LEDES files can be difficult to read and troubleshoot in a text file.  Microsoft Excel provides a way to view the data in the file with more clarity, making it easier to spot errors such as typos, incorrect values, and so forth.

Start the process of importing the text data by selecting the Data tab and then clicking on the “From Text” Icon.

Select a LEDES text file to import.

When the text import wizard pops up, click Next.

Set delimiters here.  A delimiter is what Excel uses to determine where one field ends and another begins.  The delimiter for the LEDES files is “|”, which is typically found on the backslash “\” key.  Step 3 of the Import Wizard is not necessary so click Finish.

Excel will now ask you where you want to insert the data.  The location is a personal choice and will not affect how the data is imported. 

Insert the data in the desired location.

The LEDES file has now been imported into Excel.