Supported import/export file formats

FileMaker Pro and many application programs that you want to exchange data with use a proprietary file format. In order to exchange data, you must export the data from one application in a format that the other application can import. If you're exchanging data with another application program, check the documentation that came with that program to determine a common intermediary file format that both FileMaker Pro and the other program supports.

Most file formats support data conversion only and do not import or export formatting such as font, size, style, and color. Some of the formats export or convert field names and field types.

Supported
format

Filename
extension

Import/convert
or export

Notes

Comma-separated values format

.csv or .txt

Both

You can specify any record to use as field names.

Custom-separated values format

.tab, tsv, or .txt

Import/convert only

You can specify any record to use as field names and the character that separates field values.

dBASE III and IV DBF format

.dbf

Both

Format retains field names.

FileMaker Pro format

.fmp12

Both

Format retains field names.

HTML table format

.htm

Export only

Exports data as an HTML table for use as a static webpage.

Merge format

.mer

Both

Format retains field names.

Microsoft Excel format

.xlsx

Both

You can specify any record to use as field names.

Tab-separated values format

.tab, tsv, or .txt

Convert or export

When converting, you can specify any record to use as field names. To import, use custom-separated values format.

XML format

.xml

Both

In addition to XML files, you can import the XML data result of an HTTP request.

You can also do the following: