SharePoint list export to Excel fails or misses rows

Short answer: export gives only the rows in the current view, so open the view you want, clear any selected items, then choose Export, then Export to Excel. If the Export option is missing, clear any selected item. If rows are short, the cause is a filter on the view or the 30,000 row limit on CSV exports.

Exact names may differ on your screen. The Microsoft pages behind each step are listed at the end.

Why this blocks the weekly report

A weekly report can start with an export. Someone opens the list, exports it, and builds the report from the file. If the export fails, or the file has fewer rows than the list, the report is wrong or late. The worse case is a file that looks fine but is missing rows. Nobody sees the gap until a number does not match.

So the goal is not only "make the export run". The goal is "make the export match the list, every week".

What an export actually contains

Microsoft's export page says the export includes the list items shown in the current view. That one sentence explains missing rows.

A filter on the view removes rows from the export.
A hidden column is not in the file, because the view does not show it.
Folders are not kept as folders. The page says the export adds Item Type and Path columns instead, so you can filter and sort by location.
Export to Excel keeps a one-way connection to the list. Refresh All on the Data tab pulls in new data. Edits you make in the Excel table do not go back to the list.
Export to CSV is not connected to the list. It is a snapshot of that moment.
Export options appear only when no list items are selected.
The page notes that a CSV export option appeared briefly on document libraries by mistake and was disabled. Do not plan on CSV export from a document library.

On screen, the list command bar shows Export. Open it and you see Export to Excel and Export to CSV. If an item is selected, the Export option is not there.

Diagnosis checklist

Work through this list in order. Stop when the counts match.

Is any item selected? Clear the selection. The Export option appears only when nothing is selected.
Did a file called query.iqy download and nothing happened? That file is the export. Open it in Excel. If Excel asks, and you trust the site, select Enable.
Which view are you in? Check the view name at the top right of the list. Switch to the view you meant to export.
Does the view have a filter? Open the view settings and read the filter. A filter such as "Status is not Closed" removes every closed row from the file.
Does the list use folders? The file has no folders. Microsoft says the export adds Item Type and Path columns instead, so filter the Path column to find the rows from one folder.
Did you use CSV? The page says the most rows you can export to CSV is 30,000. If your list is larger, split it into views (see Fix 2).
Are you on a Mac? The page says CSV is the only export option on macOS.
Is the list over 5,000 items? Microsoft's large lists page says: "When a list view shows more than 5,000 items, you might run into a list view threshold error." See Fix 1.
Did you refresh an old workbook? A workbook made from an earlier export keeps its own query. Refresh All pulls in the list as it is now, so compare the row counts after the refresh.

Count the rows in the list, count the rows in the file, and write both numbers down. Do this every time until you trust the process.

Symptom, cause, fix

No Export option: an item is selected. Clear the selection.
File called query.iqy and nothing opens: that is the Export to Excel file. Open it in Excel and select Enable if you trust the site.
Fewer rows than the list: a filter on the view. Read the filter, or switch views.
CSV stops short: the 30,000 row limit on CSV. Split the list into views.
Only CSV on a Mac: Microsoft says CSV is the only option on macOS.
Edits in Excel are missing from the list: the Excel connection is one way.

Fix 1. Keep each view small

Microsoft says the list view threshold is 5,000 items and that the number can vary depending on your site. It also says the limit can't be changed. So plan around it.

Microsoft's page on large lists says filtered views that use column indexes create queries that return a subset of rows. Here is one way to start:

Open the list. Select the Settings gear, then List settings.
Under Columns, select Indexed columns, then Create a new index.
Pick the column you filter on, such as a date or a status.
Select Create.

Microsoft's index page says you can index up to 20 columns per list or library, and that an index improves performance when you use filters. The same page lists column types that cannot be indexed, including multiple lines of text, calculated columns and multi-valued choice columns. If your filter column is a calculated column, add a plain date or choice column that holds the same fact.

For the full story on the 5,000 number, see "SharePoint list over 5,000 items: what breaks and the fix".

Fix 2. Build an export view for the report

Do not export from your everyday view. Make one view that exists only for the weekly report. Then the export is the same every week.

Open the list and create a new view. Name it "Weekly report export".
Show only the columns the report needs. Fewer columns means a smaller request.
Add a filter on an indexed column, for example the date the item was created or changed, so each export holds one slice of the list.
Sort by the same column, so the file always has the same order.
Save the view and export from it.

Fix 3. Make the columns export cleanly

Microsoft's export page does not describe column types, so this part is advice, not a documented rule. One way to start:

Keep one kind of value per column. Use a Date column for dates and a Number column for numbers. Do not type "TBD" into a date column.
Use a Choice column for status instead of free text. Free text such as "Done", "done" and "DONE " becomes three groups in the report.
After the export, check that number columns in the file behave as numbers. The Power BI page that Microsoft publishes says to confirm that number columns show the Sum icon in the Data pane, and to change the data type if they do not.

