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How do I import csv into numbers?

I'm trying to import a text file that is comma delimited into the Numbers application. I expect that each comma in the file will trigger a new column. However, the rows (CR delimited) are pasted into a single column. Any advice on how to make Numbers parse by commas?

I want it to look like this:

1 2 3 4 5

A B C D E

With each character existing in a different column.

Instead what I get it this:

1,2,3,4,5

A,B,C,D,E

All records for a row are all pasted in one column

Any advice?

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.7), iWork Numbers Application

Posted on May 7, 2011 11:37 AM

Best reply

Jerrold Green1

Level 7

30,211 points

Posted on Jun 29, 2012 8:51 AM

Rene,

CSV is a lousy data format, across country boundaries especially. Rather than worry over what Apple has or hasn't done about that, you could just drop your data into a text editor and use Find and Replace to convert to Tab Separated Variables, a more universal and much better behaved standard.

Jerry

View in context

58 replies

Apr 11, 2014 5:07 PM in response to Olivke

Dragging and dropping the file does work, however I had to add the '.csv' file extension onto the file name to make it work.

Originally, the exported csv file didn't have the extension and numbers didn't recognise it, but after changing the name, it worked seemlessly.

SGIII

Level 8

35,348 points

Apr 11, 2014 5:20 PM in response to Andrew Bingham

I had to add the '.csv' file extension onto the file name to make it work.

That's a good point. You have to have the .csv extension for Numbers to recognize it as comma-separated. From tests here, Numbers now also recognizes a file with a .tsv extension as having tab-separated data.

Apr 14, 2014 11:17 AM in response to SGIII

In order to get this to work, I had to change my most-preferred locale from Esperanto to English. Numbers seems to make an assumption about the delimiter on the basis of the locale, and does not permit the user to specify the delimiter.

SGIII

Level 8

35,348 points

Apr 14, 2014 12:32 PM in response to Jonathan Pool

Jonathan,

If you're having trouble with the delimiter, then a good solution for you may be this CSV to Tabs on Clipboard Automator Service (Dropbox download).

To install just doubleclick the .workflow package. (You may need to click 'Download Anyway' in System Preferences > Privacy & Security).

To use, select the .csv file in Finder, right-click, and choose CSV to Tabs on Clipboard in the Services menu. Specify the delimiter when prompted. Then when you see the notification that the data is ready, click once in a Numbers cell and command-v to paste.

Thanks to Badunit for showing how to package this script as a Service, and to Hiroto for explanations about character-separated-values. If this one doesn't do a good job on your data, then try Hiroto's script here. It can even guess what your delimiter is.

Apr 14, 2014 1:24 PM in response to SGIII

Thank you very much. Yes, the Tabs on Clipboard Automator Service works perfectly.

May 20, 2014 4:30 PM in response to garryfromversailles

HI folks

Nothing of the above worked for me.

Though I found this conversion site:

https://cloudconvert.org/csv-to-xlsx

That convert csv into excel that can be open nicely with Numbers.

SGIII

Level 8

35,348 points

May 20, 2014 5:46 PM in response to Daniel Derome

That convert csv into excel that can be open nicely with Numbers.

If that works, then that's great, though I find pasting into an existing document where I want the data easier than having to download a new file that I then have to open in a new document and then copy and paste into my existing document.

And I'd be cautious about those third party plug-ins with tracking cookies on that site.

When you say "none of the above worked" what were the results you got?

May 21, 2014 7:54 AM in response to SGIII

When you say "none of the above worked" what were the results you got?

All the line pasted in the first cell.

It might br becaus I have a french canadian version of Numbers and keyboard. Who knows?

It is not a plug in.

The csv file si uploaded ont he site

SGIII

Level 8

35,348 points

May 21, 2014 8:39 AM in response to Daniel Derome

All the line pasted in the first cell.

Was there only one line? What did your csv data look like? I'm pretty sure there is an easy fix that doesn't involve using websites that may or may not be secure, and won't require going through an Excel file format.

It is not a plug in.

The site (quite properly) discloses that it uses third-party plug-ins that install "cookies" on your computer to track what you do and transmit data to Google/Twitter/Facebook servers. My understanding is that once these cookies are on your computer, some continue to track and report what you do even when you are on other sites.

May 21, 2014 1:37 PM in response to SGIII

«Was there only one line?»

Each line is paste in the first cell of the line.

«I'm pretty sure there is an easy fix»

It could be time consuming to find that easy fix.

I have tried 3 of the methods above, and none worked.

Thank you for the warning for the cookies.

I will delete them.

SGIII

Level 8

35,348 points

May 21, 2014 4:31 PM in response to Daniel Derome

It could be time consuming to find that easy fix.

I have tried 3 of the methods above, and none worked.

Sorry that's been your experience. If you wish to share the structure of your data my guess is there is indeed an easy fix that would not be that time-consuming. In any case, best of luck.