How to export Airtable to Excel.

Export directly to .xlsx with Solid Backup

Solid Backup is a desktop app for Windows and macOS. It creates formatted Excel files from Airtable data and saves them to the folder you choose on your computer. Linked-record names and values stay readable in the export.

1. Connect Airtable. Install Solid Backup from the Mac App Store or Microsoft Store, then authorize access to the bases you need.
2. Choose the output. Create an export plan, select the data to include, choose Excel (.xlsx) and pick a local destination.
3. Run the export. Open the resulting workbook in Excel. Downloaded attachments are separate files alongside your data.

For a recurring report, set a daily, weekly or monthly schedule. Fetching new Airtable data requires an internet connection. Files already downloaded can be used offline.

Export Airtable to Excel with linked records

A report should show names and values that your colleagues can read. Solid Backup resolves linked-record identifiers to readable names and values in the Excel export.

For example, a project linked to a client can show a name such as “Acme Studio” in the workbook rather than an opaque record identifier. Check a familiar linked record in your first export to confirm the values you expect.

These are readable exported values. The workbook is not a live relational Airtable base, and editing it does not automatically update the source records.

Export Airtable without scripts or coding

Choose your data, select Excel and run the plan in Solid Backup. The desktop app handles fetching the records, preparing the .xlsx file and downloading attachment files. There is no script to write and no manual CSV-to-Excel conversion for this method.

The time saved is in the manual steps you can skip. The download duration depends on your data, attachment sizes and connection; a large export is not promised to finish in a fixed number of seconds.

See how to bulk download attachments for images, PDFs and documents saved alongside your workbook.

Use Airtable’s native CSV download

For an occasional table, you can use the CSV download built into Airtable and convert the result in Excel.

1. Open the grid view you need and check its filters and visible fields.
2. Open the view menu and choose Download CSV.
3. Open the CSV in Excel, then use Save As to create an Excel Workbook (.xlsx).

This is a view-level export. Repeat it for each table you need. Attachment fields contain filenames and links; the attachment files need their own download. See the CSV export comparison before choosing a workflow.

Check the workbook before you share it

Use a small, familiar base for your first export. Compare the records and columns you expected, check a linked-record field, and open a sample attachment. In Excel, check dates, leading zeros and long text before using the file in a report.

An exported workbook contains data you can work with. Airtable views, interfaces and automations are application features; do not assume a spreadsheet reproduces that behavior. Keep your original base and a separate backup workflow when recovery matters.

Excel export questions

Does Airtable export directly to .xlsx?

Airtable’s native grid-view download produces CSV. Excel can convert that file. Solid Backup creates .xlsx files directly.

Are attachments embedded in Excel cells?

No. Solid Backup downloads attachment files alongside the export. Keep those files with the workbook when you move the archive.

Can I password-protect the export?

Solid Backup offers optional AES-256 archive encryption. This protects the archive; it is separate from Excel’s own workbook password features.