How to Import and Consign Data from Excel to SharePoint Lists and Vice Versa

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Many users who apply SharePoint Online like to employ lists because SharePoint lists expect just like Excel tables. For better integration, Microsoft allows you to export Excel tables to SharePoint lists and vice versa. Users normally ask: How do I import data from SharePoint to Excel? How do I extract data from SharePoint? How do I create a SharePoint list in Excel? This blog post tin can help you answer these questions and explains how to export tables from Excel to SharePoint lists and vice versa. Four methods of exporting data from Excel and i method of exporting information from SharePoint lists are covered.

Method i – How to Export Information from Excel to SharePoint Lists Manually

The idea of the kickoff method is that you should create an empty list that contains the aforementioned columns every bit in the Excel table. The data format of columns must be the same to preserve data consistency. And so you should manually copy data from each column of the Excel tabular array and paste this data to the appropriate column of the SharePoint list.

Open an XLS, XLSX, CSV file, or a file of another format that contains a table in Microsoft Excel that is installed on your computer. In my example, I've created a uncomplicated table for demonstration. You can meet this tabular array opened in Excel in the screenshot beneath.

Import Excel into SharePoint list

Open up a spider web browser and log into your Office 365 business relationship (Microsoft 365 account). Open your team site in SharePoint Online, and create a new list. Let'southward call our examination listing List02 and enter a description, for example, Import Excel into SharePoint list. You can besides read this blog post about SharePoint Online to learn more about sites, lists, and libraries.

How to import data from Excel to SharePoint lists

Once you have created a new SharePoint list, create the appropriate columns by clicking +Add together column. The columns must have the same names and data format as the columns in the source Excel tabular array.

Creating columns in a new SharePoint list before importing data from Excel

In the window that opens, enter a name, clarification, and type, and ascertain other needed parameters for a column. Then striking Save.

Creating a column in a SharePoint list

The listing now contains all the needed columns merely remains empty. To beginning copying data to a SharePoint list, y'all have to view the list equally a table. To exercise this, click Edit in grid view. You lot are ready to copy information from Excel to SharePoint list.

Import Excel into SharePoint list - edit in grid view

Select data in a cavalcade of an Excel table, and press Ctrl+C to copy the selected data to clipboard. On the screenshot beneath you lot can see the data in the Name column selected.

Copying a column from an Excel table

You tin move columns (left and right) after creating them in a SharePoint list. Select the empty cell in the needed column (the Names column in our case), and press Ctrl+5 to paste information yous have copied to the clipboard. The Name column now contains all the needed data in our example. Similarly copy paste information for the other columns.

Paste data copied from Excel to the appropriate column of a SharePoint list

Once you lot have transferred data to all columns of your SharePoint list, you can get out grid view. We have finished copying data from an Excel table to a SharePoint list. On the screenshot below you tin run into how our list looks afterward copying all the data.

How to export SharePoint list to Excel by using the copy-paste method

The advantage of this method is that it'southward easy to use when you don't have that many tables or columns.

The disadvantage is that it's time-consuming and inconvenient when y'all have too many columns and tables to copy.

Method ii – How to Export Data Directly from Excel to a SharePoint List

The idea of this method is that y'all should export your table to a SharePoint listing straight from Excel installed on your estimator. Excel must be able to connect to your SharePoint site. You should provide your credentials, and your Part 365 account must have sufficient permissions to create a SharePoint listing on a SharePoint site.

Open Microsoft Excel installed on your computer, and open the table y'all want to export to SharePoint Online. Let's create a test table for our blog post with some equipment items and create columns with vendors who manufactured these items, users who are owners of the appropriate item, and the price for each detail.

Catechumen a spreadsheet to a table before y'all kickoff exporting. Click Insert > Table.

Converting a spreadsheet into a table before starting export from Excel to a SharePoint list

In the Create Table window, y'all can leave default values and hit OK.

SharePoint import Excel

Now the view of the table is a piffling fleck unlike, as headers are marked with some other colour.

Select any column name in your tabular array, go to the Design tab (Tabular array Tools), and enter a table name, for case, TestTable01. At that place should exist no spaces in the proper name.

Select the Design tab, click Export, then click Consign Table to SharePoint Listing…

How to export a table to a SharePoint list and copy-paste data

A pop-up window is displayed. There are ii steps to consummate.

Enter the address of your squad site in SharePoint, which is the destination for the Excel table that you lot want to export. In my case, I'm using the following address: https://nakivo.sharepoint.com/sites/BlogTeamSite

Enter a name for your table, for instance: Excel to SharePoint listing. This proper name will exist used as the SharePoint listing name after export.

Enter a description, for example: Import Excel to SharePoint listing.

Hit Next to continue.

Exporting a table from Excel to a SharePoint list

Define the correct information types for each column of the exported table, then hit Finish.

Selecting data types to export tables from Excel to SharePoint lists

At present Microsoft Excel connects to your SharePoint site you have selected as destination to export the Excel table into a SharePoint listing. Excel needs to pass authentication in Office 365 to export a tabular array to a SharePoint listing. You lot should enter the username and password for your Office 365 account.

Enter Office 365 credentials to import Excel into SharePoint list

If everything is right, the consign process volition be completed successfully, and you should meet the message:

The table was successfully published and may be viewed on: <accost>

The table was successfully published as a SharePoint list

Open the link provided in the window in a web browser.

Now you can run across the exported Excel table as a list in SharePoint Online.

SharePoint import Excel data

You can open this listing manually in SharePoint Online past opening your squad site and going to the Site Contents section in the navigation pane of the web interface.

Data import from Excel to SharePoint list is finished

The advantage of this method is that it'southward convenient to export information directly from Excel to a SharePoint listing. All y'all need is Excel and access to SharePoint Online. No tertiary-party apps are required.

