Have you ever tried exporting data from SharePoint to Excel, only to experience the frustration of formatting issues and missing information? You’re not alone.
Many users face this hurdle when analyzing their data. Exporting data seamlessly from SharePoint requires more than just hitting ‘Export.’
Let’s find out how to export a SharePoint list to Excel and how you can work around the common challenges of the process. We’ll also explore how adopting alternative solutions can improve your data management experience.
How to Export SharePoint Lists to Excel
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhen to Export SharePoint Lists to Excel
Excel is a popular work management tool among students, professionals, and organizations. Typically used for simple data management and analysis, its versatility and user-friendliness have led to Excel being used even for project management.
Exporting data to Excel from other less flexible apps often helps users format, process, and analyze it better.
Here are some scenarios in which users typically choose to export data. Understanding these situations will enable you to make informed decisions to meet your data management needs.
Advanced data manipulation
SharePoint is an excellent tool for managing basic tasks like document sharing, collaboration, and version control within a team. Its integration with Microsoft 365 makes it ideal for storing and organizing information across projects, but its capabilities are more suited for these straightforward tasks.
Excel is superior when it comes to handling complex calculations, detailed data analysis, and sophisticated database management. For example, if you’re managing financial data or performing statistical analysis, Excel offers advanced functionalities like pivot tables, VLOOKUP, and complex formulas that can handle large datasets with ease.
Also, in scenarios where your data is spread across multiple lists and document libraries, exporting it into Excel ensures you have a centralized place for analysis and reporting. Use features like conditional formatting to highlight important data points in your Excel file, ensuring critical information stands out.
Sharing with external users
In collaborative projects, you might encounter situations where not all team members or external stakeholders have access to SharePoint. While SharePoint does support external sharing, it often requires managing permissions or setting up additional access, which can slow things down, especially if users don’t have Microsoft accounts or face compatibility issues. This can be a challenge when sharing important lists or data.
Excel offers greater flexibility in data sharing. You can send files via email, cloud services like OneDrive, or third-party tools without worrying about SharePoint restrictions. Recipients can easily interact with the data, even if they don’t use SharePoint. Excel Online also supports real-time collaboration, providing a seamless experience without access hurdles, though it’s important to balance flexibility with security in sensitive environments.
Backup and archiving
Need a quick snapshot of your data at a particular point in time? Exporting it into Excel is a great way to back up and revisit. You can track changes, manage different versions of your analyses, and revert to previous versions if necessary. This is particularly useful if you are working with external stakeholders who may require historical data or need to review how analyses have evolved. While SharePoint offers version control, Excel provides more granular control over individual data sets and calculations.
Customized data view
Every project may require different perspectives on the same data. By exporting to Microsoft Excel, you can create customized views that focus on specific KPIs or project phases. This ensures that stakeholders only see the relevant information without the noise of unrelated data.
Offline access
When you export your SharePoint data to Excel, you gain the advantage of offline access. This is particularly beneficial for team members who may not have reliable internet connections or work in remote locations. They can still manipulate and analyze data without depending on an SharePoint online list.Â
In summary, the export option is your best bet if you need more control over your data or want to make it available to others outside your SharePoint ecosystem.
Now, let’s jump right into how to export a SharePoint list to Excel.
Summarize this article for me pleaseHow to Export SharePoint Lists to Excel
Let’s answer the biggest question first. No, you won’t need any fancy tools or third-party software—just SharePoint and Excel.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to export SharePoint lists to an Excel workbook:
- Select SharePoint list: Start by opening the SharePoint site and selecting the specific list you want to export
- Export to Excel: Click the Export option in the Command bar on the top. Next, select the Export to Excel option in the resulting dropdown menu
- Download the IQY file: Save the file by using the options in the File Download dialog box. This action will download the file onto your local system. The downloaded file is a web query file that Excel uses to retrieve the data from SharePoint
- Import SharePoint data: Open the IQY file in Excel after it’s downloaded and click Enable in the resulting prompt. This will allow Excel to populate the SharePoint list’s data in the Excel workbook
- Save your Excel file: Save the file as an XLSX file once the data is successfully exported to Excel
Now, you’re free to manipulate, analyze, and share your data however you like.
Summarize this article for me pleaseCommon SharePoint Pain Points
Here are some of the most common problems users face when using SharePoint and its integration with Excel.
Data integrity issues
Sometimes, when exporting larger datasets, note that you might encounter missing fields or corrupted data, particularly if the list includes complex metadata or custom columns. Double-check your data after export to ensure everything is carried over properly.
Excel refresh problems
If you regularly export dynamic data that updates frequently in SharePoint, you might run into issues with Excel’s ability to refresh data. The one-way connection between SharePoint and Excel isn’t always perfect—keeping your data synced may require manual refreshes.
