File Format & Compatibility

How to Fix Line Breaks Missing in Access Long Text Fields from Excel

Huda Qurayshi Sep 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users need to ensure that multi-line text from Excel retains its line breaks when imported into a Microsoft Access Long Text field without displaying artifact text.

How to Fix Line Breaks Missing in Access Long Text Fields from Excel

Product: Microsoft Excel & Access
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Importing an Excel spreadsheet containing cells with multiple lines of text into a Microsoft Access database.
Observed behavior: Line breaks created with CHAR(10) in Excel are either ignored in Access or converted into visible text artifacts like _x000D_, resulting in a continuous string of text.

Before you start

Verify whether your Access Long Text field has its Text Format property set to Plain Text or Rich Text, as this dictates how line breaks are processed.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Both Carriage Return and Line Feed Codes in Excel

Update your Excel formulas to use a combination of CHAR(13) and CHAR(10) to ensure Access recognizes the standard Windows line break.

While Excel natively uses a single line feed character to break lines within a cell, Access Plain Text fields require both a carriage return and a line feed to render the break properly during data imports.

Open your worksheet

Launch Microsoft Excel and open the workbook containing the text data you plan to export.

Modify line break formulas

Locate any formulas generating line breaks (typically using `CHAR(10)`). Update them to include the carriage return by changing `CHAR(10)` to `CHAR(13)&CHAR(10)`.

Re-import into Access

Save the Excel workbook. Open Microsoft Access, navigate to the 'External Data' tab, select 'New Data Source', and import the updated Excel file.

Use Both Carriage Return and Line Feed Codes in Excel

Formatting Retained: Adding CHAR(13) satisfies the strict formatting requirements of the Access Long Text field without disrupting the visual appearance of your Excel cells.

Solution 2

Clean Artifacts and Link the Excel Table

If encoded characters like _x000D_ continue to appear, clean the artifacts in Excel and use a Linked Table in Access.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Excel use CHAR(10) while Access requires CHAR(13) and CHAR(10)?

Excel natively uses a line feed (CHAR(10)) to trigger a visual new line inside a cell. However, Microsoft Access strictly follows the standard Windows text rendering format for Plain Text fields, which requires a combination of a carriage return (CHAR(13)) and a line feed (CHAR(10)) to register as a new paragraph.

How do I fix the _x000D_ text already present in my Access database?

The _x000D_ text is a hexadecimal representation of a carriage return. To fix this within Access, you can run an Update Query on the affected table. Set the 'Update To' row of the query to: `Replace([FieldName], "_x000D_", Chr(13) & Chr(10))`.

Can I use HTML tags for line breaks in Access Long Text fields?

Yes, but only if the Long Text field's 'Text Format' property is set to 'Rich Text'. In Rich Text mode, Access interprets HTML tags, meaning you would use `<br>` or `<div>` tags in your Excel text instead of CHAR(13)&CHAR(10) to create line breaks.

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