---
title: "How to export Airtable to Excel and Google Sheets"
description: "Need to store a backup of your Airtable data? Here's how to export Airtable to CSV so you can use that data in Excel or Google Sheets."
image: "https://images.ctfassets.net/lzny33ho1g45/7xtO33k7luzPOByvIUmzQV/0c0d836f54d711d0f626f7992253775c/what_is_airtable.jpg"
---

# How to export Airtable to Excel and Google Sheets

Need to store a backup of your Airtable data? Here's how to export Airtable to CSV so you can use that data in Excel or Google Sheets.

I, along with my fellow Zapier writers and editors, use [Airtable](https://zapier.com/blog/what-is-airtable/) to manage every aspect of our blog production. From recording who wrote what and when to copy doc links and assignment updates, everything is recorded in our team's blog planning database.  

Which is why my editor had a mini panic attack when she opened Airtable one day only to get an error message that our team's source of truth was suddenly inaccessible. 

Much to everyone's relief, our database hadn't magically self-destructed—it was only a glitch. But it made us realize we needed to have a backup of our data _just_ in case. If you're reading this, you probably need one, too. 

Here's how to export Airtable as a CSV file, so you can use that data in Excel or Google Sheets. (The same method works for importing your data to other [popular spreadsheet apps](https://zapier.com/blog/best-spreadsheet-excel-alternative/).) 

**Table of contents**:

- [How to export Airtable: limitations](#limitations)
- [Option 1: Export Airtable to CSV (and then into Excel and Google Sheets)](#csv)
- [Option 2: Use an Airtable automation](#use-an-airtable-automation)
- [Option 3: Export Airtable data with Zapier](#export-with-zapier)

## How to export Airtable: limitations

Before we dive in, there are a few export caveats to be aware of: 

- **You can't export entire bases—only tables**. But there's a workaround. Before you export your data, adjust one of your existing [Airtable views](https://zapier.com/blog/airtable-views), or create a new one so that every field you want to include in your export is visible. (Airtable won't include hidden fields in your export.)
- **Attachment fields are exported as attachment URLs**. Any attachments—for example, images, documents, and audio files—will be included in the CSV file as a filename and URL. The URL will expire after only a few hours, so be sure to download those immediately after your export is complete.
- **Some information can't be exported**. Airtable doesn't include record-level comments, field descriptions, base guide content, and data stored solely in extensions. It also doesn't export any color-coding applied to your original data.

With all that in mind, let's look at three ways to export data from Airtable.  

## **Option 1:** How to export Airtable to CSV

Before you can import your data into Excel or Google Sheets, you need to first export it from Airtable. 

1. Right-click the name of the view you want to export from the _Views_ menu.
2. Click **Download CSV**.

3. By default, the CSV file is stored in your computer's _Downloads _folder.

Now that you have your CSV file, here's how to import that data to Excel or Google Sheets. 

- [How to export Airtable to Excel (web)](#excel-web)
- [How to export Airtable to Excel (desktop)](#excel-desktop)
- [How to export Airtable to Google Sheets](#google-sheets)

### How to export Airtable to the Excel web app 

1. Right-click the name of the view you want to export from the _Views_ menu, and click **Download CSV**.
2. Go to [office.com/launch/Excel/](http://office.com/launch/Excel/).
3. Locate the CSV file in your computer's default download location. Drag and drop the CSV file from your computer into the Excel web app.
4. In the pop-up that appears, click **Change location** to specify which folder to store the file in.
5. Click **Upload**.

6. Once the upload is complete, click the file name to open it.

### How to export Airtable to the Excel desktop app

1. Right-click the name of the view you want to export from the _Views_ menu, and click **Download CSV**.
2. Locate the CSV file in your computer's default download location. Right-click the file, click **Open With**, and select **Excel**.
3. 

### How to export Airtable to Google Sheets

There are a few ways to export Airtable to Google Sheets, but, in my opinion, this is the most straightforward way.

1. Right-click the name of the view you want to export from the _Views_ menu, and click **Download CSV**.
2. Go to [sheets.new](https://sheets.new/) to create a new Google Sheet.
3. Click **File** > **Import**.
4. Click **Upload** and upload your CSV file.
5. Change the _Import location_ and _Separator type_, if needed.

6. Click **Import data**.

It's worth mentioning that no matter which spreadsheet app you use to open your CSV file, you'll still have to tidy up your spreadsheet a bit—for example, wrap or unwrap text, adjust column widths, that kind of stuff. 

## Option 2: Use an Airtable automation

If you want to export data multiple times or export the same data to the same place on a regular basis, you'll want to use an Airtable automation. Automation can be tailored to trigger under specific conditions, giving you more control over when and how your data is exported.

Here's how to do it, using a simple table listing the people who work on the content in my pipeline as an example.

1. Click into the **Automations** tab.

2. Click **Create automation**, then **Add trigger** to choose when it starts (e.g., when a record is created or updated).

3. Select the table and the trigger—these options pop up in the properties menu. In this case, I've selected the trigger "When record created."

4. Click **Add advanced logic or action**, and choose what happens. In this case, we want to export Airtable data to Google Sheets using an automation, so we'll scroll down and select **Google Sheets > Append row. **That way, every time there's a new record, it'll add the record as a row in Google Sheets.

5. Follow the prompts depending on your chosen action, application, and the amount of data you want to export. For this example, I need to connect my Google account and select the Sheet to export to.

6. If you're exporting to Sheets, you'll select the spreadsheet, worksheet, and row. (You'll need to set a header for this to work by going to **File > Print > Headers & Footers**. Fill in the blank text field at the top of the Sheet on this screen, which will meet the weirdly arbitrary criteria for this automation.)

7. Use the **Test action** button to run the automation with sample data. If successful, turn the automation on.

8. Data from your Airtable table should now sync to the table in your Google Sheet.

For what it's worth, I did have to run this automation several times to get it to start updating—so make sure to test until you're sure it's actually working. 

## Option 3: Export Airtable data with Zapier

With [Zapier's Airtable integration](https://zapier.com/apps/airtable/integrations), you can connect Airtable with thousands of other apps, so you can [automatically export Airtable](https://zapier.com/blog/airtable-automations/) to any of the other apps you use—not just a spreadsheet. This way, you can be sure your database contains complete and up-to-date information at all times, sending any new records wherever you need them. (You can also [transfer all the existing data](https://zapier.com/blog/zapier-transfer-guide/#new) too.)

Learn more about [how to automate Airtable](https://zapier.com/blog/airtable-automations/), or get started with one of these workflows. 

**Related reading**: 

- [The best Airtable alternatives](https://zapier.com/blog/airtable-alternatives/)
- [The best database-powered app builders](https://zapier.com/blog/simple-database-app-builders/)
- [Automated workflows to help you get the most out of your database](https://zapier.com/blog/database-automation/)
- [Smartsheet vs. Airtable: Which is best?](https://zapier.com/blog/smartsheet-vs-airtable)
- [How to convert Google Sheets to Excel](https://zapier.com/blog/convert-google-sheets-to-excel/)

_This article was originally published in May 2024. The most recent update, with contributions from Abigail Sims, was in December 2024._