How to Export Google Sheets as CSV?

Introduction

This blog explains how to export Google Sheets to CSV file. Google Sheets is a powerful tool for managing data online, but sometimes you need to work with that data in other applications like importing it into a CRM, uploading it to a database or sharing it in a universally readable format. That’s where the CSV (Comma-Separated Values) format comes in handy.

Whether you're handling a single sheet or need to download multiple tabs, we'll show you the quickest and cleanest way to get your data into CSV format without losing structure.

Understanding the Need for Exporting Google Sheets as CSV

Exporting Google Sheets to CSV offers numerous benefits, such as compatibility with various applications, ease of data manipulation, and seamless data sharing. Whether you need to import data into another software or perform advanced analysis using specialized tools, CSV files provide a versatile solution.

What are CSV files?

CSV stands for Comma-Separated Values. A CSV file is a plain text file that stores data in a table format just like a spreadsheet but with each value separated by a comma.

CSV files are super useful because they’re lightweight, easy to read, and work with almost any software from Excel and Google Sheets to databases and coding tools. They're often used to share data between different systems without formatting issues.

How to export Google Sheets as CSV?

The process of exporting google Sheets to CSV is quite simple. It is as follows:

1. Open the spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
2. Click on the tab you want to save as CSV.
3. Go to File > Download > Comma Separated Values (.csv).

How to import CSV into Google Sheets/ upload CSV to Google Sheets?

1. Open an empty Google Sheet.
2. Go to File > Import > Upload.
3. Then, double-click on the CSV file you want to import.
4. Now, the Import File window becomes open. Go to the Import location drop-down menu and select the Append to current sheet option. The Append option makes the CSV file appear on the Google sheet. Then click the Import data button. 
5. You can see your Google Sheet exhibiting the CSV data.

How to edit a CSV file in Google Sheets?

When we open a CSV file on Google Sheets, it doesn’t allow us to edit the CSV because it will open only in a read-only mode. Thus, you need Google Sheets Editor to edit the CSV in Google sheets. Follow the procedure given below to open and edit the CSV file:

1. Open the CSV with Google drive.
2. Use the drop-down menu to Open the CSV file in Google Sheets. 
3. The Editor will open with a Google Sheet that includes your CSV data. In the editor, you will find several editing options and formatting options available for the CSV file.

How is xFanatical Foresight helpful to export Google Sheets to CSV?

xFanatical Foresight is software to manage operations with Google Workspace Admin. It adds lots of automation to Google Workspace. With xFanatical Foresight Google Workspace Admin can import or export different kinds of data like active or suspended users list, disabled or provisioned devices, groups list, or group members list. This automation has some beneficial features like- 

• The automation doesn’t need any coding. So, a user who doesn’t have any coding knowledge can easily set the automated rules. 
• You can see the automation workflow blocks by using this software.
• It’s easy to know whether past actions succeeded or not with the help of a rule history tracker.

It uses some triggers, which is an automated workflow to execute a particular action. It executes a rule automatically. Hence, it's time safe and helps to extend production.

How to bulk export Google Sheets as CSV with xFanatical Foresight

Let’s take an example of exporting all active users' lists.

1. First of all, you need to log in to your xFanatical Foresight account.
2. Go to the Rules page and click on the button.
3. Click the Manual trigger.
4. Select List user action for which the CSV file is exported.
5. Grant the xFanatical Foresight account the necessary permissions to access your Google Workspace account.
6. Type in the rule name and click Create. This will create the rule workflow block on the Rules page.
7. Now you just have to trigger the rule to execute manually by clicking the play icon.
8. After doing that, you will get notifications about the rule execution. In this way, the rule trigger becomes successful and a group of devices/users will be executed.
9. Now, your CSV file is ready and you can download it from the Logs page. You will get a link to download the CSV file.
10. You can have a look at the CSV file uploaded to Google Sheets. 

Bulk upload CSV to Google sheets with xFanatical Foresight

xFanatical Foresight can be used to update different kinds of data, like updating a user's first name, last name, Status, OU, Device, or group. It can also be used for updating a Chrome device location, Asset ID, User or notes. Google Admin can perform that task on a single device or in bulk. Let's take the example of bulk-suspending users.

xFanatical Foresight automates the bulk suspending users' process in the Google Admin Workspace. It also notifies the manager with an email about the changed settings. 

Rule Setup

1. Prepare a CSV file with 2 columns, Email, and New Status. The Email column, add the emails of users or interns. In the New status column, add the Suspended status. Download this Google Sheet as CSV.
   
   
2. Now sign in to your xFanatical Foresight account with your Google Admin account, then click on the at the bottom right corner.
3. In the Select a trigger screen, select the Data uploaded trigger.
4. Click on the upload box and upload the downloaded CSV. Wait for the CSV to be parsed. You will see the columns of the CSV appear.
5. There you need to name the Variable name field. Enter the primary email in Email Address and in the New Status field, add Suspended.
6. Click Next.
7. Select Suspended Users action. There you may need to grant Google Workspace permission to xFanatical Foresight for giving you access. Then select the Primary Email variable in the Primary Email field.
8. Click the Review button and Enter the Rule name. Then click Create.
9. Now the rule is created. Click on the Upload icon on the rule. Upload the same CSV file once again and the rule will be triggered.
10. Once the rule executed successfully, you will see a notification will appear on the top right corner of the page. You will observe that there are 10 rows from the top to bottom on the Log Page. The number of rule triggers equals the number of rows in the CSV file that suspends one user at a time.
11. You can confirm the process from the Google Admin Console. You can see the list of users those who are suspended by the automation.

Note:

You have to care about these points during the import and export of CSV with xFanatical Foresight.

• You must apply a Manual Trigger to export CSV and Data Uploaded Trigger for importing CSV.
• We can't upload more than one CSV file at once while creating or after creating the rule. But we can reuse the rule to upload different CSV again and again.
• Your CSV files can’t handle data over 1000 rows. If the data exceeds 1000 rows, then the main CSV will split into smaller CSV files.

Conclusion

Exporting Google Sheets as CSV is a valuable skill that opens up a world of possibilities for data management and analysis. The Foresight automation tool empowers users to streamline this process, saving time and effort. By following the simple steps outlined in this blog post, you can unlock efficiency and harness the full potential of your Google Sheets data. Embrace the power of automation with Foresight and take your data management to new heights!

To explore its automation rules, try a 14-day free trial.