Saving an Excel file as a CSV (Comma-Separated Values) file is useful when you need to share data with applications or systems that require a simple and widely supported text-based format. CSV files are commonly used for data interchange and can be opened in various spreadsheet and database programs. If you have a spreadsheet in Excel that you want to convert to a CSV file, follow these steps:


How to Save an Excel File as CSV?


Open Excel: 

Launch Microsoft Excel on your computer.


Open or Create Workbook: 

Open the Excel workbook that you want to save as a CSV file. Make sure the data is formatted and organized as desired.


Review Formatting: 

Before converting to CSV, ensure that the data and formatting are accurate. Verify column headers, cell values, and any special characters.


Navigate to Backstage View: 

Click on the "File" tab at the upper left corner of the Excel window to access Backstage View.


Choose "Save As": 

In Backstage View, select the "Save As" option from the list on the left. This will display additional saving options.


Select Location: 

Choose the folder or location where you want to save the CSV file. You can pick a specific directory or cloud storage.


Choose CSV Format: 

In the "Save as type" dropdown menu, select "CSV (Comma delimited) (*.csv)" as the file format.


Set File Name: 

Enter a name for the CSV file in the "File name" field. This name will be used for the CSV document.


Optional: 

Choose Options: Click the "Tools" dropdown and select "Web Options" if you want to configure additional settings for the CSV conversion. This step might involve specifying encoding or delimiter options.


Save the CSV: After setting the options, click the "Save" button. Excel will prompt you with a dialog box confirming that the selected format does not support multiple sheets. Click "OK" to continue.


Confirm CSV Output: Once the CSV is saved, you can navigate to the chosen location and open the CSV file using a text editor or a spreadsheet program. Verify that the data is correctly separated by commas.

By following these steps, you can convert your Excel workbook into a CSV file, which is particularly useful when sharing data with applications that require a simple text-based format. Keep in mind that CSV files may not preserve all formatting and features present in Excel, as they primarily focus on data interchange.