How to export your data from Smartsheet

Smartsheet lets any plan manually export individual sheets, reports, workspaces, or folders to Excel, PDF, Google Sheets, PNG (Gantt only), or Microsoft Project XML (Gantt only) via File > Export. To capture attachments and comments (excluded from normal exports), Business/Enterprise plans can instead request a one-time or recurring sheet/workspace backup.

Formats: Excel (.xlsx), PDF, Google Sheets, Image/PNG (Gantt view only), Microsoft Project XML (Gantt view only)Plan: Any plan (Smartsheet, Pro, Business, Enterprise) for manual export; Business or Enterprise required for backups (needed to include attachments/comments) and for recurring/scheduled exports via Data ShuttleRole: Owner, Admin, or Editor to export a sheet/report/workspace/folder; Viewer or higher to request a sheet/workspace backup; Owner or Admin required to schedule recurring workspace backups

✓ Verified against Smartsheet's official documentation, September 2026

Step by step

1Open the sheet or report you want to export.
2From the top navigation bar, select File > Export, then choose your export format (Excel, PDF, Google Sheets, Export to MS Project for a Gantt view, or Export Gantt to Image/PNG for a Gantt view).
3Alternative for a single sheet/report: in the workspace panel, right-click the sheet or report, select Export, then choose the format.
4To export a whole workspace: in the workspace panel, select the three-dot menu above the workspace name, select Export, then choose the format.
5To export a folder: right-click the folder in the workspace panel, select Export, then choose the format.
6If you need attachments or comments, don't use Export — instead request a one-time backup, recurring weekly backup, or sheet snapshot (Business/Enterprise plans, requires Viewer permission or higher).
7For a Google Sheets export, check your personal Google Drive afterward — that's where Smartsheet places the file, not your browser downloads folder.
8To automate recurring exports without manual re-downloading, switch a sheet to Table View and use Data Integrations > Create workflow, or use the Data Shuttle premium app if you have it.

What the export includes

✓Sheet or report cell data in the exported format
✓Comments and sheet summaries (as separate tabs when exporting to Excel)
✓Gantt chart task list (as a plain task list, not a visual Gantt, in Excel/Google Sheets exports)
✓Attachments and comments, but only if you request a Backup instead of a standard export (Business/Enterprise)

What it doesn't include

✗Groupings and summary rows are excluded from all standard exports
✗Attachments are excluded from standard exports (use a backup instead)
✗Formulas aren't preserved in Excel or Google Sheets exports due to differing formula syntax
✗Gantt charts aren't preserved as charts in Excel/Google Sheets — only the underlying task list exports
✗Dropdown, contact list, checkbox, and symbol (e.g. Harvey ball) columns export as plain text; checkbox/boolean values export as True/False
✗Backups exclude reports, dashboards, formulas, workflows, cross-sheet references, formatting, and custom configurations
✗Workspace backups include the workspace's sheets but not the workspace structure — a moved solution has to be rebuilt manually

Before you start

⚠Backup file size is limited to 4 GB
⚠Excel exports of reports are capped at 20,000 rows; if a report has more, split it into multiple reports and export each separately
⚠A sort applied to a report can cause fewer than 20,000 rows to be exported
⚠Formatting information isn't retained in backups/exports — sheets store formatting separately from the data
⚠Recurring weekly backups are Business/Enterprise-plan only
⚠Google Sheets exports land in your personal Google Drive, not a local download
⚠MS Project export and PNG image export only work from a Gantt view, and aren't available for reports (MS Project) or non-Gantt sheets (PNG)

Where to take your data

Free and cheaper tools that can take a Smartsheet export. See all Smartsheet alternatives →

Google Sheets

Use Smartsheet's built-in File > Export > Export to Google Sheets — it pushes the sheet directly into your Google Drive with no separate upload step.

Airtable Free

Alternatives Smartsheet vs Airtable Free

Export the Smartsheet sheet to Excel (.xlsx), then use Airtable's 'Add or import' > Import from a file/spreadsheet flow to create a new base from the .xlsx file; re-map dropdown/checkbox columns since Smartsheet exports those as plain text.

Notion

Alternatives Smartsheet vs Notion

Export the sheet to Excel, save each tab as CSV, then use Notion's Import > CSV option to create a database per sheet; formulas and Gantt views will need to be rebuilt manually since they aren't preserved in the export.

Exporting from Smartsheet: common questions

Can I export an entire Smartsheet workspace at once?+

Yes — in the workspace panel, use the three-dot menu above the workspace name, select Export, and choose a format. This is a standard export, so it still excludes attachments, groupings, and summary rows; for those, request a workspace backup instead (Business/Enterprise).

Does the Smartsheet export include attachments and comments?+

Standard exports exclude attachments. Comments do appear (on a separate tab) in Excel exports, but if you need attachments too, you must request a sheet or workspace backup, which requires a Business or Enterprise plan and Viewer permission or higher.

Can I export a Smartsheet sheet directly to CSV?+

The core sheet/report export formats are Excel, PDF, Google Sheets, PNG (Gantt only), and Microsoft Project XML (Gantt only) — CSV isn't listed as a direct export format for sheets. To get a CSV, export to Excel or Google Sheets first, then save/export from there as CSV.

Will my formulas still work after exporting?+

No. Formulas aren't preserved in Excel or Google Sheets exports because of differing formula syntax between platforms. Smartsheet's own workaround is to strip the leading '=' from formulas before exporting so they save as text, then re-add it and adjust syntax after opening the file.

What plan do I need to export my data before canceling?+

Manual export (File > Export) works on every plan tier, including the base Smartsheet and Pro plans. You only need Business or Enterprise if you want a full backup that includes attachments and comments, or if you want recurring/scheduled exports via Data Shuttle.

How do I preserve a Gantt chart when leaving Smartsheet?+

Export the Gantt view to PNG image format to keep a visual snapshot, or export to Microsoft Project XML to keep the schedule structure. Exporting the same sheet to Excel or Google Sheets only carries over the underlying task list, not the Gantt chart itself.