How do I save a CSV file in Excel on a PC?

After I do that, I already have the formula to text to column based on each record types fixed column width counts.

Every ID will have RecordType1 and can have additional rows of RecordType2 and RecordType3. Pretend there are 500 Unique IDs (recordtype1), 900 Records total (400additional rows of data for RecordType2 & 3)

Example:
HeaderRecord DateDateHourDate L
RecordType1 First Last ID01 TitleDate1Date2 zerofilldate3
RecordType2 ID01 Date1Date2 YesNo Spacefill
RecordType3 ID01 DataInfoDate1 ZerofillDate
RecordType1 First Last ID02 TitleDate1Date2 zerofilldate3
RecordType2 ID02 Date1Date2 YesNo Spacefill
RecordType3 ID01 DataInfoDate1 ZerofillDate
RecordType1 First Last ID03 TitleDate1Date2 zerofilldate3
RecordType2 ID03 Date1Date2 YesNo Spacefill
RecordType3 ID03 DataInfoDate1 ZerofillDate
TrailerRecord Count

For those situations where you need a bit more customisation of the output (separator or decimal symbol), or who have large dataset (over 65k rows), I wrote the following:

Option Explicit

Sub rng2csv(rng As Range, fileName As String, Optional sep As String = ";", Optional decimalSign As String)
'export range data to a CSV file, allowing to chose the separator and decimal symbol
'can export using rng number formatting!
'by Patrick Honorez --- www.idevlop.com
    Dim f As Integer, i As Long, c As Long, r
    Dim ar, rowAr, sOut As String
    Dim replaceDecimal As Boolean, oldDec As String

    Dim a As Application:   Set a = Application

    ar = rng
    f = FreeFile()
    Open fileName For Output As #f

    oldDec = Format(0, ".")     'current client's decimal symbol
    replaceDecimal = (decimalSign <> "") And (decimalSign <> oldDec)

    For Each r In rng.Rows
        rowAr = a.Transpose(a.Transpose(r.Value))
        If replaceDecimal Then
            For c = 1 To UBound(rowAr)
                'use isnumber() to avoid cells with numbers formatted as strings
                If a.IsNumber(rowAr(c)) Then
                    'uncomment the next 3 lines to export numbers using source number formatting
'                    If r.cells(1, c).NumberFormat <> "General" Then
'                        rowAr(c) = Format$(rowAr(c), r.cells(1, c).NumberFormat)
'                    End If
                    rowAr(c) = Replace(rowAr(c), oldDec, decimalSign, 1, 1)
                End If
            Next c
        End If
        sOut = Join(rowAr, sep)
        Print #f, sOut
    Next r
    Close #f

End Sub

Sub export()
    Debug.Print Now, "Start export"
    rng2csv shOutput.Range("a1").CurrentRegion, RemoveExt(ThisWorkbook.FullName) & ".csv", ";", "."
    Debug.Print Now, "Export done"
End Sub

After I do that, I already have the formula to text to column based on each record types fixed column width counts.

Every ID will have RecordType1 and can have additional rows of RecordType2 and RecordType3. Pretend there are 500 Unique IDs (recordtype1), 900 Records total (400additional rows of data for RecordType2 & 3)

Example:
HeaderRecord DateDateHourDate L
RecordType1 First Last ID01 TitleDate1Date2 zerofilldate3
RecordType2 ID01 Date1Date2 YesNo Spacefill
RecordType3 ID01 DataInfoDate1 ZerofillDate
RecordType1 First Last ID02 TitleDate1Date2 zerofilldate3
RecordType2 ID02 Date1Date2 YesNo Spacefill
RecordType3 ID01 DataInfoDate1 ZerofillDate
RecordType1 First Last ID03 TitleDate1Date2 zerofilldate3
RecordType2 ID03 Date1Date2 YesNo Spacefill
RecordType3 ID03 DataInfoDate1 ZerofillDate
TrailerRecord Count

If you spend any time with spreadsheet applications like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets — or even import certain kinds of data into Microsoft Outlook — you will inevitably encounter a comma-separated values file, commonly known as a CSV.

