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microsoft excel import text file template

phoenix 0 Reputation points
2026-03-05T19:27:15.77+00:00

I used the Text Import Wizard to create an excel document from a text file. My data does not have nice commas, semicolons, tabs, or spaces. My data is a fixed width. My data is by the columns like 5, 10, 12, 14, 20 column. It takes a long time to set the correct columns. I then saved it as a .xltx file to create a template. Then I expected to be able to use the template in the future. I tried to create a new excel file with the .xltx template I just created. When I pasted data into the new excel document my data was not organized. What am I doing wrong?  

 

  • Save as an Excel Template: Go to File > Save As, and select Excel Template (*.xltx) from the "Save as type" dropdown. This saves your layout in the custom templates folder.
  • Use the Template: When you want to import data in the future, open this template (File > New > Personal), then use the import steps above to place the external data into your predefined format. 
Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | Other | Windows

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  1. Q&A Assist
    2026-03-05T19:27:29.02+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    The template is working as designed. A workbook or template (.xlsx / .xltx) only stores the worksheet layout (column widths, formats, formulas, etc.), not the Text Import Wizard settings. Pasting raw fixed‑width text into a worksheet will not re-run the Text Import Wizard, so the text will not be split into columns automatically.

    To reuse the same fixed‑width import definition, the data must be imported again via the wizard (or Power Query), not pasted. The template can still help by preserving the destination layout, but it cannot apply the fixed‑width breaks to new pasted text.

    A practical workflow based on the provided features is:

    1. Create and save a template that contains the desired worksheet layout (column widths, formats, formulas, etc.) using File > Save as Template and choosing Excel Template (.xltx).
    2. Each time new text data needs to be imported:
      • Create a new workbook from the template (for example, File > New from Template and select the template).
      • Import the text file into that workbook using the import tools (for example, Data > From Text (Legacy) to open the Text Import Wizard, or File > Open and select the text file so the wizard runs).
      • In the Text Import Wizard, reapply the fixed‑width column breaks.

    Because the Text Import Wizard is a separate import process, its fixed‑width settings are not embedded in the template and are not applied when text is pasted. The template can only preserve the workbook structure, not the import definition.

    References:

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