How to Preserve Excel Column Names When Importing into SharePoint
Question details
The user wants to retain original Excel column names as the internal names when importing a spreadsheet into a SharePoint list, avoiding generic names like Field_1.
- Product
- SharePoint and Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Importing an Excel table into a SharePoint list to be used as a data source for Power Apps.
- Observed behavior
- SharePoint displays the correct column headers visually, but assigns generic internal names (e.g., Field_1, Field_2) to the imported columns, which causes issues when connecting to Power Apps.
Ensure you have Edit permissions for your SharePoint site and access to Microsoft Power Automate, as fixing internal names requires manually rebuilding the list and creating an import flow.
Create the SharePoint List Manually and Import Data via Power Automate
Bypass SharePoint's default Excel import tool by creating the list columns manually to lock in correct internal names, then use Power Automate to migrate your Excel data.
When using the built-in 'From Excel' feature in SharePoint, the system prioritizes rapid list creation. To prevent invalid character errors, it assigns generic internal names (Field_1, Field_2) to your columns while applying your Excel headers as merely the Display Names. Because internal names cannot be changed after creation, the only way to dictate exact internal names is to create the columns from scratch.
Open your Excel file, highlight your data range, and insert a Table. Save this file to a cloud location like OneDrive for Business or a SharePoint document library.
Navigate to your SharePoint site, click 'New', and select 'List'. Choose 'Blank list' instead of importing from Excel.
Add new columns to your blank list one by one. The name you initially type when creating the column will become its permanent internal name. (You can change the display name later if needed).
Open Microsoft Power Automate and create an 'Instant cloud flow' triggered manually. This will be used as a one-time data migration script.
Add the 'List rows present in a table' action under the Excel Online connector. Point it to the cloud location, file, and table name you saved in step 1.
Add an 'Apply to each' control, and inside it, add the SharePoint 'Create item' action. Select your new site and list, then map the dynamic content from your Excel columns to the corresponding SharePoint fields. Run the flow to import the data.
Prepare Your Data Seamlessly with WPS Office
While SharePoint handles the final list creation, preparing and formatting your tabular data efficiently is the crucial first step. WPS Office offers a powerful, lightweight, and completely free alternative to Microsoft Office. With native support for complex spreadsheets and a highly familiar user interface, cleaning up your data before migrating it to SharePoint or Power Apps has never been easier.
- 1. Open Your Data File: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and open the raw data file you plan to import into SharePoint.
- 2. Format as a Standard Table: Clean up any blank headers and format your data range as a structured table to ensure compatibility with data import flows.
- 3. Save as XLSX: Save your prepared document in the universally compatible .xlsx format, ready to be uploaded to your cloud drive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does SharePoint change my Excel column names to Field_1?
When using the 'From Excel' list creation feature, SharePoint automatically strips out special characters and assigns generic internal names (like Field_1) to ensure database stability. It only applies your Excel headers as the front-end Display Names.
Can I change a SharePoint column's internal name after it is created?
No, a SharePoint column's internal name is permanently established at the moment of creation. You can only modify the Display Name. If you need a specific internal name, you must delete the existing column and create a new one.
Does Power Apps use the display name or the internal name from SharePoint?
Power Apps typically references the internal name of SharePoint columns when generating collections or writing formulas. This is why having generic internal names like Field_1 makes Power Apps development confusing and difficult to manage.
