Import data sets & spreadsheets - Computer (2024)

You can import a spreadsheet in many file formats, like .xls, .csv, .txt, andmore.

1. On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
2. Open or create a sheet.
3. At the top, click File Import.
4. Choose a non-password-protected file in one of these file types:
   • .xls (if newer than Microsoft® Office 95)
   • .xlsx
   • .xlsm
   • .xlt
   • .xltx
   • .xltm
   • .ods
   • .csv
   • .txt
   • .tsv
   • .tab
5. Select an import option. Not all file types have all six options:
   • Create new spreadsheet: Create a spreadsheet from the imported data in a new browser tab.
   • Insert new sheets: Adds new sheets with the imported data to your existing spreadsheet.
   • Replace spreadsheet: Replace the open spreadsheet with the data in your imported file.
   • Replace current sheet: Replace the current sheet’s contents with the imported data.
   • Append rows to current sheet: Adds the imported data to the current sheet after the last row with any data.
   • Replace data starting at selected cell: Replace the data in a range of selected cells with the imported data.
6. Optional: If you import a plain text file, like .csv or .txt, under "Separator character," you can pick what letter or symbol Google Sheets uses to separate cells.
   • Detect automatically: This will automatically find ways to split your data set. For example, it can detect fixed-width-formatted files or detect a semicolon as a separator.
   • Tab
   • Comma
   • Custom: Choose a custom character to split your data.
7. Click Import.