How to Find the Text Import Wizard in Excel

In Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, enable the legacy Text Import Wizard at File > Options > Data, then choose Data > Get Data > Legacy Wizards > From Text (Legacy). You can use it to import a text file as delimited data, such as a CSV, or as fixed-width columns, while choosing how Excel interprets each column. Have the file saved somewhere you can browse to before you start.

What You’ll Need

The Windows desktop version of Excel for Microsoft 365. Excel for the web does not offer the legacy wizard, and the Mac interface is different.
A text file, such as a .txt or .csv file. Know whether its fields are separated by commas, tabs, semicolons, or another character, or whether its columns line up at fixed positions.
Permission to edit the workbook where you want the imported data to appear. If the data matters, make a copy of the workbook first.

Step-by-Step

Open the desktop app and the destination workbook. Open Excel for Windows and either open an existing workbook or create a blank one. If you are importing into an existing sheet, select the cell where the upper-left corner of the data should go. Choosing a blank area helps avoid overwriting existing content.
Turn on the legacy import wizard. Select File > Options. In the Excel Options window, choose Data in the left-hand list. Find the section labeled Show legacy data import wizards, select the checkbox for From Text (Legacy), and click OK. This setting makes the older wizard available in the ribbon; it does not import a file by itself. If you see several legacy wizard checkboxes, you only need to enable From Text (Legacy) for this task.
Open the wizard from the Data tab. Select Data on the ribbon, then choose Get Data > Legacy Wizards > From Text (Legacy). In some Excel builds, the Legacy Wizards option may be nested slightly differently within the Get Data menu, but look for the From Text (Legacy) command. Browse to your .txt or .csv file, select it, and choose Import. If the command is absent, return to File > Options > Data and confirm that the checkbox is selected.
Choose the layout in step 1. The wizard previews the file and asks whether the data is Delimited or Fixed width. Choose Delimited when a character separates fields—for example, commas in a CSV or tabs between values. Choose Fixed width when fields align in columns and do not have a consistent separator. Check the preview before proceeding. If accented characters display incorrectly, change the File origin setting to the encoding that matches the file, such as UTF-8, and check the preview again.
Set separators for delimited data. If you chose Delimited, select Next and check the delimiter used by the file: Tab, Semicolon, Comma, Space, or Other. For Other, enter the exact separating character. The preview should show each field in its own column. If a comma appears inside a value, such as a city name or a quoted description, check that the Text qualifier is set correctly—typically a double quotation mark. The qualifier tells Excel which quote marks group a value rather than separate it.
Set column breaks for fixed-width data. If you chose Fixed width in step 1, select Next to add or adjust the vertical break lines in the preview. Click where a column should end to add a break; double-click a break line to remove it. Drag a line to move it. Use the preview to confirm that each column contains one field, then continue. Breaks that split a value or combine two fields will produce misaligned data after import.
Choose how Excel should treat each column. In step 3, select a column in the preview and choose its data format. General lets Excel infer a type; Text preserves the characters as text; Date lets you specify a date order such as MDY or DMY; and Do not import column (skip) leaves a column out. Set ID numbers, postal codes, and values with leading zeros to Text so Excel does not remove zeros or convert them into numbers. For dates, choose the order that matches the source file rather than relying on the preview alone.
Finish the import and choose where the data goes. Select Finish. If Excel displays the Import Data dialog, choose where to place the results: select Existing worksheet and confirm the destination cell, or choose New worksheet to keep the imported data separate. Select OK to complete the import. Check the first and last rows, column headings, dates, and any values with leading zeros. If something is wrong, undo the import with Ctrl+Z if available, or remove the imported range and run the wizard again with corrected settings.

The wizard is useful when you need more control than simply opening a CSV file. Opening a CSV directly can use Excel’s current default interpretation, which may convert dates or remove leading zeros without asking. Importing through From Text (Legacy) lets you inspect the split and choose Text for sensitive columns before the data is placed in the sheet.

