How to Import CSV Data Files into Google Sheets

Google Sheets is a powerful and versatile spreadsheet application that allows you to work with different types of data, such as numbers, text, dates, formulas, and more. One of the features that makes Google Sheets so useful is the ability to import data from other sources, such as CSV files.

CSV stands for Comma Separated Values, and it is a simple and common file format that stores data in a plain text file. Each line in a CSV file represents a row of data, and each value in a row is separated by a comma or another delimiter. CSV files are often used to export or import data between different applications, such as databases, contact managers, or online platforms.

In this article, you will learn how to import CSV data files into Google Sheets using different methods. You will also learn how to convert CSV files into Google Sheets format, how to paste CSV data into Google Sheets, how to clean up and format CSV data, and how to create your own CSV files.

Method 1: Import CSV Data Files Locally Stored on Your Computer

If you have a CSV file stored on your computer that you want to import into Google Sheets, you can follow these steps:

Open a new or existing Google spreadsheet that you want to import the CSV data into.
On the top toolbar, click File. A drop-down menu will appear.
Click Import. The Import file menu will pop up.
Click Upload. You can also drag and drop the CSV file from your computer onto the menu.
Click Select a file from your device. A file explorer window will open.
Choose the folder on your computer that contains the CSV file that you want to import.
Select or double-click the CSV file that you want to import.
Select your preferences or settings in the Import file menu, such as how to insert the data, how to separate the values, and how to convert text and dates. You can also preview the imported data in the menu.
Click Import data. The CSV data will be imported into your Google spreadsheet.

Method 2: Import CSV Data Files Using Google Drive

If you have a CSV file stored on your Google Drive that you want to import into Google Sheets, you can follow these steps:

Open a new or existing Google spreadsheet that you want to import the CSV data into.
On the top toolbar, click File. A drop-down menu will appear.
Click Import. The Import file menu will pop up.
Click Select a file from your device. A file explorer window will open.
On the left sidebar, click My Drive or Shared with me, depending on where your CSV file is located.
Choose the folder on your Google Drive that contains the CSV file that you want to import.
Select or double-click the CSV file that you want to import.
Select your preferences or settings in the Import file menu, such as how to insert the data, how to separate the values, and how to convert text and dates. You can also preview the imported data in the menu.
Click Import data. The CSV data will be imported into your Google spreadsheet.

Method 3: Convert CSV Data Files into Google Sheets Format

If you want to convert a CSV file into a Google Sheets format, so that you can edit it online and access it from any device, you can follow these steps:

Go to Google Drive and sign in with your Google account.
On the top left corner, click New. A drop-down menu will appear.
Click File upload. A file explorer window will open.
Choose the folder on your computer or Google Drive that contains the CSV file that you want to convert.
Select or double-click the CSV file that you want to convert.
The CSV file will be uploaded to your Google Drive as a plain text file with a .csv extension.
Right-click on the uploaded CSV file and select Open with > Google Sheets.
The CSV file will be opened in a new tab as a Google spreadsheet with a .gsheet extension.
You can now edit, share, and collaborate on the converted Google spreadsheet.

Method 4: Paste CSV Data into Google Sheets

If you have a small amount of CSV data that you want to paste into Google Sheets, you can follow these steps:

Open a new or existing Google spreadsheet that you want to paste the CSV data into.
On another tab or window, open the source of the CSV data, such as a website, an email, or another spreadsheet program.
Select and copy the CSV data that you want to paste.
Go back to your Google spreadsheet and select the cell where you want to paste the CSV data.
On the top toolbar, click Edit. A drop-down menu will appear.
Click Paste special > Paste values only. The CSV data will be pasted into your Google spreadsheet as plain text.
To separate the values into different columns, select the range of cells that contain the pasted CSV data.
On the top toolbar, click Data. A drop-down menu will appear.
Click Split text to columns. A separator menu will appear below the toolbar.
Select the delimiter that matches the CSV data, such as comma, semicolon, or space. The CSV data will be split into different columns according to the delimiter.