Fix 4. Choose Excel or CSV on purpose

Use Export to Excel when the report needs fresh data later. The connection is one way, so Refresh All pulls the list's current rows.
Use Export to CSV when you want a fixed snapshot, such as the numbers you sent on Friday. It is not connected to the list.
For a snapshot, save the file with the date in the name, such as "Weekly report 2026-10-21", and do not refresh that file.

Keep a count of rows in a cell above the table. Then anyone who opens the file can see how many rows it held on the day you exported.

Fix 5. Send the file on a schedule with a flow

If the same export is done by hand every week, a scheduled flow can take over part of the job. Microsoft's page on scheduled flows describes a cloud flow that runs on a schedule, such as every day or every hour, with a Recurrence trigger.

Sign in to Power Automate. Select My flows, then Cloud flows, then Create from blank.
Add the Recurrence trigger. For a weekly run, set Interval to 1 and Frequency to Week.
Set the Time zone, the Start time, and the day and hour of the week.
Add the SharePoint action Get items and choose your list. Microsoft's connector page describes it as "Gets items from a SharePoint list." With the default options, Get items returns only 100 items. Open Advanced options, set Top Count to the number of rows you need (up to 5,000), and turn on Pagination in the action settings for a larger list.
Use the Filter Query field to limit the rows, for example to one date range. The page describes Filter Query as an ODATA filter query that restricts the entries returned. Top Count is the total number of entries to retrieve.
Use the Limit Columns by View field to pick your export view. The page says it helps avoid column threshold issues by only using columns defined in a view.
Send the rows on, for example in an email to the report owner or in a file saved to a library.

Microsoft's pages show the pieces, such as the Recurrence trigger and the Get items action. They do not give one ready-made "export to Excel on a schedule" recipe, so test your flow on a small copy of the list and compare the row count with the list. Check with your admin which flow features your plan includes. Name a second owner for the flow, because a flow can stop if its owner leaves.

What to avoid

Do not export from a view you never read. Read the filter first.
Do not trust a file just because it opened. Compare the row count with the list.
Do not use CSV for a list that may pass 30,000 rows.
Do not refresh an old workbook and send it as if it were new. Compare the counts after the refresh.
Do not edit the table in the exported workbook and expect the list to change. The page says edits made in Excel do not go back to the list.
Do not copy the file to a private "my version" folder to get around a problem. For that trap, see "Spreadsheet versions out of sync: why it happens and how to fix it".

When to use Power BI instead

Export is a good fit when one person needs a table once a week. It is a weaker fit when many people need the same numbers, or when the report needs charts that update. Microsoft's Power BI Desktop tutorial shows how to build a report straight from a SharePoint list, so no one exports a file first. The tutorial says to check that number columns have the right data type after loading.

This is a different tool with its own learning curve. Ask your Microsoft 365 admin whether your plan includes it and who may use it. Licensing differs by plan, so check with your admin.

If the report file keeps getting locked while people edit it, see "Excel file locked by another user: the fix and the long-term fix". If you want a protected copy of the list before a big clean-up, see "How to back up a SharePoint list before someone wrecks it".

Honest limits

An export is a copy, not a report system. It is only as good as the view and the day it was made. The documented numbers are the ones above: 30,000 rows for CSV, about 5,000 items for the list view threshold, and 20 indexed columns. Your site can differ, so test with your own list.

When to get help

You can build all of this yourself in Microsoft 365. If you would rather have it built and tested for your team, I do that. A tracker like this is a fixed price: $5,000 for one, built in 2 weeks. See "What a SharePoint tracker costs to build". Bring one example of the problem to a free call.

Tell me what's still manual

I am Al Davies. I run 250 High Street LLC and build SharePoint trackers and Power Automate flows for operations teams. I work remotely. The first call is free, and I will not try to sell you anything.

See trackers I built: Tools I built

FAQ

Why is the Export option not showing?

Export options appear only when no list items are selected. Clear the selection. On a Mac, CSV is the only export option. In an embedded web part, only Export to Excel appears, and you reach the others with See all.

Why did I get a file called query.iqy?

That is the Export to Excel file. Microsoft says the first saved copy is named query.iqy. Open it in Excel and select Enable if you trust the site.

Why does my export not show all items?

The export holds the items shown in the current view. A filter on the view or the CSV limit of 30,000 rows can leave rows out. Check the view filter first, then compare row counts.

Why does my export hold only the filtered rows?

Microsoft says the export includes the list items shown in the current view, so a filtered view exports only the filtered rows. Switch to the view you want, then export.

What is the most rows I can export?

Microsoft's page gives 30,000 as the most rows you can export to CSV. The page does not give a row limit for Export to Excel, so test with your own list.

Will changes I make in the Excel file update the list?

No. Microsoft says the connection is one way. Refresh All pulls list data into the workbook, and edits made in Excel do not go back to the list.