How to Export Data from Google Data Studio to Excel / Google Sheets Easily

In this article, we'll be exploring ways to export data from Google Data Studio charts to different file types, including CSV (comma-separated value) file, Google Sheets and Excel.

Data Export in Data Studio

In Data Studio, you can export data from individual charts, such as Pie Chart, Bar Chart, Table Chart, Pivot Chart and many more! 

Must know about Data Export in Looker Studio:
  • Data export saves the information from a chart to the selected file format.
  • Data export doesn't export an image of the chart, just its data.
  • To export the report snapshots with the charts, you can export report pages to PDF.
 

How to Export Data from Google Data Studio

Here is a simple & quick tutorial on how to download data from Google Data Studio to your local or Google Sheets.

To export the underlying data that's used to generate the graphs:

  1. Hover on the chart, click on the 3 vertical dots at the top right corner. Click "Export". Alternatively, right click the chart and select "Export".
  2. In the window, you can rename the export file under the Name field. 
  3. Choose the exported file type. 
Note that the UI may be slightly different from the current version.
 This is because Looker Studio is constantly updating the software.
 However, the instructions guide should remain the same. 

Can't Export Data ?

In Data Studio, report editors can prevent the users or viewers from downloading data from the report. If you can't access the export option, you may want to reach out to the report editors to open up the access for you.

Which File Type Can I Export To ?

Data Studio Data Export supports 3 different file types:

  1. CSV - This option creates a comma separated text file.
  2. CSV (Excel) This option creates a comma separated text file, similar to option 1. However, the non-ASCII characters in this file are encoded properly for use in Microsoft Excel. Definitely choose this file type for your export if you know you gonna use the same file in Microsoft Excel.
  3. Google Sheets - This option creates a new spreadsheets with the exported data, and directly stored to your Google Drive. It is a great option if you just wanna export a small table and share it with your co-workers. Not recommended if you are exporting a large file as it took ages for me when I tried exporting a huge table from Data Studio. Worse is the file was not exported even after few hours. Exporting to CSV and reupload it to Google Sheets is definitely a better alternative when exporting huge table from Data Studio Dashboard.

Making the Export Option More Visible  

If you are an editor of the dashboard you can make your users life easier by making the three dots visible without the need to hover on it.

To make the three dots menu visible without hovering:

  1. In edit mode, click on the chart, and select "Style" tab in the property panel.
  2. Under "Chart Header" section, change "show on hover" to "always show".

This small details makes the data export more intuitive and easy to find. 

For more information on Data Export in GDS, kindly refer to the official documentation.

Report Sharing in Looker Studio

Do you want to know how to share a Google Data Studio report with your clients and stakeholders? In this new published article, we'll show you how to share and download the report in this tutorial using multiple ways and explain which method is good for your use case.

You may also dive right into this video to learn more about exporting, sharing or scheduling the report dashboard in Looker Studio.

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