How to export field observations to Excel

1. Choose an export format

For a first export with attachments, ZIP is a straightforward choice: it keeps the package together during transfer. Unzip it before working with the CSV and media folders.

2. Export one sample set

1. Open the campaign and the sample set containing the saved observations.
2. Choose its Export Sample Set control, shown with a share icon.
3. Select CSV, CSV + Media or ZIP Archive, then tap Export.
4. Use the system share sheet to save or send the result. Save to a local Files location if you are offline; email and cloud destinations may need a connection.

The set must contain saved samples. This workflow produces one CSV containing that set's records; exporting a selection from the global Samples browser uses a different layout, with individual CSVs per selected sample.

3. Open and check the CSV

Keep an untouched copy of the export. If it is a ZIP, extract it, then open the CSV in Excel. If columns, dates or identifiers are interpreted incorrectly, use Excel's text/CSV import controls instead of relying on automatic opening.

In desktop versions that provide it, choose Data → From Text/CSV. Preview the columns, use the comma delimiter, and set identifier columns to Text before loading when leading zeros matter. Menus vary by Excel version and platform; see Microsoft's CSV import instructions.

A sample-set CSV includes context columns such as campaign, sample_set_name, sample_name and timestamp, followed by the form's exported fields. Location fields produce latitude and longitude columns.

• Compare the number of data rows, excluding the header, with the saved samples in the set.
• Check a familiar record's name, date and numeric measurements.
• Confirm that identifiers such as 001 have not become 1.
• Inspect missing values and check your units before analysing or combining sets.

If you add formatting, formulas or extra sheets, save the working analysis as an Excel workbook separately from the original CSV. Editing that spreadsheet does not update the records stored in FieldApp.

4. Match attachments to records

The CSV's photo and audio fields contain file references. In a ZIP export, these point into the photos/ and audio/ folders. The filenames combine a readable sample-set name, sample name, field name and attachment number; characters are cleaned for file compatibility and collisions can add a suffix.

For example, a fictional reference might look like photos/Site_A_Point_001_Site_photograph_01.jpg. Use the actual reference in your CSV as the match, rather than reconstructing a filename yourself. These are file references, not a promise of clickable Excel hyperlinks.

Keep the extracted folder structure intact. Renaming or moving a media file without updating your analysis can break that association. A CSV-only export lists attachments but cannot transfer the images or recordings by itself.

5. Preserve originals and backups

Keep the original export beside your working spreadsheet, ideally with a date and a short note about what it contains. Check the files before relying on them as a handover to a colleague. Review notes, audio, photographs and precise coordinates before sharing potentially sensitive fieldwork.

Continue your workflow

• Design fields that become useful spreadsheet columns
• Check your collection workflow before going offline