Excel Import CSV Without Formatting: Keep Data Raw

To import a CSV into Excel without unwanted formatting, use Data > From Text/CSV, choose Transform Data, set the columns you need to Text, then select Close & Load. A CSV file does not contain cell formatting, but Excel may interpret its contents as dates, numbers, or other types when it opens the file; importing through Power Query lets you control that interpretation.

What “without formatting” means in a CSV

A CSV is plain text arranged in rows and separated into fields by a delimiter, usually a comma. It does not store font choices, colors, column widths, number formats, formulas, or multiple worksheets. Those features belong to an Excel workbook, such as an .xlsx file. So if a CSV looks formatted after opening it in Excel, that appearance comes from Excel’s display and interpretation, not from formatting saved in the CSV.

People usually mean one of two things when they ask how to import a CSV without formatting. They may want Excel to leave every value exactly as written, or they may want ordinary numeric values but no decorative styles. These are different goals. Setting a column to Text is the dependable choice for preserving characters such as leading zeros. Keeping numbers numeric, on the other hand, allows calculations but leaves Excel free to display them according to the cell’s number format.

Import a CSV as text in Excel for Microsoft 365

On Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, import the file rather than opening it by double-clicking. The import preview gives you a chance to check how Excel is reading the data before it loads into the worksheet.

Open a blank workbook, or the workbook where you want the imported data.
Select Data > From Text/CSV, browse to the CSV, and select Import.
Review the preview. Check that the delimiter separates fields into the intended columns and that names, symbols, and accented characters display correctly.
Select Transform Data to open the Power Query Editor.
Select the columns that must remain unchanged. To select all columns, click a column header and use Ctrl+A in the editor.
On the Transform tab, select Data Type > Text. If Excel asks whether to replace the current type or add a step, choose the option that applies the text type.
Select Home > Close & Load to bring the result into Excel.

For a single column, select only that column before choosing Text. This matters if the file contains a mix of identifiers and amounts: making every field text preserves the source characters, but it also means Excel will not treat amount fields as numbers until you convert them. If the preview already shows an automatic Changed Type step, review it. An automatically inferred type can turn a value into a date or number before loading; set the relevant columns to Text as the final type step.

Protect leading zeros, dates, and long identifiers

Text import is especially useful when the CSV contains values that look numeric but are actually labels. For example, a product code written as 00123 can become 123 if Excel converts it to a number. A postal code such as 02108 can lose its first zero too. An account number with many digits may be displayed in scientific notation, or lose precision if Excel stores it as a number. Importing these fields as Text keeps their characters intact.

Date-like values need similar care. A field such as 03/04/2025 is ambiguous: depending on regional date settings, it can mean March 4 or April 3. If it is a code or an unambiguous source string that must not change, use Text. If it really is a date you need to sort or calculate with, convert it deliberately and confirm that the day and month were interpreted correctly. When possible, use a clear source format such as 2025-04-03 and check the result after import.

Text preserves what the CSV contains, not information that was never in the file. If someone previously saved a spreadsheet as CSV after Excel removed leading zeros, importing that CSV as Text cannot restore the missing zeros. Check the original export or system that created the file if the characters have already been lost.

Choose between text and numeric values

Not every column should be Text. If a field represents a quantity, price, or measurement that you need to total, compare, or use in formulas, it generally needs to be a number. Importing it as text can make arithmetic fail or require a later conversion. A useful rule is to decide by meaning, not appearance: an order number made of digits is still an identifier, while a quantity is a number even if the CSV writes it without a decimal point.

Use Text for codes, postal codes, phone numbers, IDs, and values whose exact characters matter.
Use a numeric type for amounts and counts that need arithmetic.
Use a date type only when the field is truly a date and its interpretation is confirmed.
For mixed-purpose files, assign a type column by column instead of converting the whole import uniformly.

If you want numeric data without bold text, colored fills, or a table appearance, keep the appropriate numeric types and adjust the worksheet’s appearance separately. The Home tab’s Number Format controls how numbers display; it does not change the CSV’s contents. Conversely, changing a cell’s display format to Text after Excel has already converted a value does not reliably recover the original characters.

Remove formatting from data already in a worksheet

If the CSV is already in a worksheet and the issue is an existing style, you can remove the appearance without re-importing. Select the affected cells, then choose Home > Clear > Clear Formats. This removes formatting such as fonts, fills, borders, and number formats, while leaving the cell contents in place. It does not reverse conversions that have already happened: a date already stored as a date remains a date value.

