How To Import Data Into Google Sheets

Last Updated on October 31, 2023 by Jake Sheridan

​​In this tutorial, you will learn how to import data into Google Sheets.

If you do a lot of work in Google Sheets, sooner or later you’ll most likely need to import data from another application into Google Sheets. Well you could manually copy and paste all the data from the other application into Google Sheets, there’s a faster way.

Read on to learn how to import data into Google Sheets

Supported Formats

Google Sheets supports a wide range of file formats, so you’ll very likely be able to import your data directly if it’s in a standard format. If not, consider exporting to a standard format such as .CSV from the source software.

Here’s the list of formats supported for data import to Google Sheets

• .xls (if newer than Microsoft® Office 95)
• .xlsx
• .xlsm
• .xlt
• .xltx
• .xltm
• .ods
• .csv
• .txt
• .tsv
• .tab

Importing

Once you have your data ready for import in one of the supported import formats, follow these steps:

Step 1

In the spreadsheet you want to import into, open the Edit menu and choose Import

Step 2

In the dialog that appears, locate the file you want to import. If it’s already in your Google Drive, you can navigate to it using the folder view or search for it by name

Step 3

If the file you want to import is on your computer harddrive, click on the Upload tab and follow the prompts to upload the file

Step 4

After selecting the file to import, choose how you’d like to import the data. There are several options, but if you’re uncertain the Insert New Sheet(s) option is a good one as it does not overwrite existing data

Step 5

Click Import Data to import the selected data into Google Sheets

Summary

Example Spreadsheet: Make a copy of the example spreadsheet.

XLSX to Import:

In this tutorial, I covered how to import data into Google Sheets. Want more? Check out all the Google Sheets Tutorials.