Method 3 – How to Consign Data from Excel to a SharePoint List with an App

The idea of the 3rd method is that you lot should use a special SharePoint App to import spreadsheets from Excel to SharePoint lists. You need the Import Spreadsheet app and a web browser that supports ActiveX controls, for example, Net Explorer.

Open your squad site in SharePoint Online, click the Settings icon, and, in the menu that opens, hitting Add an app.

How to import Excel to SharePoint list with a web app

In the window that opens, you tin can come across a listing of different SharePoint apps. Blazon "import" in the search field on this folio. When the Import Spreadsheet app is establish, click it.

Using the SharePoint import Excel app

On the folio that opens, you lot should enter a name and clarification of the new SharePoint list that is created afterwards import with the app.

Name: Excel to SharePoint list

Description: Import Excel to SharePoint list

Click Browse, and select the XLSX file (or another Excel file format that is supported past the app) that yous want to import to SharePoint as a list.

Hit Import.

Using an app to export an Excel table to a SharePoint list

ActiveX controls must exist enabled in your web browser. If ActiveX controls is not enabled, you will see a warning message in your spider web browser. Refer to documentation for your spider web browser to learn how to enable ActiveX controls. ActiveX controls is a piece of software allowing you lot to collaborate with content you browse in the web. They can have access to your computer and may pb security issues. ActiveX controls are as well known as plug-ins for Cyberspace Explorer.

The advantage of this method is that it doesn't take much manual intervention.

The disadvantages of the method are that you lot need to configure ActiveX controls that can be difficult or not supported in your web browser and that you demand to utilise a special web app for SharePoint.

Method 4 – How to Export Data from Excel when Creating a New SharePoint List

There is one more method that allows you to import an Excel table to a SharePoint list when creating a new list in SharePoint Online. You don't demand Excel or other applications to use this method. Just open your web browser and log in to SharePoint Online with your Role 365 account (Microsoft 365) credentials.

Open up you team site in SharePoint Online, click the Settings icon, and hitting Site contents.

How to export data from an Excel table to a SharePoint list during creation of a list

On the Site contents folio that opens, click New > Listing.

Creating a new list to import data from Excel

A new page opens suggesting that you create a list. On the left side of the page, select From Excel to create a list from Excel. Enter a name for your new list, for case, SharePoint import Excel. Click Upload file, and select an Excel file (XLS, XLSX, or other supported formats) you desire to import as a SharePoint list to SharePoint Online. Equally an alternative, you can select a file that has been already uploaded to a SharePoint site. Hit Adjacent to continue.

Selecting a file from which you want to import data

A tabular array in the file nosotros have uploaded is recognized. Check the column types and brand sure that the data format is correct to preserve consistency. Hit Create when set up to finish.

Importing a table to a new SharePoint list

A SharePoint list has been created successfully and data has been exported from an Excel tabular array to a SharePoint list.

A table has been imported to a SharePoint list

The advantages of this method is that you don't need to install Excel on your computer to export a table to SharePoint as a listing and you don't need to use a SharePoint app.

How to Export SharePoint List to Excel

You can export a SharePoint list to an Excel table with a few clicks past using a web interface of SharePoint Online.

Open up your team site in SharePoint Online, then open up the SharePoint list you want to export. Click Consign to Excel.

SharePoint export list to Excel

A window notifies yous that query.iqy must be opened in Excel. Select Excel equally an application to open the downloaded query.iqy file, and hitting OK. A Microsoft Excel security detect is displayed when you open a file downloaded from the internet in Microsoft Excel. The purpose of this notification message is to reduce risks of ransomware attacks and infection with other viruses. Click Enable to open up the SharePoint list you are exporting to an Excel table.

Opening a query file in Excel and confirmation of a security warning

Now a table opens in Excel and the export of the SharePoint list is finished. Save the tabular array equally a file in the needed format, for example, XLS or XLSX.

How to export SharePoint list to Excel (finished)

Refreshing data in Excel

If changes are written to your SharePoint list stored on a squad site in SharePoint Online, you lot can refresh data in the table you take imported to Excel and update your table without the need to perform a new consign/import operation. The data in Excel is not refreshed automatically right after changes are saved in a SharePoint list; y'all should perform one manual performance to practise this. You should know how to connect Excel to SharePoint lists in this case.

Let's add a new Switches line in the SharePoint list.

A new line is added in the SharePoint list and should be synchronized with the Excel table

Equally you tin can run into, the Excel tabular array we have imported earlier is not updated automatically with the data we added to our SharePoint list (the Switches line). We need to update it past going to the Data tab and clicking Connections in Excel.

Data is not synchronized automatically and you should connect Excel to SharePoint list

The Workbook Connections window opens. Click Refresh to refresh the data in your Excel tabular array, then y'all tin close this window.

Connect Excel to SharePoint list

Data has been updated in Excel, and the Switches line is added in the bottom of our Excel table without the demand to re-export all data.

Data has been synchronized

Be aware that data is refreshed only in one direction. If you change data in your Excel tabular array and click Refresh, the SharePoint list is not updated.

If you don't need to update data in the current Excel table, go to Data > Connections, select a query, and click Remove.

Terminating connection between Excel and SharePoint

Decision

Microsoft provides good integration between SharePoint Online and Excel as they both are Microsoft products. There are at least four methods to consign data from Excel tables to SharePoint lists. Methods covered in this weblog mail have advantages and disadvantages you should exist enlightened of when selecting a method that is suitable for you. Select the right method depending on whether you want to practise it manually, utilize Excel, or use another app. Data export from a SharePoint list to Excel is straightforward and affordable for all SharePoint Online users.

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