Can You Open a CSV File in Google Sheets?

Google Sheets allows importing of many spreadsheet formats including Comma-Separated Values files more popularly known as CSV files.

File Formats Supported by Google Sheets for Importing

Here’s a list of the file formats and file extensions that Google Sheets accepts for importing.

1. .csv – Comma Separated Values file
2. .ods – OpenDocument Spreadsheet
3. .txt – text document
4. .tsv – Tab-Separated Values file
5. .tab
6. .xls – legacy format by Microsoft Excel. Must be newer than Microsoft Office 95.
7. .xlsx – Microsoft Excel default format
8. .xlsm – Microsoft Excel – similar to xlsx but adds macro support.
9. .xlt – Microsoft Excel template files
10. .xltx – Microsoft Excel template files that preserve user-defined settings
11. .xltm – Microsoft Excel template file similar to XLTX but adds macro support.

How to Import CSV File to Google Sheets

Google Sheets allows you to import the supported formats using your computer as long as they are not password-protected. Follow the steps below to learn how to import your CSV file.

Step 1. In Google Sheets, open or create a new sheet.

Step 2. At the top menu, go to File > Import. This opens the Import menu. From here, you can import a CSV from your computer or your Google Drive account.

Step 3. To upload a file from your computer, simply drag and drop your CSV file or click Select a file from your device to prompt your file explorer or finder. Note that you can only import files that are not password-protected.

Step 4. After selecting your file, you’ll be greeted by more import options. For CSV files, these are the options available.

• Create new spreadsheet if you would like to import your CSV as a new spreadsheet file. This will provide you with a link to open the new spreadsheet generated containing your CSV’s data in a new browser tab.
• Insert new sheets adds new sheets with the data from your CSV file to the current spreadsheet you have open.
• Replace spreadsheet replaces the open spreadsheet with your CSV’s data. This removes all previous data on the current spreadsheet including all sheets. Note however, that the replaced data will still be available to view or recover on the Version History by going to File > Version history > See version history.
• Replace current sheet replaces the current sheet’s data with your CSV import.
• Append rows to current sheet adds your CSV’s data to the current sheet after the last row with any existing data.
• Replace data starting at selected cell replaces the data in the range you have selected with the data from your CSV import. This may extend beyond your selection if the CSV has a longer range.

Step 5. After selecting the import option that’s right for you, click on Import. Google Sheets will tell you if your import is successful on the open dialog.

If you have chosen Create a new spreadsheet, you will be given a link to your new spreadsheet. A new browser tab will be prompted when you click the Open now link.

Conclusion on Can You Open a CSV File on Google Sheets

As a recap to this guide, the answer is yes – you can open a CSV file on Google Sheets by using the import function. You can select a CSV file from your computer’s storage or from your Google Drive account. Google Sheets also allow a host of options on where you want the imported data to go. Indeed, the strong compatibility offered by Google Sheets makes it easier for you to be more productive and helps you worry less about the many file formats like CSV that you may encounter.

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