When pasting into a worksheet that has existing styles, use Paste Special > Values if you want the incoming content without carrying over formatting from a copied spreadsheet range. A CSV itself has no source cell styling to paste, but the destination cells may already have formatting. If Excel turns imported data into a styled table, select the table and use the Table Design tab to choose a plain table style or clear the style where that option is available. Table styling is separate from the data type.

For reliable repeated imports, Power Query is usually preferable to repeatedly opening a file and cleaning the worksheet. The query can retain its type choices when refreshed, provided the source layout remains compatible. If a refreshed file changes column names or structure, review the query and its preview rather than assuming the old steps still match.

Check delimiters, encoding, and regional settings

Some problems that look like formatting are actually import settings. A file may use semicolons or tabs instead of commas, particularly when the software that created it uses commas as decimal separators. In the From Text/CSV preview, inspect the delimiter selection. If values that should be separate fields appear together, choose the delimiter used by the file. If a field contains commas inside quoted text, a correctly formed CSV keeps that text within one field; do not split on commas blindly using a basic find-and-replace.

Character encoding affects names and symbols. If accented letters or non-Latin characters appear as question marks or strange symbols, check whether the file is UTF-8 and choose the appropriate file origin or encoding in the import preview when available. A UTF-8 CSV is a good choice for sharing text across systems, but the receiving application still needs to read it using the right encoding.

Regional settings can affect decimal separators and dates. A value such as 1,25 may be a decimal number in one locale, while a comma may also be the column separator in the file. Inspect the preview before loading, and confirm the correct locale or type for affected columns in Power Query. The right settings depend on how the source file was generated, so do not infer a format solely from one sample value.

Why opening a CSV directly can change values

Double-clicking a CSV, or using File > Open, asks Excel to interpret a plain-text file for display. Excel may automatically recognize date-like strings, numbers, and other familiar patterns. That is convenient for a simple file, but it offers less control over type detection than the import-and-transform route. If preserving exact source strings is important, avoid opening the original directly; import it and set the necessary columns to Text before loading.

Excel for the web may offer a simpler open or upload experience and does not provide the same complete Power Query editing workflow as the Windows desktop application. On Mac, Power Query import options and menu labels can vary by Microsoft 365 update; use Data > Get Data (Power Query) > Text/CSV where that connector is available. For a file that must be preserved exactly, use a desktop build with the import preview and type controls, then verify the loaded values.

CSV limitations and a safer handoff

CSV is useful because many applications can read it, but it is not a full workbook format. It holds a single plain-text table, not Excel formulas as formulas, multiple sheets, styling, or reliable column-type instructions. When you save an Excel workbook as CSV, Excel may warn that some workbook features are not compatible. The CSV export represents the active sheet’s displayed data as text fields; formatting and other workbook features are not carried over.

Keep an .xlsx copy when you need formulas, formatting, multiple sheets, or a repeatable Excel workflow. Before sending a CSV to another person or system, check the exported file in a text editor or re-import a copy to confirm the delimiter, encoding, and important identifiers. That check can catch a mismatch before the file is used downstream.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Excel open a CSV without changing the values?

It can display many CSV values correctly, but opening the file directly may trigger automatic type detection. Import through Data > From Text/CSV and set sensitive columns to Text to reduce the risk of changed identifiers or date-like strings.

How do I stop Excel removing leading zeros from a CSV?

Import the CSV through Power Query and set the affected column to Text before loading. If the zeros were already removed when the CSV was created or saved, Excel cannot infer how many were missing; obtain a clean source file.

Can I remove formatting without deleting the data?

Yes. Select the worksheet cells and choose Home > Clear > Clear Formats. This removes cell formatting but leaves values in place. It does not undo a value conversion, such as a string already interpreted as a date.

Why does my CSV show in one column?

The selected delimiter may not match the file. Open the import preview and choose the delimiter used by the source, such as comma, semicolon, or tab. Also check whether the file is actually a delimited text file rather than a fixed-width export.

Does saving as CSV preserve Excel formatting?

No. CSV does not store Excel cell formatting, formulas as workbook formulas, or multiple sheets. Keep an .xlsx version if those features matter, and treat the CSV as a plain-text data export.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

More in How-to basics

Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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