How to Convert JSON to Columns in Excel
An API export pasted into Excel dumps a whole JSON object into every cell, and there's no formula that cleanly pulls the keys apart. Here's why it's awkward, and the one-click way to explode each key into its own column.
Last updated: August 2026
| JSON cell | Columns | |
|---|---|---|
| {"name":"Ana","age":30} | → | name = Ana age = 30 |
| {"name":"Ben","age":42} | → | name = Ben age = 42 |
Why unpacking JSON by hand is painful
Worksheet functions can't parse JSON: there's no built-in that reads a key like name out of an object, and stitching together MID, FIND and SUBSTITUTE falls apart the moment a value contains a comma or the keys reorder. Power Query can expand JSON, but it's a multi-step import — Json.Document, expand, promote headers — that you re-run on every refresh. Neither is quick when you just want a column of records turned into a table.
The 1-click way — Tellsheet's JSON to Columns
Select the column of JSON objects and run JSON to Columns. It parses every record and writes one real column per key onto a new sheet, lining records up under shared headers — the fix for API exports pasted straight into Excel. Everything is parsed on your PC inside Excel, so nothing is uploaded and it works offline. Pairs with Convert Excel to Markdown/JSON/SQL and Split Text into Columns.
Frequently asked questions
Can Excel parse JSON into columns?
Not with formulas — there's no reliable way to read JSON keys in a cell. Power Query can, but it's a multi-step import. JSON to Columns does it in one click.
What happens to nested keys?
Each top-level key becomes its own column, and objects that share keys line up under the same headers.
Does it change my original data?
No — the parsed columns are written to a new sheet, so your source column stays intact.
Does anything get uploaded?
No — the JSON is parsed on your computer inside Excel, so it works fully offline.
Related Excel guides
Turn JSON into a real table in one click
JSON to Columns explodes a column of objects into one column per key on a new sheet — offline, with your source column untouched.
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