RowlodeExcel’s row limit and CSV files with more rows
Since Excel 2007 a worksheet has exactly 1,048,576 rows (220) and 16,384 columns (XFD). That includes the header, so at most 1,048,575 data rows fit under a header row. A CSV has no such limit.
What happens when you open a longer CSV
Excel loads the first 1,048,576 lines, shows “File not loaded completely”, and drops the rest. If you then save, the missing rows are gone from that file. Line count is not row count either: a quoted field with line breaks inside makes one row span several lines.
Find out how many rows your file really has
Open it in Rowlode: the summary shows the exact number of rows (quoted line breaks handled), the number of columns, and warnings about rows with too few or too many fields.
Keep every row
- Export to Excel in parts: Rowlode puts at most 1,048,575 data rows in each sheet, as separate files or as several sheets of one workbook.
- Filter or remove duplicates first – often the rows you need fit in one sheet.
- Use Excel’s Data Model (Power Query) if you only need PivotTables.
Other limits
| Program | Rows | Other limit |
|---|---|---|
| Excel (2007 and later) | 1,048,576 per sheet | 16,384 columns; 32,767 characters per cell |
| Google Sheets | – | 10 million cells per spreadsheet |
| LibreOffice Calc | 1,048,576 per sheet | 16,384 columns (version 7.4 and later) |
| CSV file | no limit | only your disk space |
Questions and answers
Can I raise Excel’s row limit?
No, it is fixed. Older .xls files even stop at 65,536 rows.
Why 1,048,575 and not 1,048,576 rows per part?
Because the header row takes one row of the sheet.
Last updated: 2026-10-26