Take the 2-minute tour ×

Why are the changes that I made in a CSV file not saved? For example, I change the style of a cell to "Numbers". I save the file, but when I open the file again, the changes aren't saved.

share|improve this question

3 Answers 3

up vote 8 down vote accepted

CSV files contain only data, as comma-separated values. If you want to keep your formatting changes, save the file as an Excel file (i.e. myfile.xls), using the 'save as' file menu option.

share|improve this answer
Even more: I'm quite sure Excel warns about that when saving...? –  Arjan Dec 25 '09 at 11:22

Because csv only contains data, not style. If you want to save style save as .xls.

share|improve this answer

CSV files can't contain styling. Any styling you apply will only exist for that editing session.

If you want to preserve styling, save in a different format, such as XLS.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer


