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How to Open a Bank Statement CSV in Excel

Once you've converted your bank statement PDF to CSV using CSV Bank, opening it in Excel takes just a few clicks. This guide shows you how to get the most out of your data in Excel.

Opening the CSV File

Double-click your CSV file to open it in Excel automatically. If it opens incorrectly (all data in one column), use File → Open → Text Import Wizard and select Comma as the delimiter.

Formatting the Date Column

Select the Date column, right-click → Format Cells → Date, and choose your preferred date format. This ensures Excel recognises the dates for sorting and filtering.

Formatting the Amount Columns

Select the Debit, Credit, and Balance columns. Right-click → Format Cells → Currency. Choose your currency symbol and decimal places.

Creating a PivotTable for Spending Analysis

Click anywhere in your data, then go to Insert → PivotTable. Drag Category to Rows and Debit to Values (set to Sum). This gives you total spending per category instantly.

Filtering by Date Range

Click the dropdown arrow on the Date column header. Use Date Filters → Between to show only transactions within a specific period. This is useful for quarterly or tax-period analysis.

Tips

• Freeze the top row (View → Freeze Panes) so headers stay visible while scrolling
• Use Ctrl+T to convert your data to a Table — this enables easier filtering and sorting
• Add a running total column with =SUM($D$2:D2)-SUM($E$2:E2)