How to Export a CSV from Excel or Google Sheets

To export a spreadsheet as CSV, use Save As in Excel or File → Download in Google Sheets, then choose a CSV file type. Before sharing it, check the exported text and the imported table—not just the filename.

The goal is one clean table: a header row followed by records, with dates, identifiers, numbers, and missing values represented consistently. Keep the original workbook separately; CSV is a data exchange file, not a workbook backup.

1. Prepare a publication sheet

Create a dedicated sheet containing only the rows and columns intended for release. Use one row per observation and one column per field. Remove presentation-only titles, merged headings, blank separator rows, and subtotals mixed into the records.

For example, this fictional monthly attendance dataset has four columns and three records:

site_id,site_name,month,visits
00123,"North Hall, Annex",2026-09,420
00124,Central Hall,2026-09,0
00125,East Hall,2026-09,

Define the fields before exporting:

Field	Intended meaning
site_id	Five-character identifier; preserve leading zeros
site_name	Public site name
month	Reporting month in YYYY-MM form
visits	Whole-number count; zero means none, blank means not reported

CSV itself does not declare column data types or uniqueness constraints. Document those expectations alongside the dataset, as explained in the W3C CSV on the Web primer.

For publication:

• Use clear, unique headers, with units where needed, such as amount_usd.
• Choose unambiguous date text, such as 2026-09-30 for a complete date.
• Preserve identifiers as text throughout the workflow; use the leading-zero checklist when codes could be mistaken for numbers.
• Recalculate and review formula results before exporting. In Excel, make sure cells display results rather than formulas: Microsoft documents that displayed formulas can be exported as text.
• Do not replace unknown values with zero unless the source supports that interpretation.
• Build the approved subset explicitly. Do not use hidden rows or columns as a privacy control.

Remove personal, confidential, or otherwise restricted information before uploading anything to a public publishing service.

2. Export the correct sheet

Excel desktop

1. Save the original workbook in its existing workbook format.
2. Select the prepared publication worksheet.
3. Choose File → Save As or Save a Copy, then select a location and filename.
4. Choose the UTF-8 CSV option when available. In Excel on Windows, look for CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (*.csv).
5. Save, and review any warnings about worksheet scope or unsupported features.

Microsoft’s save instructions confirm that CSV saves only the active sheet and removes workbook formatting. The Windows UTF-8 option is shown in the Vermont Department of Taxes’ illustrated Excel instructions. If your version lacks that option, use the separate UTF-8 export guide.

Need several tabs? Export each worksheet as a separate CSV, with a clear filename for each table.

Google Sheets on a computer

1. Open the spreadsheet and select the publication tab.
2. Choose File → Download → Comma-separated values (.csv).
3. Locate the downloaded file and confirm that it contains the intended tab.

Google documents the File → Download workflow; the CSV-specific walkthrough describes the active-sheet download, with formula results rather than workbook formatting.

3. Validate the exported file

Open the CSV in a text editor first. Confirm the actual separator: Excel’s CSV delimiter can depend on separator settings, so a .csv extension alone does not establish that the file uses commas. Then import it into a fresh table with deliberate delimiter and column-type settings.

Check these points against the publication sheet:

Check	Expected result for the sample
Headers	Four fields, in the intended order
Record count	Three data records, excluding the header
Identifier	00123, not 123
Quoted text	North Hall, Annex occupies one field
Missing values	The zero remains zero; the final blank remains blank
Numeric check	Known visit counts sum to 420
Encoding	Accented and non-Latin text, if present, remains intact

Fields containing commas, quotes, or line breaks need CSV quoting; literal quotes inside a quoted field are doubled. These conventions are documented in RFC 4180. Count parsed records rather than physical text lines if cells contain line breaks.

Do not assume that double-clicking the file proves it is correct. Excel uses default import settings when opening CSVs and may reinterpret dates or leading-zero identifiers. Use an explicit import workflow and check the result; Microsoft explains these import differences. Follow the export validation checklist for a fuller comparison.

4. Publish the reviewed CSV

As of October 2026, TablePage accepts CSV uploads and generates a public dataset page with a shareable link and a filterable table.

Upload only the reviewed publication file. Before distributing the link, compare the page’s headers, records, identifiers, and numeric behavior with your checks above. If an identifier changes or a number behaves like text, resolve it before sharing.

Accompany the link with the source, reporting period, units, missing-value convention, permitted reuse, and release date. Keep the original workbook, exported CSV, and those notes together so the next release can be checked against the same expectations.