Export to Excel in Flutter DataGrid (SfDataGrid)

8 Jul 202618 minutes to read

The SfDataGrid provides support to export the content to Excel with several customization options.

Add dependency

The following dependencies must be added to your pubspec.yaml file for exporting to Excel.

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dependencies:

syncfusion_flutter_datagrid_export: ^24.1.41

Note: The version numbers shown above are examples. Refer to pub.dev for the latest stable version of Syncfusion Flutter DataGrid Export package.

Import required packages

Import the following packages in your Dart code.

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import 'package:syncfusion_flutter_datagrid_export/export.dart';

Export SfDataGrid by using the following extension methods present in the SfDataGridState class:

• exportToExcelWorkbook - Exports the grid to an Excel workbook
• exportToExcelWorksheet - Exports the grid to an existing Excel worksheet

Note:

• File export requires platform-specific permissions. Ensure write permissions are configured in AndroidManifest.xml (Android), the iOS app configuration file, and the macOS entitlements file.
• For web platforms, use web APIs instead of the File class. Consider using the universal_html package or browser download methods.
• Refer to getting-started for platform-specific file generation code.

Add GlobalKey for SfDataGrid

Create the GlobalKey using the SfDataGridState class. Exporting related methods are available in the SfDataGridState class.

Set the created GlobalKey to the SfDataGrid.

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final GlobalKey<SfDataGridState> key = GlobalKey<SfDataGridState>();

The following code illustrates how to create and export a SfDataGrid to Excel using the global key.

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final GlobalKey<SfDataGridState> key = GlobalKey<SfDataGridState>();

@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
  return Scaffold(
    appBar: AppBar(
      title: const Text(
        'Syncfusion Flutter DataGrid Export',
        overflow: TextOverflow.ellipsis,
      ),
    ),
    body: Column(
      crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.start,
      children: <Widget>[
        Container(
          height: 50.0,
          width: 150.0,
          padding: const EdgeInsets.all(10.0),
          child: MaterialButton(
              color: Colors.blue,
              child: const Center(
                  child: Text(
                'Export to Excel',
                style: TextStyle(color: Colors.white),
              )),
              onPressed: () async {
                final Workbook workbook =
                    key.currentState!.exportToExcelWorkbook();
                final List<int> bytes = workbook.saveAsStream();
                workbook.dispose();
                await helper.saveAndLaunchFile(bytes, 'DataGrid.xlsx');
              }),
        ),
        Expanded(
          child: SfDataGrid(
            key: key,
            source: employeeDataSource,
            columns: <GridColumn>[
              GridColumn(
                  columnName: 'ID',
                  label: Container(
                      padding: const EdgeInsets.all(16.0),
                      alignment: Alignment.center,
                      child: const Text(
                        'ID',
                      ))),
              GridColumn(
                  columnName: 'Name',
                  label: Container(
                      padding: const EdgeInsets.all(8.0),
                      alignment: Alignment.center,
                      child: const Text('Name'))),
              GridColumn(
                  columnName: 'Designation',
                  label: Container(
                      padding: const EdgeInsets.all(8.0),
                      alignment: Alignment.center,
                      child: const Text(
                        'Designation',
                        overflow: TextOverflow.ellipsis,
                      ))),
              GridColumn(
                  columnName: 'Salary',
                  label: Container(
                      padding: const EdgeInsets.all(8.0),
                      alignment: Alignment.center,
                      child: const Text('Salary'))),
            ],
          ),
        ),
      ],
    ),
  );
}

Save the Excel document as a file

Include platform-specific code to save the Excel document. Refer to the following sections for implementation details:

• Mobile (Android/iOS) file saving
• Web file saving
• Desktop (Windows/macOS/Linux) file saving

Export DataGrid to Excel workbook

Export data to an Excel Workbook using the exportToExcelWorkbook method from the DataGrid’s state. This creates a new workbook with the grid data.

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final Workbook workbook = key.currentState!.exportToExcelWorkbook();
final List<int> bytes = workbook.saveAsStream();
File('DataGrid.xlsx').writeAsBytes(bytes, flush: true);

Export DataGrid to Excel sheet

Export data to an Excel Worksheet using the exportToExcelWorksheet method. This appends grid data to an existing or new worksheet within a workbook.