Common Mistakes

Looking in File > Open for the wizard. In current Excel for Windows, the reliable route is to enable From Text (Legacy) in Options and launch it from Data > Get Data > Legacy Wizards. Opening a CSV directly may not show the legacy wizard.
Picking the wrong delimiter. A file can use tabs or semicolons even if you expect commas. A preview with everything in one column usually means the selected delimiter does not match the file. Multiple unexpected columns can mean Excel is splitting on a character that also appears inside values.
Leaving identifiers as General. General formatting may turn 00127 into 127 or interpret a long number as scientific notation. Select the column and set it to Text before finishing when the original characters must be preserved.
Assuming every date has the same order. A value such as 04/05/2026 can mean April 5 or May 4. Set the date order in the wizard to match the source, and check ambiguous dates in the result.
Importing over existing data. The destination cell is the top-left corner of the import. Choose a new worksheet or an empty range if you are unsure where the imported columns will extend.

Tips

Inspect the source file with a plain-text editor if the separator is unclear. Tabs may be invisible, while commas, semicolons, or quotation marks are easier to identify in context.
Use the preview at every wizard stage. A good preview should show sensible rows and columns, with quoted values kept together and headers in the expected places.
For a repeatable import, keep an unchanged copy of the source file and note its delimiter, encoding, and date order. That makes it easier to repeat the process consistently.
For a new import workflow, consider Data > Get Data > From File > From Text/CSV instead. This opens Excel’s newer import preview and Power Query options; it is not the same screen as the legacy Text Import Wizard.
On Mac, the Windows checkbox and Legacy Wizards path described above do not apply in the same way. Depending on your Excel version, use Data > From Text/CSV or the text import option under File > Import, then follow the available preview and delimiter controls.

Troubleshooting

The From Text (Legacy) command is missing. Confirm you are using the desktop Windows app, not Excel in a browser. In Excel, open File > Options > Data, check From Text (Legacy) under Show legacy data import wizards, and select OK. Then look again under Data > Get Data > Legacy Wizards. If your organization manages Office settings, an administrator may have restricted options or your ribbon may be customized.

The wizard opens, but the file looks like one long column. Return to the delimiter choices and select the character actually used in the file. Check Other if the separator is a character not listed. For fixed-width files, go back and add the column break lines. If the preview still does not make sense, inspect the original text file to identify its structure.

Characters look garbled or dates are wrong. Choose the correct File origin encoding in step 1 and verify the preview. For dates, select the relevant column in step 3 and set the correct date order. If Excel has already converted a value incorrectly, changing the cell format afterward may not restore the original characters; import the source again and set the column format before finishing.

The imported data replaces or overlaps other cells. Use Ctrl+Z immediately if the import is the most recent action and the undo command is available. Otherwise, close without saving if appropriate, or clear only the imported cells and repeat the import into a blank area or a new worksheet. For important workbooks, make a backup before importing.

You are using Excel for the web. The legacy Text Import Wizard is a desktop Excel feature. Download or open the workbook in the Windows desktop app to use the steps above. If that is not possible, use the text or CSV import options available in your version, or prepare the file so its columns are already separated before opening it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Text Import Wizard still in Excel?
Yes. In Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, it remains available as a legacy wizard, but you may need to enable the From Text (Legacy) checkbox in File > Options > Data before it appears in the Data tab’s Get Data menu.

Why does my Excel show From Text/CSV instead?
From Text/CSV is the newer import route, which opens a preview and can use Power Query. From Text (Legacy) opens the older step-by-step wizard. Both can import text files, but their controls and workflow differ.

Can I use the wizard for a CSV file?
Yes. Choose From Text (Legacy), select the CSV, and select Comma as the delimiter if commas separate its fields. Check the preview and text qualifier, since quoted values can contain commas that should not split a field.

How do I stop Excel removing zeros at the start of a value?
In the wizard’s third step, select the relevant column and choose Text before you finish. This is useful for postal codes, product codes, and other identifiers that are not intended for arithmetic.

Can I use the legacy wizard on a Mac or in Excel for the web?
The Windows legacy-wizard setup is not available through the same menus in Excel for Mac, and Excel for the web does not provide the legacy wizard. On a Mac, use the text import commands offered by your version; for the legacy steps, open the workbook in desktop Excel for Windows.

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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