IMPORTTEXT

What it does

IMPORTTEXT(path, [delimiter], [skip_rows], [take_rows], [encoding], [locale])

IMPORTTEXT loads a text file into a dynamic array with one formula.

IMPORTTEXT(path, [delimiter], [skip_rows], [take_rows], [encoding], [locale])

• path is a local file path or a URL.
• delimiter separates columns, with tab as the default. Ascending integers such as {1,3} split fixed-width columns.
• skip_rows and take_rows count rows. A negative number counts from the end.
• encoding defaults to UTF-8.
• locale sets regional formats and defaults to the operating system's.

Try it

The OneCalc preview has no answer for this function: see the state above.

Quirks

• It does not update by itself. Use Refresh All on the Data tab; a change to the file does not recalculate the cell.
• A URL may ask for sign-in. Excel shows an authentication dialog, and saved permissions are managed under Data Source Settings.
• The default locale belongs to the machine, so one file can parse differently on two systems unless locale is given.

Microsoft's page does not list errors, and none are recorded here.

How to implement

DNA Calc does not know this name yet. An implementation needs file and URL access from the host, a parser with the page's delimiter, encoding and locale rules, an array result, and a refresh step separate from recalculation. Web sources also need the host's sign-in handling.

Rust code

This entry has no Rust implementation yet.

No implementation has been published with a Handbook test suite for this function.

Version differences

Microsoft's page lists it for Microsoft 365 Insiders in the Beta channel on Windows, version 2502 (build 18604.20002) or later. No Excel answers for this function are recorded here, so no comparison between Excel builds exists.

Alternatives

• IMPORTCSV, its shorter form for CSV files.
• Power Query, for transformations and repeatable loads.

Named variants

No named variants are recorded yet.