file formats, meet File formats that are supported in Excel.
Browse to the location where yous want to salvage the new text file, and and then click Save.
A dialog box appears, reminding you that only the current worksheet will be saved to the new file. If you are certain that the current worksheet is the i that y'all want to save as a text file, click OK. You tin can save other worksheets equally split up text files by repeating this procedure for each worksheet.

You may also see an warning below the ribbon that some features might be lost if you relieve the workbook in a CSV format.

For more than information most saving files in other formats, see Salve a workbook in some other file format.

Import a text file by connecting to information technology

Yous can import information from a text file into an existing worksheet.

Click the prison cell where yous want to put the data from the text file.
On the Data tab, in the Get External Information group, click From Text.
In the Import Data dialog box, locate and double-click the text file that you want to import, and click Import.

Follow the instructions in the Text Import Wizard. Click Assist on whatever page of the Text Import Wizard for more information about using the wizard. When you are done with the steps in the sorcerer, click Finish to complete the import operation.
In the Import Data dialog box, do the post-obit:
1. Nether Where practice you want to put the data?, do one of the following:
  - To render the data to the location that you lot selected, click Existing worksheet.
  - To render the information to the upper-left corner of a new worksheet, click New worksheet.
2. Optionally, click Properties to set refresh, formatting, and layout options for the imported data.
3. Click OK.
  
  Excel puts the external data range in the location that you lot specify.

If Excel does not convert a column of data to the format that you want, you can convert the data subsequently you import information technology. For more information, see Catechumen numbers stored equally text to numbers and Catechumen dates stored every bit text to dates.

Consign data to a text file past saving it

You tin can catechumen an Excel worksheet to a text file by using the Save As command.

Go to File > Save Equally.
The Save As dialog box appears.
In the Relieve as type box, choose the text file format for the worksheet.
- For example, click Text (Tab delimited) or CSV (Comma delimited).
- Notation:The different formats support different feature sets. For more information about the feature sets that are supported past the different text file formats, run into File formats that are supported in Excel.
Browse to the location where yous want to save the new text file, and then click Save.
A dialog box appears, reminding you that only the current worksheet volition be saved to the new file. If you are certain that the current worksheet is the i that yous desire to save every bit a text file, click OK. You can save other worksheets as divide text files by repeating this procedure for each worksheet.
A 2nd dialog box appears, reminding y'all that your worksheet may contain features that are not supported past text file formats. If you are interested but in saving the worksheet data into the new text file, click Yes. If you are unsure and would like to know more than about which Excel features are not supported by text file formats, click Help for more information.

For more data about saving files in other formats, see Save a workbook in some other file format.

The way you modify the delimiter when importing is dissimilar depending on how you import the text.

If yous employ Become & Transform Data > From Text/CSV, after you choose the text file and click Import, choose a character to apply from the list under Delimiter. Yous can see the effect of your new choice immediately in the data preview, so you can be sure yous make the choice you want before you go on.
If you lot employ the Text Import Sorcerer to import a text file, you lot tin change the delimiter that is used for the import operation in Step ii of the Text Import Wizard. In this step, you tin besides modify the way that sequent delimiters, such as consecutive quotation marks, are handled.

Run across Text Import Sorcerer for more information near delimiters and advanced options.

If you want to use a semi-colon as the default list separator when yous Save As .csv, but need to limit the change to Excel, consider changing the default decimal separator to a comma - this forces Excel to apply a semi-colon for the listing separator. Obviously, this will too change the manner decimal numbers are displayed, then also consider irresolute the Thousands separator to limit any confusion.

ClearExcel Options > Advanced > Editing options > Use system separators.
Gear up Decimal separator to , (a comma).
Set Thousands separator to . (a catamenia).

When you save a workbook as a .csv file, the default list separator (delimiter) is a comma. You tin can change this to another separator character using Windows Region settings.

Circumspection:Changing the Windows setting will cause a global change on your computer, affecting all applications. To merely alter the delimiter for Excel, see Change the default listing separator for saving files every bit text (.csv) in Excel.

In Microsoft Windows 10, right-click the Start push button, and and then click Settings.
Click Time & Language, and so click Region in the left console.
In the main panel, nether Regional settings, click Additional appointment, time, and regional settings.
Under Region, click Modify engagement, time, or number formats.
In the Region dialog, on the Format tab, click Boosted settings.
In the Customize Format dialog, on the Numbers tab, type a character to utilise as the new separator in the Listing separator box.
Click OK twice.

In Microsoft Windows, click the Outset button, and so click Control Console.
Nether Clock, Linguistic communication, and Region, click Change date, fourth dimension, or number formats.
In the Region dialog, on the Format tab, click Additional settings.
In the Customize Format dialog, on the Numbers tab, type a character to utilize equally the new separator in the List separator box.
Click OK twice.

Note: Afterward y'all change the list separator character for your reckoner, all programs use the new graphic symbol as a list separator. You can change the character back to the default character by following the aforementioned procedure.