How to Clean Up and Format CSV Data

After importing or pasting CSV data into Google Sheets, you may need to clean up and format the data to make it more readable and usable. Here are some tips on how to do that:

To remove any extra spaces or characters in the data, you can use the TRIM function or the Find and replace feature.
To change the case of the text in the data, you can use the UPPER, LOWER, or PROPER functions.
To convert text to numbers or dates, you can use the VALUE or DATEVALUE functions, or change the format of the cells using the Format menu.
To sort or filter the data by different criteria, you can use the Sort range or Filter features under the Data menu.
To summarize or analyze the data using formulas or functions, you can use the Formula bar or the Function list under the Insert menu.
To visualize the data using charts or graphs, you can use the Chart editor under the Insert menu.

How to Create a CSV File

If you want to create your own CSV file from scratch or from an existing Google spreadsheet, you can follow these steps:

Open a new or existing Google spreadsheet that contains the data that you want to save as a CSV file.
On the top toolbar, click File. A drop-down menu will appear.
Click Download > Comma-separated values (.csv, current sheet). A file explorer window will open.
Choose the folder on your computer where you want to save the CSV file.
Enter a name for your CSV file and click Save. The Google spreadsheet will be downloaded and saved as a CSV file on your computer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some common questions and answers about importing CSV data files into Google Sheets:

Can I Edit CSV Data in Google Sheets?

Yes, you can edit CSV data in Google Sheets after importing it using any of the methods described above. However, if you want to save your changes back to the original CSV file, you will need to download it again as a CSV file from Google Sheets.

How Do I Automatically Import a CSV File into Google Sheets?

If you want to automatically import a CSV file into Google Sheets from an online source, such as a website or an API, you can use the IMPORTDATA function in Google Sheets. The syntax of this function is:

=IMPORTDATA(url)

where url is the web address of the CSV file that you want to import.

For example, if you want to import a CSV file that contains stock prices from Yahoo Finance, you can use this formula:

=IMPORTDATA("https://finance.yahoo.com/d/quotes.csv?s=AAPL+GOOG+MSFT&f=snl1")

This will import a CSV file that contains three columns: symbol, name, and price for Apple, Google, and Microsoft stocks.

Note that this function has some limitations, such as:

It can only import up to 50 MB of data per spreadsheet.
It can only refresh the imported data every hour or when the spreadsheet is opened.
It can only import data from sources that allow cross-origin requests.

Can I Open a CSV File in Google Sheets?

Yes, you can open a CSV file in Google Sheets by converting it into a Google Sheets format using Google Drive, as explained in Method 3 above.

How Do I Import Multiple CSV Files into Google Sheets?

If you want to import multiple CSV files into Google Sheets at once, you can use a script or an add-on that can automate this process for you. For example, you can use this script by Amit Agarwal that can import multiple CSV files from a folder in your Google Drive into separate sheets in your Google spreadsheet.

Alternatively, you can use an add-on such as Sheetgo that can connect and import data from multiple sources, including CSV files, into your Google spreadsheet.

How Do I Format a CSV File in Google Sheets?

To format a CSV file in Google Sheets, you need to follow some basic rules To format a CSV file in Google Sheets, you need to follow some basic rules, such as:

Each line in the CSV file should represent a row of data in the spreadsheet.
Each value in the row should be separated by a comma or another delimiter that matches the CSV file format.
The first row in the CSV file should contain the headers or labels for each column of data.
The values in the CSV file should be consistent and compatible with the data type and format of the corresponding cells in the spreadsheet.
The values in the CSV file should not contain any extra spaces, characters, or quotes that may interfere with the parsing or interpretation of the data.

Here are some examples of well-formatted and poorly-formatted CSV files:

Well-formatted CSV file:

Name,Age,Gender,City
Alice,25,Female,New York
Bob,32,Male,London
Charlie,28,Male,Sydney

Poorly-formatted CSV file:

Name Age Gender City
Alice 25 Female New York
Bob 32 Male London
Charlie 28 Male Sydney

The well-formatted CSV file has a clear and consistent structure, with commas separating the values and a header row indicating the column names. The poorly-formatted CSV file has no commas or headers, and uses spaces instead of delimiters, which makes it difficult to import or read the data correctly.

How to Import CSV Data Files into Google Sheets