# How do I import a CSV or Excel file?

> CSV and JSON files go through the Import tab in the editor. Excel workbooks come in a different way — as a connected data source — because the plugin has to unpack the workbook first.

## Before you start

- A chart open in the editor.
- A paid plan — importing is a PRO feature.

> **Note:** The plugin picks the columns for you: the first mostly-text column becomes your labels, and every column that is at least half numbers becomes a series. Purely textual columns are left out of the chart.

> **Tip:** Currency symbols, percent signs and thousands separators are stripped before the number is read, so £1,250 imports as 1250. Anything genuinely unreadable becomes 0.

> **Careful:** A file whose rows do not all have the same number of columns is refused, with a message naming the first row that disagrees. Nothing is applied, so your existing data is safe — fix the file and try again.

> **Pro feature:** Importing files and connecting sources both need a paid plan. Typing and pasting into the table do not.

## Steps

1. Open the Data tab, then the Import sub-tab, and press Choose File (CSV, JSON). It takes .csv, .json and plain .txt files.
2. The file is read on your machine and applied straight away. A message confirms the file name and how many rows arrived.
3. For an Excel workbook, press Connect Source at the top of the Data tab instead, choose Create New, then pick Excel.
4. Pick the .xlsx or .xls file, name the source, and set Sheet Name if you want a tab other than the first one. Leave First row is header ticked if your top row holds column names.
5. Choose CSV rather than the Import tab when you need control over the parsing. That form adds a Delimiter setting — Auto-detect, Comma, Semicolon or Tab — and its own First row is header tick box.

_Topics: import, csv, excel_

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