How To Import A Text File In Excel

Importing a Text File into Excel

Using the Text Import Wizard

To import data from a text file into an Excel worksheet, you can use the Text Import Wizard, a legacy feature supported for back-compatibility. Excel versions such as Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2021, Excel 2019, Excel 2016, and Excel 2013 include this feature. The wizard may need to be enabled, which can be done by navigating to the Data tab, selecting Get & Transform Data, then choosing Get Data, and finally accessing Legacy Wizards to enable From Text (Legacy).

After enabling, access the Text Import Wizard by going to Data > Get & Transform Data > Get Data > Legacy Wizards > From Text (Legacy). Alternatively, double-click the text file from the Import Text File dialog to start the wizard and follow the steps to format and import the text into your worksheet.

Connecting with Power Query

As an alternative to the Text Import Wizard, you can connect a text file to Excel with Power Query. This modern feature allows for more advanced data manipulation and is suitable for those working with large and complex datasets. To connect, go to the Data tab and start by connecting to the text file with Power Query, which lets you specify how you want the data to be imported and formatted.

Other Methods of Importing

Excel also provides other methods for importing text files such as using a QueryTable, writing the file to the current sheet in memory, or utilizing the Workbook.Open method. The QueryTable method is among the more straightforward approaches for this task. To use Excel’s built-in functionality, employ the Data/Get External Data/From File dialog to select and import a text file, giving you the opportunity to format the imported text data via Excel's Import Data dialog.

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