How to Export PowerShell Output to Excel (CSV and XLSX Methods)

Jun 29, 2025

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📤 How to Export Output to Excel in PowerShell – Step-by-Step Guide

PowerShell offers several ways to export data to Excel, depending on whether you want a simple CSV export or a richly formatted Excel file (with styling, multiple sheets, etc.).

✅ Method 1: Export to Excel via CSV (Simple and Quick)

🔹 Use `Export-Csv` Cmdlet

Get-Process | Select-Object Name, CPU, ID | Export-Csv -Path "C:\output\processes.csv" -NoTypeInformation

🔍 This creates a CSV file that you can open in Excel.

-NoTypeInformation removes extra metadata.
Works well for basic tabular data.

✅ Method 2: Export to Real Excel (.xlsx) Using `ImportExcel` Module

For more powerful Excel features (multiple sheets, formatting), use the ImportExcel module by Doug Finke.

🔹 Step 1: Install the module

Install-Module -Name ImportExcel

📝 Run PowerShell as Administrator if it fails.

🔹 Step 2: Use `Export-Excel` Cmdlet

Get-Process | Select-Object Name, CPU, ID | Export-Excel -Path "C:\output\processes.xlsx" -AutoSize -Title "Running Processes"

📌 Features:

Saves as .xlsx
Supports formatting, charts, filters, pivot tables, etc.
-AutoSize adjusts column width
-Title adds a worksheet title

✅ Method 3: Write to Excel Using COM Object (Built-in, No Module)

If you want to use Excel features without installing anything:

# Create Excel COM Object
$Excel = New-Object -ComObject Excel.Application
$Workbook = $Excel.Workbooks.Add()
$Sheet = $Workbook.Sheets.Item(1)

# Sample data
$data = Get-Process | Select-Object -First 10 Name, ID, CPU

# Write headers
$headers = $data[0].psobject.Properties.Name
for ($i = 0; $i -lt $headers.Count; $i++) {
    $Sheet.Cells.Item(1, $i + 1) = $headers[$i]
}

# Write data
$row = 2
foreach ($item in $data) {
    for ($col = 0; $col -lt $headers.Count; $col++) {
        $Sheet.Cells.Item($row, $col + 1) = $item.($headers[$col])
    }
    $row++
}

# Save file
$Excel.Visible = $false
$Workbook.SaveAs("C:\output\processes_COM.xlsx")
$Excel.Quit()

✅ No external module needed
⚠️ Slower, and Excel must be installed on your system

📌 Summary Table:

Method	Format	Requires Module	Best For
`Export-Csv`	`.csv`	❌ No	Simple data exports
`Export-Excel`	`.xlsx`	✅ Yes (`ImportExcel`)	Professional Excel reports
COM Automation	`.xlsx`	❌ No	Full Excel control, legacy use