How To Import JSON To Excel

If you're looking to view JSON in Microsoft Excel, you've come to the right place! In this post we'll provide step-by-step instructions to view JSON in Excel. First, it's worth explaining why Excel can't simply open JSON like any other spreadsheet. JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a format type widely used in front- and back-end programming and databases, but it's not natively readable by Microsoft Excel. The JSON format is straightforward to work with, but often you may feel the need to access data in tabular form, or in other words use an Excel to JSON Maybe you are more comfortable with spreadsheets while working with data.

Whatever the case, you can easily convert JSON into a CSV file and open it in the spreadsheet software of your choice. So, here are the steps to import a JSON file into Excel. Let us dive straight in.

6 Steps: Import JSON In Excel

Want to automatically convert JSON to CSV for Excel online? Skip ahead.

MS Excel, as you know, is one of the most accessible spreadsheet software options in the world. It is readily available on most modern MS Windows devices and has an estimated 850 million users globally. If you're using Windows and MS Excel 2016 and newer versions, and want to import a JSON file follow these steps below. (If you are using MS Excel 2010 – 2013, skip to the next section.)

1. Open MS Excel

Open the Start Menu using Windows Keys or Clicking the Start Menu icon on your Task Bar. Search and open MS Excel.

2. Create New Workbook

Next, you need to create a blank spreadsheet. Once you have MS Excel’s welcome page in front of you, click on Blank Workbook in the New section. It will create a new spreadsheet for you to work with.

3. Locate Data Tab

Find and click on the Data tab in the Ribbon menu of MS Excel.

4. Import Data

When you click on the Data tab, it brings up several sections, and one of them is Get & Transform Data. In the section, Click on Get Data, select From File option and then select From JSON option.

5. Select JSON File

Clicking on From JSON option will bring up an import window. You have to select the drive or folder where your JSON file is located and select the file. Click on Import, and Excel will open the Power Query Editor window. Here, you have the option to choose the way you want data in JSON to appear in a spreadsheet.

6. Convert Data Into Table

At last, to convert JSON into a table, select the option Into Table. And then click Close & Load option in Home tab of Power Query Editor. That’s it. You have a JSON file in a tabular format open in MS Excel.

Now all you have to do is open the File menu and save your spreadsheet. Optionally you can export the data as a CSV file.

Import JSON To MS Excel 2010 – 2013

The steps mentioned above will work on MS Excel 2016 and newer versions. If you are using MS Excel 2010 – 2013, follow the following steps to import JSON to Excel:

a. Open MS Excel from Start Menu.

b. Open New Spreadsheet.

c. In the Power Query tab, click From Other Sources and select Blank Query.

d. In the Query Editor, select Advanced Editor.

e. Enter your query string as given below.

Note: Replace “C:\Users\XYZ\Desktop\examplefile.json” with the path to your JSON file.

let
    Source = Json.Document(File.Contents(“C:\Users\XYZ\Desktop\examplefile.json”)),
    # “Converted to Table” = Record.ToTable(Source)
in
    # “Converted to Table”