How to Split a Huge CSV Excel Spreadsheet Into Separate Files
If you work with data in Excel, you may come across situations where you need to split a huge CSV Excel spreadsheet into separate files. It can be a challenging task if you do it manually, but there are several ways to automate the process and save time. In this article, we’ll discuss some tips and tricks to split a large CSV Excel spreadsheet into separate files.
1. Use Excel’s built-in filter and copy/paste functions
One of the simplest ways to split a CSV Excel spreadsheet is to use the filter function to select the data you want to extract and then copy and paste it into a new worksheet. Here’s how you can do it:
1. Open your Excel spreadsheet and select the cells you want to extract.
2. Click the “Data” tab and select “Filter” to enable the filter function.
3. Filter the data based on the criteria you want to extract.
4. Once you have selected the desired data, right-click on the selection and select “Copy” or press “Ctrl + C”.
5. Then, create a new worksheet and paste the copied data by right-clicking on the cell where you want to paste and selecting “Paste” or pressing “Ctrl + V”.
Repeat these steps to extract other sections of your data until you have extracted all the necessary data in separate worksheets. You can then save each worksheet as a separate file.
2. Use Excel VBA to automate the process
If you have a large CSV Excel spreadsheet with many different sections that you want to extract, it may be more efficient to use VBA to automate the process. Here’s how to do it:
1. Open your Excel spreadsheet and activate the Visual Basic Editor by pressing “Alt + F11”.
2. Insert a new module by selecting “Insert” in the menu bar and then “Module”.
3. Copy and paste the following code into the module:
“`
Sub SplitData()
Dim ws As Worksheet
Dim i As Integer
For Each ws In ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets
If Not ws.Name Like “Sheet1” Then
ActiveSheet.UsedRange.Copy
Workbooks.Add
ActiveSheet.Paste
ActiveWorkbook.SaveAs Filename:=ws.Name & “.csv”, _
FileFormat:=xlCSV
ActiveWorkbook.Close savechanges:=False
End If
Next ws
End Sub
“`
3. Use a specialized tool to split CSV files
If you need to split a large CSV Excel spreadsheet into many small files, you may find it more efficient to use a specialized tool. Some popular tools for splitting CSV files include CSV Splitter, TextWedge, and CSV Editor Pro. These tools allow you to split large CSV files into smaller ones based on criteria such as row count or record count. They can often handle large files quickly and easily with a minimum of input from you.
4. Modify the code according to your needs.
For example, if your file has more than one worksheet, you can modify the code to loop through all the worksheets and save each sheet as a separate CSV file.
5. Run the code by clicking on the “Run” button or pressing “F5”.
This code will create a separate CSV Excel spreadsheet for each worksheet in your file and save them to the same location as the original file.
In conclusion, splitting a huge CSV Excel spreadsheet into separate files can be a challenge, but there are several ways to automate the process and save time. Whether you use Excel’s built-in functions, VBA, or specialized tools, you can easily split large files into smaller ones to help you work with your data more efficiently.