A CSV file is a simple text file that you can open in a wide variety of programs, including any program that works with plain text like the Notepad app.

What makes a CSV file unique is the way its content is organized. Here's what you need to know about CSV files and how to use them. 

What is a CSV file used for?

A CSV file, as the name implies, typically separates information using commas. It's a way to exchange structured information, like the contents of a spreadsheet, among programs that can't necessarily talk to one another directly.

As long as two programs can both open a CSV file, they can exchange data. For example, you can save contact information from Microsoft Excel as a CSV file, and import it into the address book in Microsoft Outlook.

A typical CSV file looks like this, where each line contains the same sequence of data so any program which needs to read it knows what to expect:

Product, Size, Color, Price

Shirt, Medium, Blue, $14

Shirt, Large, Red, $15

Pants, Medium, Khaki, $23

Despite the name, a CSV doesn't need to rely on commas as the separator between pieces of information. This separator, called a delimiter, can be a semicolon, space, or some other character, though the comma is most common. 

Quick tip: Excel files can only be opened by Excel or Google Sheets whereas CSV files can be opened by any text editing program, such as Notepad or TextEdit.

How to open a CSV file in Microsoft Excel

1. In Excel's ribbon, click the File tab and then click Open.

2. Click Browse and, in the File Explorer box, click the drop-down menu to the right of the File name field. It usually defaults to All Excel Files — change it to All Files.

3. Navigate to the location where the CSV file is stored and select it.

4. Follow the Text Import Wizard to open the CSV. Usually, you'll want to select the option to import delimited data (this would be the comma or other separator) and click Next.

5. Choose the kind of delimiter the file is using. You'll know you've selected the correct delimiter when the preview appears structured and organized properly. Click Next.

6. If needed, you can click a column and change the kind of formatting for that data. When you're satisfied, click Finished.

Quick tip: A CSV file is not an Excel file. While CSV files are not standardized and must save images in plaintext (meaning it is impossible to store pictures), Excel files are binaries that are able to contain pictures and rich formatting.

How to open a CSV file in Google Sheets

1. In Google Sheets, click File and then click Open.

2. Find the CSV file and select it. If needed, click Upload and then drag and drop it from your computer.

3. The CSV will automatically be formatted properly and appear in Sheets.

How to open a CSV file in a text editor

Unlike spreadsheets, a text editor won't automatically format or structure the CSV file for you. Instead, you'll simply see the data separated by the comma or other delimiter. It's usually not aesthetically appealing, but it's an easy way to see the content of the file. 

1. Open a text editor like Windows Notepad or TextEdit.

2. Click File and then Open.

3. In the "File Open" dialog box, select the CSV file. Depending on the editor, you may need to click a drop-down menu to the right of the "File name" field. If it's currently set to "Text Documents," change it to "All Files."

4. Find the CSV file and select it.

How to create a CSV file

You can create CSV files in a few different ways. 

From an Excel spreadsheet

1. Open your Excel document and click on the File tab. In the menu that appears, select Save As.

2. Change the File Format to either Text (Tab delimited) or CSV (Comma delimited).

3. Navigate to the location where you wish to save the file, give it a name, and click Save.

Quick tip: Two dialog boxes will appear after step 3. Click OK on the first one and Yes on the second box in order to save the new file. Only one worksheet will be exported at a time. In order to export more than one, repeat the steps for each sheet.

From a Google Sheet

1. Open the Google Sheet that you wish to export.

2. Click File, then Download, and click Comma Separated Values (.csv).

In a text editor

1. Create a new text file using a text editor, such as Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on macOS.

2. Enter the data that you want the document to contain, separating each value with a comma and each row with a new line.

3. Save the file with the extension .csv.

Quick tip: If your data itself includes commas, you can protect it by surrounding that entry with quotation marks.