How to Export Query Results to CSV (for Excel) in pgAdmin

Can pgAdmin export to Excel?

Not as an Excel workbook. The pgAdmin documentation describes only delimited text output: the Query Tool saves a result set as a delimited text file, CSV if the separator is a comma, and the export dialogs write binary, csv or text files. A CSV opens in Excel and other spreadsheet programs, so the practical answer to "pgAdmin export to Excel" is to export CSV and open it there.

Export query results to CSV from the Query Tool

1. Open the Query Tool on your database (Tools > Query tool).
2. Write the query and run it with Execute script (F5).
3. When the result appears in the Data Output tab, click Save results to file on the toolbar, or press F8. The button is only enabled once a query has run and returned results.
4. Save the file with a .csv name and open it in Excel.

The format of that file comes from Preferences > Query Tool > CSV/TXT Output:

• CSV field separator: the character between columns; a comma gives a standard CSV.
• CSV quote character: the character that wraps text values.
• CSV quoting: quote Strings, All or None.
• Replace null values with: the text written for NULL; the default is NULL, so set it to an empty value if you want blank cells.

Copy rows with headers and paste into Excel

For small results, select the cells or rows in the Data Output grid and click the Copy button (Ctrl + C, or Cmd + C on Mac). Open the button's menu and choose Copy with headers to include the column names, then paste into the spreadsheet. This avoids a file altogether but is limited to what you select.

Export large results with Export Data Using Query

1. Select the table (or its database) in the Object Explorer and choose Tools > Export Data Using Query....
2. On the General tab, enter the Filename, set Format to csv and choose the Encoding.
3. On the Options tab, turn Header on so the first row has column names, and set Delimiter, Quote and NULL String as needed.
4. On the Query tab, type the query in Export Data Query. It accepts SELECT, VALUES, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE or MERGE (PostgreSQL requires a RETURNING clause on the last four). Use Force Quote columns with * to quote every column.
5. Click OK. The export runs in the background; View Processes on the notification opens the Process Watcher.

To export a whole table instead, select it and use Tools > Import/Export Data... with the switch set to Export; the Columns tab lets you leave columns out. The same dialog is covered for imports in the pgAdmin CSV import guide listed below.

Server mode and Docker. When pgAdmin runs in server mode, the exported file is written on the pgAdmin server. Click the folder icon in the Process Watcher to open it in the Storage Manager and download it to your computer.

Export with SQL: COPY TO

The export dialogs mirror the options of PostgreSQL's COPY command, which you can also run directly. COPY (query) TO writes a file on the database server and needs superuser rights or the pg_write_server_files role; psql's \copy, which you can run in pgAdmin's PSQL Tool, writes the file on the client instead.

-- File on the database server (superuser or pg_write_server_files):
COPY (SELECT customer_id, full_name, email FROM customers ORDER BY customer_id)
TO '/var/lib/postgresql/export/customers.csv'
WITH (FORMAT csv, HEADER true);

-- File on your machine, from psql or the pgAdmin PSQL Tool (one line):
\copy (SELECT customer_id, full_name, email FROM customers ORDER BY customer_id) TO 'customers.csv' WITH (FORMAT csv, HEADER true)

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• pgAdmin 4 documentation: Query Tool Toolbar
• pgAdmin 4 documentation: Keyboard Shortcuts
• pgAdmin 4 documentation: Query Tool
• pgAdmin 4 documentation: Preferences (CSV/TXT Output)
• pgAdmin 4 documentation: Export Data Using Query Dialog
• pgAdmin 4 documentation: Import/Export Data Dialog
• pgAdmin 4 documentation: Menu Bar
• PostgreSQL 18 documentation: COPY

Checked 8 October 2026.

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