Numbers to Excel Export Confusion

Question

Numbers to Excel Export Confusion

[I am using MacOS 10.14, and running Numbers 5.2, both being the latest as of today].

I am not a beginner, but Numbers has me a bit confused.It's both nomenclature, and exporting.

Question One:

Numbers' nomenclature has me confused. I am not sure what is a 'sheet', or a 'table'? Would the tabs across the top be the same as a 'table'? or a 'sheet'? So would the whole Numbers file be the same as a 'sheet'?

Second: Is there a way to export a single Numbers tab? Frequently I have 20+ tabs in the same file, and the last thing I want is all of those tabs to be exported. So how do I export just one? In the example above, I want an Excel file that contains only "Plant Key for Dwg", for instance?

And Third: As a test, and using a Numbers 'file' with 15 'tabs', I exported thea fairly large Numbers file twice, once specifying 'One per sheet', once 'Once per table', and the resultant Excel files appear to be identical. Can someone explain the difference between these two options?

And thanks.

MacBook Pro, macOS Mojave (10.14), Numbers 5.2

Posted on Oct 10, 2018 12:50 PM

Reply

Answer 1

SGIII

Level 8

37,532 points

Oct 10, 2018 5:29 PM in response to Michael Spencer

Good questions!

1. Nomenclature:

A Numbers "document" or "worksheet" is equivalent to an Excel "workbook".

A Numbers "sheet" (tab) is roughly equivalent to an Excel "worksheet" except the tabs are on the top instead of the bottom. I say roughly because a Numbers sheet does not have a grid of cells the way you have in Excel. It has a canvas on which you can place multiple tables, text boxes, and other objects.

A Numbers "table" is similar to an Excel table (if you've ever used one; tables aren't mandatory in Excel the way they are in Numbers) except in many ways it's much easier to use than an Excel table. And the ease in having multiple tables on one sheet can be very convenient in Numbers. Check out the Calendar and other templates at File > New in your menu.

2. Export:

I don't think there's a direct way to export just one Numbers sheet (tab) to Excel. You can copy a sheet to a separate document and print that. To copy a sheet choose 'Copy Sheet' from the dropdown next to the sheet name in the tab, and in the separate sheet choose 'Paste Sheet' in a dropdown there.

3. Try having more than one table in a Numbers sheet and choose 'One per sheet'. I think you will see the difference then.

SG

Reply

Answer 2

Oct 11, 2018 1:47 PM in response to SGIII

I'm still trying to wrap my head around it and not sure why it's so difficult.

Anyway, another question.

I have a file/document/table with about 20 sheets/tabs. It's clumsy because I am constantly scrolling one way or another. But as it turns out, about half of the sheets/tabs have to do with more, and about half have to do with plants (I'm a Landscape Architect).

I created a big mess when I did what I thought was logical:

1. Close the file (in Numbers);

2. Switch to Finder, where I duplicated the file;

3. Named the two files 1641 $$.numbers, and 1641 Plants.numbers;

4. Switch back to Numbers, and guess what happens? Opening either file results, again, with a single window/table.

So, making it impossible to do what I want, which was to have two different files each with a limited number of sheets/tabs.

The question here is: "How to dissuade Numbers from combining everything into a single document/table?

Argh!

Reply

Answer 3

SGIII

Level 8

37,532 points

Oct 12, 2018 6:43 AM in response to Michael Spencer

Hi, I'm not sure I follow exactly what you've done, but this may help.

In Numbers you can only view one sheet of a document at a time. Unlike in Excel you cannot open a second window on the same document. But you can, of course, have two different documents open at the same time.

As you've discovered, having 20 sheets (tabs) can get unwieldy in Numbers (and in Excel too). You're generally better off having a smaller number of sheets with more than one table on each sheet. However, if you still end up with many sheets and you want a convenient way to switch between them you can use this Jump to Sheet Automator Service (Dropbox download). Double-click the downloaded .workflow package to install, giving permission at System Preferences > Security & Privacy if necessary. To use choose Jump to Sheet from the Numbers > Services Menu. And/or attach a keyboard shortcut at System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Services. When run the service gives you a list of sheets from which you can choose one.

If you've duplicated your file you can of course delete the unwanted sheets in each of the two "new" files by going to a sheet name and choosing 'Delete' from the dropdown by the sheet name in the "tab" at the top.

SG

Reply

Answer 4

SGIII

Level 8

37,532 points

Oct 12, 2018 6:57 AM in response to Michael Spencer

Michael Spencer wrote:

It appears that Apple is moving towards some usability goal, but I sure can't figure it out.

I remember when I first started using Numbers I found some things hard to do because I expected Numbers to work just like Excel.

The frustration dropped after I realized Numbers doesn't try to be an Excel clone and has a table-centric design philosophy that encourages a different way of organizing documents (smaller, single-purpose tables whereas Excel worksheets have a large expanse of cells).

If you haven't already, I highly recommend spending some time with the templates a File > New in your menu. There are many good examples there.

SG

Reply

Answer 5

Oct 11, 2018 11:49 AM in response to SGIII

Thanks for your answers. Very helpful (I clicked on 'solved' but don't see how points accrued).

–Michael

Reply

Answer 6

Oct 12, 2018 6:43 AM in response to SGIII

Thanks (again). It appears that Apple is moving towards some usability goal, but I sure can't figure it out.

Reply

Numbers to Excel Export Confusion

Similar questions