How do I import CSV files in numbers

With Numbers 3.5.3 the solution is straightforward. I initially experienced the same problem and that right clicking the CSV file did not display Numbers as a valid application.

Once I deleted the .csv file extension, Numbers recognised and imported the CSV correctly (commas (,) as separators.

Hi Peter,

Right click on the CSV and Open With > TextEdit.

Edit > Find > Find and Replace ; with ,

Replace All and Save. Open in Numbers:

This will work if there are no semicolons within text strings.

Regards,

Ian.

Edit, Column A does contain the full dates. The column was too narrow 😉

Message was edited by: Yellowbox

If you're doing this a lot, you may find this CSV to Tabs on Clipboard (Dropbox download) useful.

To install in your Finder > Services menu, double-click the workflow package. (You may need to click 'Open Anyway' in System Preferences > Security & Privacy).

To use,

1. In Finder right-click the CSV (comma, tab or semi-colon separated) file and choose the service from the Services Menu.
2. Then in Numbers, click once in a cell, and command-v to paste.

That's it! The Numbers table will expand automatically if needed.

Thanks to Badunit who helped convert the AppleScript into a service and to MacScripter contributor Nigel Garvey for posting the intrepid AppleScript handler (subroutine) that can handle all kinds of challenging situations with character-separated-values that stymy many other scripts. If for some reason this can't handle your particular files, you can also search the boards for an equally sophisticated script by Hiroto.

I find this approach much faster and more convenient than the built-in Numbers import. Among other things, I like being able target exactly where the data goes in an existing document by simply clicking the "upper left" cell of the range where I want it.

SG

The latest update for Numbers (version 3.2) added CSV import features you may want to try.

DrMLBBecker wrote:

When I do this, a message says "Numbers cannot open .rtf files"

A proper CSV file will be filename.csv not filename.rtf. RTF is "rich text format". TextEdit defaults to rich text format for new files. In TextEdit, use the menu command Format/Make Plain Text then save the file with a csv extension (not txt).

The script for converting a CSV into a tab-delimited file for pasting into Numbers is really nice. You might want to consider using it. It does a better job of converting CSV files than Numbers 3.0 does itself.

I have not seen a script to convert a tabbed list into a group in contacts. My personal address book is small and I've had no need for such a script.

Hi Peter,

Another thought: Does your region use a comma as the decimal separator?

So 2.35 in my region is 2,35 in your region?

If so, we need to think again!

Regards,

Ian.

When I do this, a message says "Numbers cannot open .rtf files"

Thanks.

Have you seen a script to convert a tabbed list (or a cvs file) into a group in Contacts? It is tedious manually.