Excel to TXT: Convert Sheets Instantly

Converting data from Excel spreadsheets to a simple text format like TXT can be an essential task for many reasons, ranging from data migration, importing to other software, or sharing data in a universally readable format. Microsoft Excel offers several ways to achieve this, and understanding these methods can make your data management significantly more efficient. Here, we'll explore how to convert Excel sheets to TXT files instantly and efficiently, ensuring that your data remains both accessible and secure.

Why Convert Excel to TXT?

The primary reasons for converting Excel files to TXT include:

• Universality: Text files are nearly universally compatible with any text editor.
• Simplicity: TXT files lack formatting, making them lightweight and easier to process programmatically.
• Security: Converting to a plain text file can sometimes provide a layer of security by reducing the file size and stripping out potentially harmful macros or scripts.

How to Convert Excel to TXT

Method 1: Using Excel’s Save As Feature

This is one of the simplest methods:

1. Open your Excel workbook.
2. Click on ‘File’ then ‘Save As.’
3. In the ‘Save as type’ dropdown, select ‘Text (Tab delimited) (*.txt).’
4. Choose the destination folder and hit ‘Save.’

Here are some points to remember:

• Ensure your data does not use tabs as cell separators because these will be interpreted as column separators in TXT.
• If your Excel sheet includes cells with numbers or dates, you might need to format them as text beforehand to avoid losing the leading zeros or formatting.

Method 2: Using VBA for Batch Conversion

For those dealing with numerous Excel files or needing to automate the conversion process, VBA can be your ally:

• Press ALT + F11 to open the VBA editor.
• In the 'Project' window, right-click on 'ThisWorkbook,' select 'Insert' and then 'Module.'
• Copy and paste the following VBA script:

Sub ConvertExcelToTxt()
    Dim WkSheet As Worksheet, DirPath As String, FileTypeStr As String
    DirPath = Application.ActiveWorkbook.Path & "\"
    FileTypeStr = "Text Files (*.txt),*.txt"
    For Each WkSheet In ThisWorkbook.Sheets
        WkSheet.SaveAs DirPath & WkSheet.Name, xlCurrentPlatformText 
    Next WkSheet
End Sub

To execute the script, click 'Run' or press F5. This script will save each worksheet in the active workbook as a separate TXT file in the same directory as the Excel file.

⚠️ Note: This script will overwrite existing files with the same name in the destination folder without warning!

Method 3: Using Power Query

If your Excel includes Power Query, you can convert Excel data to TXT through this tool:

1. Go to ‘Data’ and then ‘Get Data’ > ‘From File’ > ‘From Workbook.’
2. Select your Excel file and the sheet you want to convert.
3. Load the data into Excel and then export it to TXT using ‘File’ > ‘Save As’ with the ‘Text (Tab delimited)’ option.

Managing Data Integrity

When converting from Excel to TXT, maintaining data integrity is crucial:

• Date Formats: Convert date fields to text to avoid misinterpretation.
• Leading Zeros: Format cells with numbers that need leading zeros as text to retain them.
• Decimal Separators: Ensure consistency in how decimal separators are handled, especially for international sharing.

Handling Special Characters

Special characters like commas, apostrophes, or quotation marks can complicate TXT file processing:

• Replace commas within cells with another character like a pipe (|) or replace them with spaces if applicable.
• Use escape characters where necessary to represent quotes within text.

Finalizing Your Conversion

After converting your Excel data to TXT, here are some final steps:

• Open the TXT file in a text editor to verify the conversion was successful.
• If necessary, use the ‘Find and Replace’ feature to correct any issues with character encoding or delimiter.

Having explored various methods to convert Excel spreadsheets to TXT files, it's evident that the choice of method depends on your specific needs, whether it's simplicity, automation, or handling large datasets. Each approach ensures your data remains accessible in a universally readable format. Remember, when dealing with data conversion, checking the result for any issues like formatting errors or data loss is a key step. With these techniques, you can easily and confidently manage your data transformation tasks, ensuring both efficiency and data integrity.

What is the difference between CSV and TXT files when converting from Excel?

+

The main difference lies in structure: CSV files use commas to separate values, making them suitable for tabular data. TXT files, on the other hand, can be either delimited by tabs or spaces or free-form text. While CSV is often more structured, TXT provides more flexibility but less standardization.

Can I convert multiple sheets from an Excel workbook into separate TXT files?

+

Yes, you can. Using VBA, as described in the article, you can automate the process to convert each worksheet into a separate TXT file, with each file named after its corresponding sheet.

What are the limitations of TXT files when converting from Excel?

+

TXT files lack the rich formatting and multiple sheets found in Excel. Complex Excel features like formulas, charts, and formatting are lost in the conversion. Additionally, handling special characters and preserving numeric precision can be challenging with TXT files.