Export a SharePoint List to Excel or CSV: Steps and Limits

How to export a SharePoint list to Excel

On the list's command bar, select Export, then Export to Excel. Open or save the file the browser downloads, select Enable if Excel asks whether you trust the site, choose how to view the data in the Import Data dialog and select OK. For a plain file instead, choose Export, then Export to CSV.

The Export options appear only when no list items are selected, so clear any selection first. The steps work in Microsoft Lists and in a list on a SharePoint site.

The steps

Export to Excel

1. Open the list. On the command bar, select Export, then Export to Excel.
2. Save or open the download, depending on your browser. Microsoft describes it as a web query file, with the default name query.iqy if you save it.
3. If Excel prompts you and you trust the site, select Enable.
4. In the Import Data dialog, choose how you want to view the data and where to put it, then select OK.
5. To get a current copy later, go to the Data tab in Excel and select Refresh All.

Export to CSV

1. On the command bar, select Export, then Export to CSV.
2. Open the file in Excel, or use Save as to store it on your computer as a .csv file.

The classic experience

If your list still shows a ribbon above it, select the List tab, then Export to Excel. The Excel steps are the same.

Excel or CSV

	Export to Excel	Export to CSV
Link to the list	One-way connection to the original list	None. The data is not connected to the original list
Getting later changes	Data tab, then Refresh All	Export again
Edits made in Excel	Not sent back to the SharePoint list	Not sent back
Row limit	None stated on Microsoft's export page	The maximum number of rows you can export to a CSV file is 30,000
On macOS	Not offered	The only option

Choose Excel when you want a table that refreshes. Choose CSV when you want a snapshot to open anywhere, or to load into another system.

What the export contains

• The current view. Microsoft describes the export as the list items in the current view, so filter a view first when you want only some of the rows.
• Folders. If the list contains folders, the folder structure does not appear in the Excel table. Item Type and Path columns are added so you can filter and sort.
• A one-way copy. Changes you make to the Excel table are not sent to the list. To change the list, change the list.

Why the Export button is missing

• Items are selected. The Export options are available only when no items are selected.
• The list is an embedded web part. On a page that shows a list as a web part, you see only Export to Excel. Select See all to see every option.
• You are on a Mac. On macOS, exporting to CSV is the only option.
• You are in a document library. The CSV option appeared on document libraries by mistake and was disabled. Microsoft says it wants to add it but has no timeline. For a CSV of a library's files with sizes and modified dates, files not modified in years shows a PnP script and a Storage Explorer export.

Exporting more than 30,000 items

A CSV export stops at 30,000 rows. Three ways around it:

1. Export to Excel, where Microsoft's page states no row limit. A very large list can be slow, so filter a view and export in parts if it struggles.
2. Export in parts. Make views that each return fewer rows, such as one per year or per status, and export each.
3. Use PowerShell. Get-PnPListItem takes a -PageSize, and Microsoft's PnP documentation gives Get-PnPListItem -List Tasks -PageSize 1000 to retrieve all list items in pages of 1,000. Choose the fields you need and pass the result to Export-Csv. SharePoint Online PowerShell covers connecting.

Large lists and the list view threshold

Microsoft's guidance for large lists is that a view showing more than 5,000 items can hit the list view threshold, and that operations exceeding the limit are blocked. Its answer is indexing, filtering and folders: build a view filtered on an indexed column so each export covers a manageable set of rows. SharePoint Online limits has the thresholds and what an indexed column changes.

After the export

• To keep a snapshot, use the CSV. It carries no connection to the list, so it stays as it was on the day you exported.
• To keep a table that refreshes, use the Excel export and select Refresh All when you want the latest rows.
• To build another list from the file, see Copy a SharePoint list and How to create a SharePoint list, which cover From Excel and From CSV.

Frequently asked questions

How do I export a SharePoint list to Excel?

On the list command bar, select Export, then Export to Excel, and open the download. Select Enable if prompted, choose how to view the data in the Import Data dialog and select OK.

How do I export a SharePoint list to CSV?

Select Export, then Export to CSV, and open the file in Excel or save it as a .csv file.

Is the Excel export linked to the list?

Yes, one way. The data has a one-way connection to the original list, and Data, then Refresh All, brings in later changes. Edits made in Excel are not sent back to the list.

What is the row limit when exporting a SharePoint list?

The maximum for a CSV export is 30,000 rows. Microsoft's export page states no limit for Excel.

Why is Export to CSV missing?

You may have items selected, the list may be embedded as a web part, or you may be in a document library, where the CSV option was disabled. On macOS, CSV is the only option.

Can I export a document library to Excel?

Export to CSV was disabled on document libraries after appearing there by mistake. To get a CSV of a library's files with sizes and modified dates, use a PnP script or a Storage Explorer export, as in files not modified in years.

Does the export include folders?

The folder structure does not appear in the Excel table. Item Type and Path columns are added so you can filter and sort by folder.

How do I export a list with more than 5,000 items?

Filter a view on an indexed column so the export covers a manageable set, or use PowerShell with a page size. Microsoft's guidance for large lists is indexing, filtering and folders.

Related reading

• Copy a SharePoint list - the structure, the items, or both.
• How to create a SharePoint list - build a list from Excel or CSV.
• SharePoint calculated columns - formulas that run before you export.
• SharePoint views - build the filtered view you export.
• SharePoint Online limits - the list view threshold and item limits.
• SharePoint Online PowerShell - export past what the menu allows.