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To bring a table or list from a live webpage into desktop Excel, use Data > From Web. Excel’s Power Query Web connector can detect tables, let you preview them in Navigator, and either load the result or open it for cleanup. The Microsoft guidance cited here documents this webpage workflow; it does not establish three universally supported ways to import HTML, or a dedicated route for importing a local .html file.

Import a table from a live webpage

These steps apply to desktop Excel. The ribbon wording can vary by layout and Excel version.

  1. Open the workbook and start the Web connector. Select Data > From Web. If that command is not shown, look under Data > Get Data > From Other Sources > From Web. Microsoft’s Web connector instructions describe the workflow.
  2. Enter the webpage address. Paste the URL of the page containing the table or list, then confirm to connect. The page must be accessible over the internet.
  3. Choose a result in Navigator. Excel displays tables it detects or suggests. Select an item to preview its contents before importing. If ordinary detection misses the data, the newer connector also offers Add Table Using Examples, which lets you provide sample values to identify the content.
  4. Load or transform the preview. Choose Load to place the result in the workbook. Choose Transform Data to open Power Query and clean or reshape it before loading—for example, remove unwanted columns or adjust the data layout.

Microsoft’s general Power Query guidance also describes entering a URL, selecting a table in Navigator, and loading it.

Choose between direct loading and cleanup

  • Choose Load when the preview already contains the rows and columns you need.
  • Choose Transform Data when the extracted result needs editing before it is useful in the worksheet.
  • Use Add Table Using Examples when the connector’s suggested tables do not capture the content you want and that option is available in your connector.

Refresh the imported data

A Power Query connection can retrieve updated data from its source when refreshed. Refresh is not a guarantee that every webpage will continue to import: the page must remain accessible, and changes to its structure can affect what Excel detects. Microsoft describes Power Query’s broader import, shaping, loading, and refresh capabilities in its Power Query overview.

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Does this work in Excel for the web or on a phone?

Do not assume the desktop steps are available in every Excel version. Microsoft says Excel for the web does not have a direct equivalent to Google Sheets’ IMPORTHTML function and points users to desktop Excel’s Power Query From Web workflow for webpage tables or lists. Microsoft’s web-import guidance explains that distinction.

Power Query availability varies by platform and connector. Microsoft’s Power Query support matrix lists separate support for Excel for the web and Microsoft 365 for Mac, and says Power Query is not supported on Android or iOS. Check the current matrix for your exact platform and source. Microsoft’s general Power Query instructions also note that the Web connector may require the WebView2 Framework; requirements can depend on Excel build and licensing channel.

Can you import a local HTML file?

The Microsoft pages cited here do not establish a complete, dedicated procedure for importing a local .html file into Excel. A Microsoft page titled “Import data from a CSV, HTML, or text file” lists workbook and text/CSV import choices, but its procedure does not demonstrate a separate local-HTML connector. It should not be treated as proof of a supported local HTML import path: Microsoft’s file-import instructions.

If you need to work from a saved HTML file rather than a live webpage, confirm that the specific Excel version and import route you plan to use supports that file and preserves the data you need. The documented From Web procedure is for connecting to a webpage URL.

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What “three easy ways” means in practice

The official Microsoft guidance cited in this article supports one clear route for webpage data: Power Query’s From Web connector. Within that route, you can use detected tables or, where available, Add Table Using Examples; then either load the preview directly or transform it first. These are choices within the documented workflow, not evidence of three distinct HTML-import methods that work across Excel versions. Copying and pasting, browser exports, or changing file formats may be possible in particular situations, but the sources cited here do not establish them as universally supported, refreshable Excel import methods.

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