Restricted permissions
Not every SharePoint user has the same permissions. This can make exporting difficult for those who have access to files but aren’t site admins. Ensure that users who need to export data have the proper permissions to avoid confusion and roadblocks.
Limited formatting
While SharePoint exports the data to Excel, it doesn’t always carry over formatting such as color coding, filters, conditional formatting rules, or custom column widths. This lack of seamless transfer can lead to inconsistencies in presentation. As a result, you may need to invest extra time into reorganizing and formatting the data manually. This slows down your workflow.
Inconsistent user experience
Users may experience varying performance levels when accessing SharePoint across different web browsers. This inconsistency can affect how data is displayed or the functionalities available. To avoid unexpected complications, it’s essential to standardize browser usage within teams.Â
While these pain points can be frustrating, knowing and implementing advanced Excel hacks can make all the difference.
💡Pro Tip: Microsoft’s Power Automate allows you to set up flows that automate the process of exporting SharePoint lists to Excel.
We have some alternative recommendations, too, if you wish to have all your data in one place without complex exporting and importing procedures.
Summarize this article for me pleaseMeet ClickUp: The All-in-One Alternative to SharePoint and Excel
SharePoint and Excel each have strengths: SharePoint is great for document management and collaboration, and Excel is well-suited for data manipulation and analysis.
But wouldn’t it be easier to access both capabilities on one platform?
If you’re wondering how that’s possible, the answer is simple. With ClickUp.
With its all-in-one project management solution, ClickUp makes life easier for knowledge workers like you, enabling you to manage projects, collaborate with your team, and analyze data seamlessly—all in one place.Â
Read on to know how ClickUp excels (pun intended) at bringing you the best of both worlds.
ClickUp’s Project Management Platform
ClickUp’s Project Management Platform allows you to create custom workflows tailored to your unique project needs, much like SharePoint’s organizational capabilities.
ClickUp Views
However, ClickUp goes beyond by offering customizable views such as List, Board, Table, and Gantt charts, allowing you to visualize tasks, deadlines, and dependencies in a way that suits your team’s workflow—whether you’re managing simple tasks or complex projects.
With over 15 ClickUp Views, you can keep your projects moving forward without the distractions of juggling multiple tools.
ClickUp Dashboards
Unlike Excel, which requires exporting data for deep analysis, ClickUp’s built-in reporting and analytics features provide real-time insights without the hassle. You can track key metrics, monitor project performance, and generate detailed reports directly from the platform.
ClickUp Dashboards help visualize team progress, ensuring you stay informed and make data-driven decisions, whether you’re optimizing resources or improving collaboration.
ClickUp Tasks
Additionally, ClickUp simplifies task management with features that turn your lists into actionable items within the same platform.
ClickUp Tasks offer a robust way to assign, monitor, and collaborate on tasks, ensuring that your to-do list stays organized and contextualized. You can easily assign tasks to specific team members, set priorities, and define due dates to keep everyone accountable and on track. With task dependencies, you can even manage the flow of work to ensure tasks are completed in the right order.
Each task acts as a centralized hub containing all the relevant details your team needs. You can add attachments directly to tasks—whether they’re documents, images, or links—so that important resources are always on hand. This reduces the need to hunt for files across multiple platforms, keeping everything connected and accessible.
With ClickUp’s powerful dashboards, flexible task management, and customizable views, you get the full functionality of SharePoint for collaboration and Excel for tracking and analysis—streamlined into a single, easy-to-use platform.
The ClickUp Daily-To-Do-List Template
With the ClickUp Daily To-Do List Template, you’ll no longer need SharePoint lists to keep you on track while chasing your daily goals.
This template helps you prioritize important tasks in your day, ensuring you focus on and pursue what matters most.
The template comes with Custom Statuses to mark tasks as to-do, in progress, or complete. There’s a built-in streak counter for that extra dose of motivation as you check off your tasks consistently. You can also improve your daily to-do tracking with automated reminders, notes, progress tracking, labels, and more right within ClickUp.
Also Read: 20 Free Project Management Templates
Summarize this article for me pleaseTransforming Sharepoint Lists Into Actionable Insights
Exporting SharePoint lists to Excel is one way to upgrade your data management capabilities.
With Excel’s advanced features for data manipulation, visualization, and sharing, you can overcome some of the challenges associated with SharePoint. However, constantly switching between tools can slow you down. To truly work more efficiently, you need an integrated platform where everything comes together seamlessly.
ClickUp is designed to do just that. With such a comprehensive productivity tool, you can consolidate tasks, manage data, and collaborate with your team. The best part is that you can do all this without toggling between multiple platforms. Having all your work in one place allows you to focus on what matters—getting the job done faster and more effectively.
Elevate the way you work by starting your free ClickUp trial today!
Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.
