Export and copy

Use the export control to download the rows of a grid as an Excel, CSV, JSON or TSV file. Use the copy control to paste cells or a whole table into a spreadsheet or another app.

Download rows from a grid

Set up the grid so it shows the rows you want. Sort, filter and hide columns first. See Filter, sort and search.
In the toolbar, click the format button and choose Excel, CSV, JSON or TSV. The control is labelled Select file format, and the menu opens under the heading Download.
Click the download button. Its tooltip reads Download as followed by the format, for example Download as Excel. After the download starts, the control shows a success checkmark for about two seconds.
If a menu opens, choose Export N rows or Export all N rows, where N is the number of rows. The menu appears only when the server holds more rows than the grid has loaded.
Your browser saves the file. In a spreadsheet or text file, the first row holds the column names, and numbers stay numbers when you open the file.

This is how the menu describes the four formats:

Choice	Menu description	The file
Excel	Microsoft Excel workbook	An `.xlsx` workbook
CSV	Comma-separated values	A `.csv` text file
JSON	JavaScript Object Notation	A `.json` file
TSV	Tab-separated values	A `.tsv` text file

When a table offers a single format, the control reads Format and keeps your default format unchanged.

Choose loaded rows or all rows

Option	What it exports	When it appears
Export N rows	The rows the grid has loaded, as filtered and sorted on screen, with the columns you can see	Whenever the server holds more rows than the grid has loaded
Export all N rows	Every row of the result, streamed from the server	In the Editor, after a query has completed

In the Editor, the rows the grid has loaded are the rows on the page you are viewing. To export the whole result, use Export all N rows.

Export a full Editor result

Run the query. See Run your first query.
In the Results tab, choose the format, then click the download button.
Choose Export all N rows.
Your browser saves the file.

The full export works like this:

It runs the query again on the server and streams the whole result, so it reflects the data at the time you export.
It includes every column of the query. Grid filters, sorting and hidden columns do not apply.
It exports the SQL of the latest completed run. If you change the SQL, run the query again before you export.
Only the person who ran the query can export its full result.
The server stops an export whose query runs for more than one hour.
The latest completed run is kept for a few minutes only. After that, the export fails with Job not found.

Warning

Export all N rows ignores the filters you set in the grid. To limit the rows, put the condition in the SQL WHERE clause, run the query again, then export.

Copy cells or a table

To copy the whole table, open the copy menu in the toolbar and choose Copy table. The copy takes the rows as filtered and sorted on screen, with the columns you can see.
To copy cells, select the cells or rows in the grid and press Ctrl+C (Cmd+C on a Mac). See Select, copy and paste cells for selection.
Paste into your spreadsheet. The copied text is tab-separated, so each cell lands in its own column.

The copy control is labelled Copy to clipboard (TSV), and it reports Copied after a successful copy. Ticking Include headers or Formatted values keeps the menu open so you can set both.

The copy menu has two options, and both also apply to Ctrl+C:

Setting	What it does	Default
Include headers	Puts a row of column names first in the copy	On
Formatted values	Copies what the cells show, instead of the values as stored	Off

The export format and both copy options are saved in this browser, not on your account. Another browser keeps its own settings.

Upload a file to a table

Some tables show an Upload file button in the toolbar. Point at it to read a tooltip such as Upload Excel file; the word before file names the kind of file the table takes.

Uploads take Excel files only. When the table is set to another format, the button is greyed out and its tooltip reads Upload is only available for Excel format.

A file must be 10 MB or smaller. A larger file shows File too large with "File size exceeds 10MB limit.". Where the button is offered, the screen you are on handles the file it receives.

Who can export

Exporting a full Editor result needs no extra permission. If you can run the query, you can export its result. Exports on other screens follow that screen's rules. For example, DataPrism report exports are covered in Export reports and data.

Limits and edge cases

An Excel file holds at most 1,048,575 data rows. A larger result cannot be exported as Excel. Export it as CSV, TSV or JSON instead.
In an Excel file, a single text cell holds up to 32,767 characters, and longer text is cut short.
The sheet name inside an Excel file is cut to 31 characters.
If the grid has no rows to export, you see the warning Nothing to export with "No data to export.". This also happens when your filters hide every row.
If an export fails, you see Export failed with the reason, for example Job not found.
If the browser refuses the copy, you see Copy failed with "Failed to copy to clipboard.".
For large or repeated extracts, a SQL client or Excel can connect directly. See Connection settings.

More messages from the Editor and the grid are collected in Editor troubleshooting.

Questions, answered

Why does my Excel export fail with a row limit message?

Excel holds at most 1,048,575 data rows. The message says the result "exceeds Excel's limit of 1048575" and asks you to download as CSV. Export as CSV, TSV or JSON instead, or narrow the query so it returns fewer rows.

Why did the export ignore my grid filters?

Export N rows uses the grid's filters, sorting and visible columns. Export all N rows runs the whole query on the server and ignores them. Put the condition in the SQL WHERE clause, run the query again, then export. To export only what the grid shows, choose Export N rows.

Why does the export fail with "Job not found"?

A full export uses the latest completed run, and that run is kept for only a few minutes. Run the query again, then export.

How do I copy with column headers?

Open the copy menu and turn on Include headers. It is on by default. The setting also applies to Ctrl+C.

Why do my dates paste as raw values?

Copies use the values as stored unless Formatted values is on. Open the copy menu, turn on Formatted values, then copy again. The setting also applies to Ctrl+C.

How do I change the default export format?

Choose another format in the export control. It becomes your default for all tables in this browser. It is not saved to your account. A table that offers a single format shows Format and keeps your default unchanged.

Can I export to Parquet?

No. The export control offers Excel, CSV, JSON and TSV only.

What is the exported file called?

Editor exports are named Query Result, with the extension of the format you chose, for example Query Result.xlsx. An export from a preview table uses the table's name instead.

Why does the download say Nothing to export?

The grid has no rows to export. The result may be empty, or your filters may hide every row. Clear the filters, or run the query first.

Why can't I upload a file to this table?

The Upload file button appears only where the screen supports it, and it takes Excel files only. When it is greyed out, its tooltip reads Upload is only available for Excel format.