Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Creating a CSV File.

Creating a CSV File

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 10, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


CSV is one of those over-abundant computer acronyms. It means "comma-separated values." It refers to a type of file that is often used for transferring simple data from one program to another. In the file, each value is separated by a comma. The importing program knows that when it sees a comma, it can toss it out but it needs to get ready to accept a new value.

If you have information in Excel that you want to get into a different data-oriented program, chances are good that the other program will accept CSV files. In order to save your workbook data in CSV format, follow these steps:

  1. Choose Save As from the File menu. Excel displays the Save As dialog box.
  2. In the Save As Type drop-down list at the bottom of the dialog box, choose the CSV (Comma delimited) option.
  3. Use the other controls in the dialog box to specify a file name and location.
  4. Click on Save.
  5. Excel may display a dialog box telling you that not all Excel features can be maintained in the format you have chosen. Click on Yes to continue saving the information in CSV format.

At this point your worksheet is saved in CSV format. I generally find it a good idea to close the workbook, without saving. At this point you will have your original Excel workbook (in Excel format) and the CSV file, which contains the information you wanted in CSV format.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2483) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Creating a CSV File.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Changing the Formatting of All Instances of a Word

Need to find all the instances of a particular word and change the formatting of those instances? It's easy to do using ...

Discover More

Triple-Spacing Your Document

Print your document with lots of space between each line—triple space it! Here's some quick and easy steps for ...

Discover More

Shortcut to Display Bookmarks

It can be helpful to see where the bookmarks are located in a document. This tip provides a quick way that you can both ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Checking for the Existence of a File

The data stored in a worksheet can often correspond to information external to that worksheet. For instance, you might ...

Discover More

Merging Many Workbooks

If you need to combine the contents of a bunch of workbooks into a single workbook, the process can get tedious. Here's a ...

Discover More

Importing Multiple Files to a Single Workbook

If you use Excel to work with data exported from another program, you might be interested in a way to import a large ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 7 - 4?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.