Sep 9, 2017 - Numbers has the ability to open Excel files so you can work on them. Every Mac comes with Apple's iWork apps: Pages (word processor), Numbers (spreadsheet). You can also import.csv and tab-delimited files. (You can also click on the File menu and select Open, then navigate to your spreadsheet.).
By Malcolm Owen Friday, March 09, 2018, 11:02 am PT (02:02 pm ET)
Using the standard apps that come with macOS is great, but for some users, a third-party app performing the same job may be a better option. In this guide, AppleInsider shows you how to permanently change the apps used for common tasks as well as which apps are used to open certain file types.
Changing from the default apps to others acquired from the Mac App Store or elsewhere can be useful for those using macOS in a working capacity. For example, a web developer may want to open text files in Panic's Coda, while a photographer could prefer for images to open in Pixelmator or another tool instead of the standard Preview.
Email
If you want to change your Mac's email client from the default Mail, the option is available within Apple's own app. Open Mail, then select the Mail menu option, then Preferences to bring up a settings window.
Under the first General tab, the top item is a dropdown box labeled Default email reader. Open the dropdown
and select your chosen email reader.
If it is not on the list, click Select and use the following window to find the app, then click Select.
Close the settings window and the Mail app.
Web browser
By default, Safari is set as the browser that will open for web links, but unlike Mail, the setting is actually buried within System Preferences. Click the Apple logo in the Menu then System Preferences. Select General, which is the top left-most icon in the System Preferences window.
Towards the lower half of the General window is a dropdown box labeled Default web browser. Click the dropdown box, select the browser you want to use instead of Safari, and close the window.
Note that, unlike changing the email client, there is no option to manually select the browser if it is not on this dropdown box list.
Apps that open files
In macOS, you can change what app opens a specific file type from the file itself. Right-click a file that you want to change the default app that opens, and select Get Info.
In the Get Info window for the file, expand the Open With section by clicking the side arrow to bring up a dropdown box listing apps. Use this box to select the app you want to use.
If the app is not listed, select Other to bring up a new window to find the application manually. If the app isn't installed at all, there is the App Store option to download it from there, or you can download it from somewhere else online and start the process again. Once satisfied with the alteration, select Change All. In the following window warning about the permanent change, select Continue, then close the Get Info window.
Changing the app for just one file.
If there is one specific file that needs to be regularly opened in a different app to the default, but all others don't need to be changed, this can be accomplished using a similar process. Follow the instructions in the 'Apps that open files' section, but stop before selecting Change All. At this point, this file is set up to open using the alternative app, and the window can be closed without further changes.
A temporary alternative
It is worth remembering that it is possible to open alternative apps on an occasional basis without going through the trouble of changing defaults. If you right-click a file and select Open With, a list of apps macOS thinks will work with it will be created, which can be used to open the alternative app for this particular instance. If the app isn't available, click Other to find the app you want to use.
A CSV (comma-separated values) file is any file containing text that is separated with a comma, but can also be a file separated with any other character. A CSV file can be opened in any program, however, for most users, a CSV file is best viewed through a spreadsheet program, such as Microsoft Excel, OpenOffice Calc, or Google Docs.
Tip
If you do not have a spreadsheet program installed on your computer, consider using an online spreadsheet such as Google Docs or another free spreadsheet program.
Microsoft Excel
If Microsoft Excel is installed on the computer, by default CSV files should open automatically in Excel when the file is double-clicked. If you are getting an Open With prompt when opening the CSV file, choose Microsoft Excel from the available programs to open the file.
Alternatively, you can open Microsoft Excel and in the menu bar, select File, Open, and select the CSV file. If the file is not listed, make sure to change the file type to be opened to Text Files (*.prn, *.txt, *.csv).
If after opening the CSV file, the text is all in a single column (instead of being separated at each comma into individual columns), open the file in Microsoft Excel. Use the Text Import Wizard, which will prompt you to specify how you want the text separated. Choose the Delimited option, then on the next screen, choose the Comma option. The text will be separated at each comma and placed in individual columns.
Note
If you don't see the Text Import Wizard and all text is still placed in a single column in Microsoft Excel, there may be an issue with the CSV file formatting. If there are double quotes around each line of text, Microsoft Excel will treat that as a single record and not separate the text at each comma. Open the CSV file in a text editor, like Notepad, to see if there are double quotes around the lines of text. You can try deleting any double quotes at the start and end of each line in the CSV file, then try opening the file in Microsoft Excel again.
OpenOffice Calc
If OpenOffice is installed on the computer, by default, CSV files should open automatically in Calc when the file is double-clicked. If you are getting an Open With prompt when opening the CSV file, choose OpenOffice Calc from the available programs to open the file.
Alternatively, you can open the OpenOffice Calc program and in the menu bar, select File, Open, and select the CSV file.
Google Drive
Open Google Drive. If prompted, log into your Google account.
Resize the window so that it is smaller (half of the width of the monitor or less works well).
Locate the file or folder you'd like to add to Google Drive.
Tip
An quick way to locate files and folders is by searching in File Explorer that is opened by pressing the Windows key + E on your keyboard.
Drag and drop the CSV from its current location to the open space in the middle of the My Drive section. The example shows a text file, but it works the same for a CSV.
If the file was properly added, you should see a conformation prompt in the lower-right corner of the browser window (shown below). Additionally, the CSV will now appear under the My Drive section.
When the upload is finished, double-click the CSV file to open it.
Additional information
See our CSV definition for further information and related links.