Split an Excel file by number of rows
Say how many rows you want per file and download the table split into chunks, with the header repeated in all of them.
What it is for
The reason is almost always someone else's limit: the portal you upload to accepts 5,000 rows per batch, the import system chokes on large files, or you want to share a 20,000-record list between four people.
Doing it by hand means cutting and pasting blocks by eye, and that is where
rows go missing or get duplicated. Here you type the chunk size and download a
ZIP with the parts numbered — -parte01, -parte02, and so on — in the order
they had.
The header is repeated
The "Repeat header" option is on by default and it is worth leaving it that way. Without it, only the first file carries the column names: the rest arrive as bare data, and whoever receives them will not know what each column is, nor be able to import them.
The repeated header does not count as a data row. If you ask for 1,000 rows per file, each chunk holds 1,000 rows of data plus its title line.
How many files you will get
Divide the total rows by the size you asked for. The last chunk is almost always shorter, and that is normal.
The cap is 200 files. The tool works the number out before it starts and, if you go over, it warns you instead of spending a while building an unusable ZIP. If it warns you, raise the rows per file: 50,000 rows in chunks of 500 is 100 files, but in chunks of 100 it would be 500.
Putting it back together
If you later need to rebuild the full table from the parts, Merge stacking rows joins them back into a single table and discards the repeated headers.
And if what you want is not to cut by size but by content — one file per region or per rep — then the tool you need is Split by column.
Frequently asked questions
How many rows should I put in each file?
Whatever the destination system demands. With no specific limit, somewhere between 1,000 and 10,000 is a comfortable size: the files still open quickly and you do not end up with dozens of them.
What if my table has no title row?
Turn off "First row is the header" and every row is treated as data. In that case there is nothing to repeat and the header option does not apply.
Is the row order preserved?
Yes. The chunks are generated in the same order as the original table, so concatenating the parts gives back exactly the list you started with.
Can I get the chunks as CSV?
Yes, that is the most common use. Pick csv as the output format and each part is delivered as a separate CSV inside the ZIP.
Does it only split the first sheet?
Yes, the first sheet of the workbook is the one that gets split. If you need to separate the tabs from each other, that is a different tool: Split by sheet.