---
title: "Export to CSV"
description: "Export a list, a search or your database as a CSV with one row per person or per company. Pick the columns, download the file, or copy the rows as a table to paste into a spreadsheet."
canonical_url: "https://openlead.ai/docs/export-to-csv"
last_updated: "2026-11-10"
type: "how-to"
section: "Lists and export"
---

# Export to CSV

Export a list, a search or your database as a CSV with one row per person or per company. Pick the columns, download the file, or copy the rows as a table to paste into a spreadsheet.

Exporting gives you your leads as a file that opens in Excel and Google Sheets. It is free and works on every plan.

## 1. Open the export

You can export from three places:

- **A list.** Open the list and click **Export CSV** in the top bar. To export only some rows, tick them and click **Export CSV** in the bar that appears.
- **A search.** Click **Export CSV** in the table bar once the search has found a company. It works while the search is still running. To export only some companies, tick them and click **Export CSV** in the bar that appears.
- **Your database.** Click **Export** to export the rows on the page you are looking at, or tick rows and use the bulk bar. The Companies and People tabs export their own rows.

From the keyboard, press ⌘K, move to a list, and press ⌘E. The list opens with the export dialog already open. This works for lists that have at least one row.

## 2. Choose the rows and the columns

The dialog is titled with the name of the list or search and shows how many companies and people it holds. Under the preview of the file there are three settings:

- **One row per.** Choose **Person** or **Company**. With one row per person, the company columns repeat on each of that company's rows, and a company with nobody found still gets one row so the file is complete. With one row per company, the people are counted in one column. A people list and the People tab of your database always export one row per person.
- **Columns.** Turn columns on and off. The company name is always in the file.
- **Format.** There is one format, described below.

The preview shows the file name, its size and its first rows, built from the same rows as the download, so it matches what you get.

## 3. Download the file or copy the table

Click **Download CSV** to save the file. Its name is made from the list or search name and today's date, like this:

```csv title="openlead-dach-hr-saas-2026-11-03.csv"
Company,Domain,Name,Title,Profile URL,Description,Location
```

Click **Copy as table** instead to put the rows on your clipboard, separated by tabs. Paste them straight into cells in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets.

## The columns, in file order

With **One row per** set to **Person**, the file can have these columns:

- **Company**: The company's name. Always in the file.
- **Domain**: The company's web domain.
- **Name**: The person's name.
- **Title**: The person's job title. Empty when none was found.
- **Profile URL**: The address of the person's public profile. Empty when none was found.
- **Description**: What the company does. Empty when none was found.
- **Location**: Where the company is based. Empty when none was found.
- **Website**: The company's web address.

With **One row per** set to **Company**, it can have these:

- **Company**: The company's name. Always in the file.
- **Domain**: The company's web domain.
- **People**: How many people were found at the company.
- **Description**: What the company does. Empty when none was found.
- **Location**: Where the company is based. Empty when none was found.
- **Website**: The company's web address.

The website column is off until you turn it on. Everything else is on by default for its shape, so the default header for one row per company is `Company,Domain,People,Description,Location`.

## The file format

- Comma separated, one line per row, with the column names on the first line.
- UTF-8 with a byte order mark, so Excel shows umlauts and other accented letters correctly.
- A value that contains a comma, a quote or a line break is wrapped in quotes.
- A value that starts with `=`, `+`, `-` or `@` gets an apostrophe in front, so a spreadsheet reads it as text and does not run it as a formula.

## FAQ

### Does the file include email addresses?

No. The columns are the ones listed above: the company, the person, their title and profile link, and the company's description, location and website.

### Can I use semicolons instead of commas?

No. The export has one format, comma separated.

### Does exporting use credits?

No. Exporting is free. Only the new companies a search finds count against your month, then your credits. See [Plans and credits](https://openlead.ai/docs/plans-and-credits).

### Why does a value start with an apostrophe?

Openlead adds it when a value begins with `=`, `+`, `-` or `@`, which a spreadsheet would otherwise treat as a formula.