Edit an XML file in Excel and regenerate it in one click

The problem: Excel reads XML, but writes it back poorly

Excel can import an XML file, but its native XML export only handles simple structures. As soon as the file contains nested lists — a product that itself carries several values, such as one description per language —, Excel refuses to export or produces a file that differs from the original. That's the case for most catalog exports and product feeds.

According to Microsoft's documentation, this export (Developer tab, XML maps) stops at 65,536 rows, refuses "lists of lists" and "denormalized" data, and drops the file's comments.

The result: you edit the data in Excel, then patch the XML by hand or with a script. It's slow and risky: one badly closed tag is enough for the import to be rejected.

The solution: a workbook that regenerates its own XML

1. On ExcelifyXML, open the Excel workbook page and drop your XML file (2 credits).
2. Download the .xlsm workbook and open it in Excel. On Windows, unblock it first: right-click the file › Properties › tick "Unblock" › OK.
3. Edit the "Data" sheet: fix values, add or delete rows, sort. Your data starts on row 3; row 2 holds readable labels you can rename as you like.
4. Click "Generate XML" and choose where to save the file.
5. Import the XML into your tool (Business Manager, Merchant Center, PIM…), preferably on a test environment first.

Why a workbook rather than a CSV?

• Your data is written as text: leading zeros (00123), EAN/GTIN codes and dates stay exactly as in the XML, with no automatic conversion by Excel.
• No separator to worry about: there's no CSV to save again, so no more file opening in a single column.
• Columns that are easy to recognize: under the technical names, a row of readable labels, filled in for you and editable, with no effect on the XML.
• Regeneration happens in Excel, on your computer, offline: fix and regenerate as many times as needed, without coming back to the site or spending credits.
• The standard bundle (CSV + manifest) comes with every workbook, in case you ever need to rebuild online.

Good habits in the workbook

• To paste data from another file, use Paste Special › Values.
• Don't change row 1: these technical names tell where each value goes in the XML. To find your way, rename the labels on row 2 instead.
• Sort and filter with the arrows on row 2: both header rows stay in place.
• Filters exclude nothing: every row is exported. To remove an element, delete its row.
• Always save as .xlsm: saving as .xlsx removes the macro.

When is the standard mode (CSV) a better fit?

• You work in Google Sheets, Numbers, LibreOffice, Excel for the web or Excel on iPad: these tools don't run macros.
• Your company forbids macros: the standard mode rebuilds online, without macros.
• You're making a one-off change: 1 credit instead of 2, and online reconstruction stays free and unlimited.

What about privacy?

Turning your XML into a workbook happens on our European servers, in memory, without keeping the file. After that, your edits and the XML generation happen in Excel, on your computer, offline. The macro makes no network connection and its code is published.

• What the macro does (source code)
• "Microsoft has blocked macros from running": what to do?