Comma Separated Values (CSV) files contain tabular data in plain text format and may consist for example of a list of email addresses. Although they can be opened with many other programs, such as a text editor, the data they contain is best viewed with a spreadsheet, such as Microsoft Excel, OpenOffice Calc or Google Sheets. You have to select "Open" from the "File" menu, select the CSV file and, if the data is not visible correctly, set the parameters related to the text delimiter. The steps to take with Google Sheets are the same, with the difference that you need to upload the file to Google's server. Keep your data in order and well organized!
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Microsoft Excel
Step 1. Launch Microsoft Excel on your computer
Step 2. Click on the "File" menu and select "Open"
This menu is located in the upper left corner and opens a window from which you can browse your computer's data.
Alternatively, you can press Ctrl + O (Windows) or ⌘ Cmd + O (Mac) to execute the same instruction
Step 3. Select the CSV file and click "Open"
The file will open and appear in a new Excel spreadsheet.
Step 4. Click on the "Data" tab to access the "Text in Columns" wizard (optional)
If Excel displays all the text of the CSV file in one column, this will allow the program to better analyze the data. The "Data" tab is located on the top menu bar and displays a number of options specific to the data format.
If you want to split only a few columns, click and drag the slider until the columns you are interested in are highlighted
Step 5. Click on "Text in Columns"
This button is one of the options on the "Tab" tab and opens the "Text to Columns" wizard.
Step 6. Select the "Delimited" option, then click "Next"
The delimiter establishes a boundary between sections of data within a text file (in this case, the delimiter is the comma).
Step 7. Check the "Comma" box and then click "Finish"
All text that was previously separated by commas will now be divided into distinct and specific columns.
Method 2 of 3: OpenOffice Calc
Step 1. Download the Openoffice suite and open Calc
Select your operating system from the drop-down menu and click "Download full version (recommended)". Run the installation procedure and choose which OpenOffice products to download. The only one you need to open a CSV file is OpenOffice Calc.
OpenOffice is free software
Step 2. Click on the "File" menu and select "Open"
This menu is located in the upper left corner and opens a window from which you can browse your computer's data.
Step 3. Select the CSV file and click "Open"
The file will open in a new OpenOffice Calc spreadsheet.
Step 4. Click on the "Data" menu and select "Columned Text" (optional)
If OpenOffice Calc does not separate the data correctly, you can set the delimiter yourself.. The "Data" menu is located on the top menu bar.
If you want to split only a few columns, click and drag the slider until the columns you are interested in are highlighted
Step 5. Select the "Separate" single choice button
It is located under the heading "Hyphenation Options".
Step 6. Check the "Comma" box and then click "OK"
All text that was previously separated by commas will now be divided into distinct and specific columns.
Method 3 of 3: Google Sheets
Step 1. Open your browser, go to the Google Sheets page and authenticate with your Google account
Enter your identification and password and click on "Next".
- Google Sheets is free to access, but you must have a Google account. If you don't have it, click on "Create an account" and follow the directions given online to create a Google ID and password.
- Google Sheets can also be used by switching from the source product, Google Drive.
Step 2. Click on "Open File Selector"
This button is represented by a folder icon and appears in the upper right corner of the page. Clicking on it opens the "Open a file" dialog.
Step 3. Click on the "Upload" tab
This action displays an interface through which you can upload the CSV file.
Step 4. Select and drag the file into the upload window
Once the upload has started, a progress bar will appear.
Alternatively, you can click on the "Select a file from your computer" button in the center of the upload window and select the file from those contained on your computer
Step 5. Wait for the file to upload
Once the upload is complete, the file will automatically open in Google Sheets.
- This process can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes, depending on the size of the file.
- Google Sheets will automatically separate all data using the comma as the field delimiter.