Export SharePoint List to Excel: Workbook, CSV and Limits

How to export a SharePoint list to Excel

Microsoft's instructions apply to SharePoint in Microsoft 365, SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019, and the Microsoft Lists app. One rule matters before anything else: the export includes the list items shown in the current view. Columns hidden in the view, and items filtered out of it, are left out.

So set up the view first. In the command bar, select View options, pick the view, then View options again and Edit current view. On the Edit View page you can add or remove columns and change the sort and filter. Microsoft says views also save the columns you have shown or hidden, so if you add columns from the column headers instead, use Save view as to keep them. To leave the shared view alone, save a new one.

Next, clear any selection. Microsoft says the Export options appear only when list items are not selected.

Then pick the format. Choose the workbook if you will keep analyzing the data and want to refresh it from the list later, for example a weekly report on a tracker that people keep updating. Choose CSV if you need a fixed snapshot: a backup at a point in time, a file to load into another system, or a copy to hand to someone who has no access to your SharePoint site. A CSV opens in Excel, Notepad and most databases. For anything leaving your company, a CSV is usually the simpler choice, because Microsoft says it is not connected to the list at all. If you need both, export twice: the workbook for your own reporting, and a dated CSV for the record. Name the CSV with the list name and the export date so later copies are easy to tell apart.

Export to an Excel workbook (stays connected)

1. From the list's command bar, select Export > Export to Excel. In the classic experience, open the List tab on the ribbon and select Export to Excel.
2. Your browser downloads a file. If you save it, Microsoft says the first copy is named query.iqy and goes to your default download folder.
3. Open it in Excel. If Excel shows a security prompt and you trust the SharePoint site, select Enable.
4. In the Import Data dialog, choose how to view the data and where to put it, then select OK.

Excel creates a table with a one-way data connection to the list. To pull in the latest list data, select Refresh All on the Data tab. Changes you make in Excel are not sent back to SharePoint.

Export to a CSV file (a static copy)

1. Open the list and, with no items selected, select Export > Export to CSV. On a Mac, select Export to CSV from the command bar.
2. Select Open to open the file in Excel, then save it as an Excel workbook if you want formatting. Or select Save as to keep the .csv file.

A CSV is not connected to the list, and Microsoft says it can hold at most 30,000 rows. On macOS, CSV is the only export option.

Source: Microsoft Support: Export to Excel from SharePoint or Lists (read Oct 31, 2026). https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/lists/data-and-lists/export-to-excel-from-sharepoint-or-lists. Menus change, so check the page before you start.

When export to Excel doesn't work, and other limits

Most "missing export" problems match a note in Microsoft's documentation:

• No Export button: one or more items are selected. Clear the selection.
• Only "Export to Excel" appears: the list is embedded as a web part on a page. Microsoft says to select See all to open the full list and its export options.
• No workbook option on a Mac: macOS only supports Export to CSV.
• Columns or items missing: the export follows the current view. Edit the view or switch to one that shows everything.
• Folder structure gone: Excel doesn't show folders, but it adds Item Type and Path columns so you can sort and filter by location.
• Document libraries: Microsoft says Export to CSV briefly appeared for document libraries by mistake and was turned off. It has not published a date for bringing it back.

Large lists. A list can hold up to 30 million items. However, Microsoft's view settings say the maximum number of items in a view is 5,000, and the List View Threshold can cause errors when a view shows more than that. Microsoft says the threshold can't be changed in SharePoint in Microsoft 365. For big lists, export in filtered pieces, such as one view per year or per status, and keep each CSV under 30,000 rows. Microsoft does not publish a separate row limit for the Excel workbook export (Not published).

Before you share an export. A list export can include people's names, email addresses and free-text notes. Remove any columns the recipient doesn't need before you send the file outside your company.

Common questions