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 Text format	.csv or .txt	Both	•Format is also called Comma-Separated Values (CSV).
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	•Good export format for creating form letters in a word processor. •This export format works well for Microsoft Word Mail Merge. •Format retains field names.
Microsoft Excel format	.xlsx	Both
Tab-Separated Text format	.tab or .txt	Both	•Works with most applications. If you aren't sure which format to use, try this one first.
XML format	.xml	Both	•In addition to XML files, you can import the XML data result of an HTTP request.

•Import from ODBC data sources and use FileMaker Pro as ODBC data source to serve FileMaker Pro data. See Querying an ODBC data source from FileMaker Pro and Sharing FileMaker Pro data via ODBC or JDBC.

•Set up recurring imports so FileMaker Pro updates data automatically the first time you view imported data in a file or lets you use a script to update data on demand. Data imported via recurring import is read-only in FileMaker Pro. See Setting up recurring imports.