Excel to CSV: save a sheet as a clean CSV file

Systems that import data usually want a CSV — plain text, one row per line, commas between values. Excel makes one in four clicks, with two traps.

Steps

1. Click the sheet you want to export. Only the active sheet is saved.
2. File › Save As › choose a folder.
3. File type: CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (*.csv).
4. Save. Click OK on the warning about features not supported.

Check it worked

Right-click the new file › Open with › Notepad. You should see plain lines like Ana,Pune,100. Column headings on the first line.

Trap 1: the workbook is now the CSV

After saving, Excel keeps the CSV open. Any formatting or extra sheets you add are not saved. Close it and reopen your .xlsx to keep working.

Trap 2: what gets lost

• Formulas are replaced by their results.
• Leading zeros: 00421 is saved as 00421 only if the cell is formatted as Text. Otherwise it becomes 421.
• Dates are saved as they display. Set the column to yyyy-mm-dd first so the receiving system reads them correctly.

Which CSV type

Need a semicolon instead of a comma?

Windows › Region settings › Additional settings › List separator: ;. Excel then saves CSVs with semicolons.