Many programs store database information into standard text files, readable in Microsoft's Notepad. Although these files can be manipulated using Notepad, this bare-bones program doesn't offer the complex calculations and formatting that Microsoft Excel can perform. If you need access to such features, you can convert your Notepad text file into Excel by importing it directly into the Excel program.
Step 1
Open Microsoft Excel.
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Step 2
Hold the "Ctrl" key, and press "O" to invoke the "Open" dialog window.
Step 3
Click the drop-down menu at the bottom-right and select "Text Files."
Step 4
Locate the Notepad text file on your computer, using the familiar "Windows Explorer" type interface, and click "Open." Microsoft Excel will automatically open the "Text Import Wizard."
Step 5
Click "Delimited" or "Fixed Width" at the top of the "Text Import Window," depending on the format of the Notepad file. If you are uncertain which to choose, the bottom preview window will let you experiment in the next window to allow you to select the proper format. Click "Next."
Step 6
Select the "Delimiters," such as commas, tabs or spaces between data points, if you selected a "delimited" format in the previous window. Click the preview to enter breaks between data points, if you chose the "fixed width" format. If the preview windows looks messy, click "Back," choose the other format and try again. Click "Next" when done.
Step 7
Click any column and select the "Column data format" at the top to change the default format for the data column. Click "Finish" when complete.
Step 8
Click the Office Button at the top-right of Excel, hover your mouse pointer over "Save as" and select "Excel workbook." Press "OK" to complete the conversion.