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n8n Spreadsheet File Node: Read, Write, and Convert Excel and CSV Files [Free Workflow JSON]

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n8n Spreadsheet File Node: Read, Write, and Convert Excel and CSV Files [Free Workflow JSON]

The n8n Spreadsheet File node lets you read data from Excel (.xlsx, .xls) and CSV files into workflow items, and write workflow data back out to spreadsheet files — all without leaving n8n. It's the bridge between your automation logic and the spreadsheet-based world most business users still live in.

This guide covers every operation, format gotchas, and three production patterns with a free downloadable workflow JSON.

What the Spreadsheet File Node Does

The Spreadsheet File node has two modes:

  • Read from File — parse a binary Excel or CSV file (passed in as a binary property) into structured JSON items, one item per row
  • Write to File — take a set of workflow items and serialize them into an Excel or CSV binary file that you can then email, upload to S3, save to disk, or attach anywhere

Supported formats: .csv, .xls, .xlsx, .ods (read only for .ods).

Operations Reference

Operation What it does Key fields
Read from File Parses binary spreadsheet → JSON items (1 item per row) Binary Property, Sheet Name (xlsx), Header Row
Write to File JSON items → binary spreadsheet file File Format, Sheet Name (xlsx), Binary Property name

Reading a Spreadsheet

Key fields (Read)

  • Binary Property — the name of the binary property on the input item that contains the file (default: data). If you're reading a file from disk (Read/Write Files node) or an HTTP download, check what property name the upstream node uses.
  • Sheet Name — for multi-sheet .xlsx files, specify which sheet to read. Defaults to the first sheet.
  • Header Row — enable this (default: on) to treat the first row as column names. Each output item will have keys matching the header names. Disable if your file has no headers and you want numeric keys (0, 1, 2, …).
  • Range — optionally limit reading to a cell range (e.g., A1:D100). Useful for large files where only a section is relevant.
  • RAW data — when enabled, all values are returned as strings (no type coercion). Use when you need to preserve leading zeros, formatted dates, or other values that Excel coerces.

Output

Each row becomes one n8n item. Columns become JSON properties. For example, a CSV like:

name,email,plan
Alice,alice@example.com,pro
Bob,bob@example.com,free
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Produces two items:

[
  { "name": "Alice", "email": "alice@example.com", "plan": "pro" },
  { "name": "Bob", "email": "bob@example.com", "plan": "free" }
]
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Writing a Spreadsheet

Key fields (Write)

  • File Format — csv, xls, or xlsx. Choose xlsx for multi-sheet support and better compatibility; choose csv for simplicity and universal parsability.
  • Sheet Name — name of the sheet in the output .xlsx file (ignored for CSV).
  • Binary Property — the name of the binary property on the output item where the generated file will be stored (default: data). Rename it with Move Binary Data if a downstream node expects a different property name.
  • Compression — enable for .xlsx to reduce output file size (recommended for large exports).

Output

The node outputs one item containing a binary property with the generated file. The item's other JSON properties are dropped — you get the file, not the row data.

Gotchas

File must arrive as binary. The Spreadsheet File node does not read file paths — it expects a binary property on the input item. Use the Read/Write Files node, HTTP Request node (with Response Format: File), or a webhook file upload to get binary input first.

Excel date serial numbers. Excel stores dates as numbers (days since 1900-01-01). n8n usually converts these automatically, but if you see large integers where you expect dates, enable RAW data to inspect what's actually stored, then use the DateTime node or a Code node expression to convert.

CSV encoding. n8n defaults to UTF-8. If your CSV is Windows-1252 or Latin-1 (common with older enterprise exports), special characters will corrupt. Pre-process the file with a Code node (Buffer.from(binaryData, 'binary').toString('utf8')) or use a conversion tool before parsing.

Large files slow the workflow. The Spreadsheet File node loads the entire file into memory. For files over ~10 MB or tens of thousands of rows, consider splitting upstream or using a database instead. Use the Split in Batches node downstream to process output items in manageable chunks.

Multi-sheet .xlsx — only one sheet per node. To read multiple sheets from the same file, duplicate the Spreadsheet File node and specify a different sheet name in each instance; merge the outputs downstream.

Write overwrites — no append mode. Every execution of Write to File creates a new file from scratch. There is no native append mode. To append rows to an existing file: read the file, merge the new rows, then write the updated set back.

Pattern 1: Process an Emailed CSV Report

Use case: A vendor emails a daily CSV sales report as an attachment. Parse it, filter rows, and load matching records into a CRM.

Gmail Trigger (attachment) 
→ Spreadsheet File [Read: data → items] 
→ Filter [plan = "pro"] 
→ HTTP Request [POST to CRM API per item]
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Key config:

  • Gmail Trigger: download attachments → binary property data
  • Spreadsheet File Read: Binary Property data, Header Row enabled
  • Filter: {{ $json.plan === 'pro' }}

Free workflow JSON: included in the n8n Workflow Starter Pack (link below).

Pattern 2: Generate and Email a Weekly Report

Use case: Every Monday, pull data from a Postgres table, write it to an Excel file, and email it to a stakeholder list.

Schedule Trigger (Monday 08:00) 
→ Postgres [SELECT * FROM weekly_metrics] 
→ Spreadsheet File [Write xlsx: items → binary "report"] 
→ Move Binary Data [report → attachment] 
→ Send Email [attach "attachment"]
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Key config:

  • Spreadsheet File Write: File Format xlsx, Sheet Name Weekly Metrics, Binary Property report
  • Move Binary Data: Move report → attachment (so Send Email node finds the file)
  • Send Email: Binary Attachments field = attachment

Pattern 3: Upload Transformed Data to Google Drive as Excel

Use case: Pull records from an API, enrich them in a Code node, write to .xlsx, and upload to a shared Drive folder.

HTTP Request [GET /api/records] 
→ Code node [transform/enrich items] 
→ Spreadsheet File [Write xlsx → "data"] 
→ Google Drive [Upload file from "data"]
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Key config:

  • Spreadsheet File Write: File Format xlsx, Compression enabled
  • Google Drive Upload: Binary Property data, Folder ID = target Drive folder

This creates a fresh Excel file on every run — version it by appending {{ $now.format('yyyy-MM-dd') }} to the filename in the Google Drive node.

Free Workflow JSON Download

The complete workflow JSON (CSV parser, Excel report generator, and Drive upload pattern) is available in the n8n Workflow Starter Pack on Gumroad — includes 10+ ready-to-import workflows for common automation tasks.

Quick Reference

Task Operation Format
Parse CSV attachment Read from File csv
Parse Excel report Read from File xlsx, specify Sheet Name
Export data to CSV Write to File csv
Generate Excel report Write to File xlsx
Append rows to existing file Read → merge → Write any

Related Guides

Top comments (1)

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pirateprentice profile image
Pirate Prentice •

Are you using the Spreadsheet File node to send weekly Excel reports or parse CSV uploads from clients? Drop your use case below — curious what data pipelines people are building.