Contact and spreadsheet CSV workflows
Convert an Excel Worksheet to CSV in Google Sheets
Open an Excel workbook in Google Sheets, select the intended table and download a checked CSV while preserving identifiers and verifying the exported values.
To convert an Excel worksheet to CSV with Google Sheets, open the workbook in Sheets, select the sheet containing the intended table and download that sheet as comma-separated values. Review the exported text before using it elsewhere. A CSV represents a table of values, so workbook features such as formatting and multiple worksheets need separate consideration.
Open a working copy of the workbook
Google’s Excel and Sheets guidance describes opening an Excel file with Sheets and downloading data in other formats. Keep the original Excel file so that conversion does not become the only surviving copy of formulas, formatting or other workbook content.
Confirm that you opened the intended version. Similar file names and multiple copies can make a correct export contain outdated data. Inspect a known recent row and the sheet names before preparing the table.
Select the table that belongs in the CSV
A workbook can contain a raw-data tab, a summary and lookup sheets. Identify which tab holds the actual records required by the receiving program. Exporting a summary table when the destination expects individual records can produce a valid file with the wrong meaning.
Prepare a copy with one header row and consistent columns. Resolve presentation-only headings, merged cells and totals that should not become records. If several tabs need export, give their separate CSV files distinct names and record which sheet each came from.
Protect identifiers before downloading
Inspect codes, postal identifiers and telephone numbers as text values. The string 00123 and the number 123 are not interchangeable when a receiving system uses a five-character code. A custom number format that displays leading zeros should not be treated as proof that every export route preserves the intended identifier.
For a controlled check, create one text code with a leading zero and another value containing an accented character. Inspect those cells after opening the Excel file in Sheets, then inspect them again in the downloaded CSV. If a conversion already changed the value, repair it from the original source before continuing.
Download and inspect the file
Use File, Download and the comma-separated-values option for the selected sheet. Google’s export guidance documents downloading spreadsheet data in other formats. Check the downloaded file name and open the resulting text with a CSV-aware viewer.
Do not infer the data from the .csv extension alone. Check the first row, delimiter and a few data records. A clean-looking worksheet can export extra blank columns or unwanted rows when the underlying table includes content outside the area you were looking at.
Compare values using a small fixture
Code,Name,Amount,Note
00123,René,12.5,"North, east"
00999,Asha,0,"Says ""ready"""
This fictional table contains two records with four fields each. The leading zeros belong to the Code values. The comma inside North, east is part of one note, and the doubled quotation marks encode the literal quotation marks around ready.
After parsing, compare the values rather than requiring every exporter to use identical optional quoting. Quoting all fields can be just as valid as quoting only fields that need it. The important result is the same records and field contents under the destination’s expected CSV dialect.
Review formula results and display conventions
CSV does not carry a workbook’s live calculation model. If the sheet contains formulas, verify the values that will be handed to the receiving program. A stale result or an error cell should be resolved before export rather than explained away as a formatting issue.
Dates, percentages and currency deserve explicit agreement with the destination. A displayed date can be ambiguous across locales, and a percent can be expected as either a fraction or a percentage number. Decide the required representation, prepare the export column accordingly and check the actual characters in the downloaded file.
Validate the receiving interpretation
Use a small sample in the destination and inspect its field mapping and data types. A parser accepting the file does not prove that a code stayed textual or a date was interpreted in the intended order. Compare both fixture records and an empty optional field if the real table contains one.
Keep the downloaded file associated with its workbook version and source sheet. If you edit the workbook later, download and verify a new CSV rather than reusing an earlier export. This preserves a clear connection between the table you reviewed and the file you actually submit.
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