# Import and export

> Export a sheet to CSV or Excel, paste data in from the clipboard, and understand how governed data enters a sheet.

*[View this page in the Flax docs](https://flax-analytics.com/docs/sheets/import-export)*

Sheets export cleanly to the formats your colleagues use, and data can enter a
sheet in a few ways. This page covers both directions.

## Export to CSV or Excel

From the toolbar, use:

- **Download as CSV** — a standards-compliant CSV file (RFC 4180 quoting), suitable
  for any spreadsheet or data tool.
- **Download as Excel (.xlsx)** — a valid Excel workbook. Numbers export as real
  numeric cells and text as text, so formulas and formats in the receiving
  application behave as expected. The active tab exports as a single worksheet.

Exports are generated in your browser, so nothing leaves your session to produce
the file.

## Getting data into a sheet

Data reaches a sheet in two governed ways rather than by uploading a file into it:

- **A bound exploration.** The primary path — bind a tab to a saved query so its
  rows and columns come straight from your [semantic model](/docs/modeling/overview).
  See [Sheets overview](/docs/sheets/overview) and
  [Building queries](/docs/exploring/building-queries).
- **Clipboard paste.** Copy a range from another spreadsheet and paste it into free
  cells; Flax round-trips tab-separated values on copy and paste.

> [!TIP]
> To bring an external CSV or Excel file into Flax as queryable data, upload it as a
> connection rather than pasting it into a sheet. See
> [CSV uploads](/docs/connections/csv-uploads). You can then bind a sheet tab to it.

## Next steps

- [Collaboration](/docs/sheets/collaboration)
- [CSV uploads](/docs/connections/csv-uploads)
- [Editing](/docs/sheets/editing)