--- title: "XLSX or CSV for Quiz Import: Which File to Upload | Formswrite Blog" description: "Should you upload XLSX or CSV when turning a spreadsheet into a Google Form? What each format keeps, what it loses, and a quick way to decide." canonical: https://formswrite.com/blog/xlsx-or-csv-for-google-forms-import last-updated: 2026-10-08 --- # XLSX or CSV for Quiz Import: Which File to Upload In short Upload the .xlsx file when you have one. An Excel workbook keeps dropdown lists, merged cells and the exact text of every cell, while a CSV is plain text and loses all of that. Use CSV only when your questions come out of another system as CSV, or when the file is so simple that nothing is lost. ## What each format keeps | What is in your sheet | XLSX | CSV | | --- | --- | --- | | Question, option and answer text | Kept | Kept | | Dropdown lists made with data validation | Kept, and read as dropdown questions | Lost | | Merged cells used as section titles | Kept, so a section title can be extracted | Lost, only the anchor value remains | | Formulas | Calculated value is read | Only the saved value, whatever the export wrote | | Several sheets in one file | First sheet is read | One sheet per file by design | | Colours, bold, column widths | Present but not used | Gone | | Accented letters and symbols | Kept | Depends on the encoding of the export | The row for formulas deserves a note. In both formats the form gets a value, not a formula, because Google Forms cannot run spreadsheet logic. The difference is that a CSV freezes whatever the export wrote into the cell, so check that the numbers still look right after saving. ## When CSV is the right choice - Your questions come from a learning system or a database that exports CSV only. - The sheet is flat: one question per row, plain text, no dropdowns and no merged cells. - You edit the file in a text tool or generate it with a script. - You want a file that is easy to compare between versions in a diff. If you do use CSV, save it as UTF-8. Names, accents and symbols such as the degree sign can turn into odd characters when a CSV is saved in an older encoding. A bad character in a question is easy to miss until a student reports it. ## When XLSX is the right choice - You use data validation dropdowns to pick question types or categories. - You use merged cells for section headings such as "Part A: Vocabulary". - Your question text has line breaks inside a cell, which CSV tools often mangle. - You want to keep working in Excel afterwards. The [Excel to Google Form converter](/convert/excel-to-google-form) says plainly that saving to CSV first can strip data validation lists and merged cell context, so uploading the original .xlsx usually gives a cleaner result. ## How to decide in thirty seconds 1. Open the file and look for dropdown arrows in cells. If you see any, use XLSX. 2. Look for merged cells that span several columns. If you see any, use XLSX. 3. Look at the file extension you were given. If someone sent you a CSV and nothing in it needs the features above, upload it as it is. 4. If the sheet is on Google Sheets, use File, then Download, and pick .xlsx or .csv. Choose .xlsx for the same reasons. 5. Upload, then read the preview before you export. The preview shows what survived. ## Converting from Google Sheets A Google Sheet can be downloaded as either format. The [Google Sheets to Google Form converter](/convert/google-sheets-to-google-form) accepts a sheet exported as .xlsx or .csv, or a plain Excel file, and it reads the column layout to find the question and option columns. Only the first sheet in the file is processed, so move your questions to the first tab before you export. If your Sheet has pivot tables, copy the output to a plain sheet first, because a pivot table is read as static display values. ## A note on importing CSV straight into Google Forms Google Forms itself has no CSV import. People often look for one because Google Sheets has an import option, and the two products share a name. What Google Forms does offer is importing questions from another Google Form. For a CSV, you need a tool. Our [question importer](/tools/import-questions-to-google-form) takes a CSV or Excel file with one question per row, and the longer guide on [importing questions into Google Forms](/blog/how-do-i-import-questions-into-google-forms) compares the options. ## Free and paid You can upload either format and look at the extracted questions on the free plan, which includes five Formswrite Forms a month. Exporting to Google Forms is a paid feature, as is every other export format. [Upload your spreadsheet](/convert/excel-to-google-form) ## FAQ Do I need to save my Excel file as CSV first? No. Formswrite reads .xlsx files directly, so you can upload the workbook as it is. Saving to CSV first can remove data validation lists and merged cell context. Will a CSV with commas inside the question text break the import? Not if the file is a valid CSV, where any cell that contains a comma is wrapped in quotes. Spreadsheet programs do this for you when you save. If you build the CSV by hand in a text editor, wrap those cells in quotes yourself, or use XLSX to avoid the problem. Does the older .xls format work? The converter pages describe .xlsx uploads. If you have an older .xls file, open it in Excel or Google Sheets and save it as .xlsx before you upload. Which format is better for non-English questions? XLSX is the safer choice, because it stores text in a way that keeps accents and other scripts. If you use CSV, save it as UTF-8 and check a few special characters in the preview. Is the conversion free? Uploading a file and previewing the questions is free, and the Formswrite form is the free output. Exporting to Google Forms needs a paid plan.