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final Workbook workbook = Workbook();
final Worksheet worksheet = workbook.worksheets[0];
key.currentState!.exportToExcelWorksheet(worksheet);
final List<int> bytes = workbook.saveAsStream();
File('DataGrid.xlsx').writeAsBytes(bytes, flush: true);

Exporting options

Note: Export methods use XLSX format by default. Large datasets may consume significant memory during export—consider exporting selected rows for better performance with large grids.

Exclude columns when exporting

By default, all columns in SfDataGrid are exported to Excel. Exclude specific columns by adding their names to the excludeColumns parameter.

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Workbook workbook = key.currentState!
    .exportToExcelWorkbook(excludeColumns: ['Name']);
final List<int> bytes = workbook.saveAsStream();

Exclude table summaries when exporting

By default, table summaries in SfDataGrid are exported to Excel. Set the exportTableSummaries parameter to false to exclude table summaries from the export.

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Workbook workbook = key.currentState!
    .exportToExcelWorkbook(exportTableSummaries: false);
final List<int> bytes = workbook.saveAsStream();

Exclude stacked headers when exporting

By default, stacked headers in SfDataGrid are exported to Excel. Set the exportStackedHeaders parameter to false to exclude stacked headers from the export.

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Workbook workbook = key.currentState!
    .exportToExcelWorkbook(exportStackedHeaders: false);
final List<int> bytes = workbook.saveAsStream();

Change the start row and column index when exporting

By default, the DataGrid is exported starting at cell (0,0) in the Excel sheet. Export data starting from a specific row and column by setting the startRowIndex and startColumnIndex properties.

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Workbook workbook = key.currentState!
    .exportToExcelWorkbook(startRowIndex: 3, startColumnIndex: 2);
final List<int> bytes = workbook.saveAsStream();

Export the selected rows to Excel

By default, the entire grid is exported to Excel. Export only selected rows by passing the dataGridController.selectedRows list to the rows parameter in the exportToExcelWorksheet or exportToExcelWorkbook methods. This parameter is optional; if omitted, all rows are exported.

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Workbook workbook = key.currentState!
    .exportToExcelWorkbook(rows: dataGridController.selectedRows);
final List<int> bytes = workbook.saveAsStream();

Row height and column width customization

By default, the exported Excel cells use the rowHeight and defaultColumnWidth properties from SfDataGrid.

To use custom dimensions instead, set the exportRowHeight and exportColumnWidth properties to false, then specify defaultRowHeight and defaultColumnWidth.

When exportRowHeight and exportColumnWidth are true, the grid’s headerRowHeight, rowHeight, and actual column widths are exported to Excel.

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Workbook workbook = key.currentState!.exportToExcelWorkbook(
    exportRowHeight: false,
    exportColumnWidth: false,
    defaultRowHeight: 35,
    defaultColumnWidth: 120);
final List<int> bytes = workbook.saveAsStream();

Styling cells based on the cell type in Excel

Customize cell styles during export using the cellExport callback parameter in the exportToExcelWorkbook or exportToExcelWorksheet methods. The callback provides access to DataGridCellExcelExportDetails with cell type information:

• DataGridExportCellType.columnHeader - Header cells
• DataGridExportCellType.stackedHeaderCell - Stacked header cells
• DataGridExportCellType.row - Data row cells
• DataGridExportCellType.tableSummaryRow - Summary row cells

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final Workbook workbook = key.currentState!.exportToExcelWorkbook(
    cellExport: (DataGridCellExcelExportDetails details) {
  if (details.cellType == DataGridExportCellType.columnHeader) {
    details.excelRange.cellStyle.backColor = '#42A5F5';
  } else if (details.cellType == DataGridExportCellType.row) {
    details.excelRange.cellStyle.backColor = '#FFA726';
  }
});
final List<int> bytes = workbook.saveAsStream();

Cell customization when exporting

Customize cell values while exporting

Customize cell values during export by setting the excelRange.value property in the cellExport callback. The supported value types include strings, numbers, dates, and booleans. Complex types are converted to their string representation.

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final Workbook workbook = key.currentState!.exportToExcelWorkbook(
    cellExport: (DataGridCellExcelExportDetails details) {
  if (details.cellType == DataGridExportCellType.row &&
      details.cellValue == 'Project Lead') {
    details.excelRange.value = 'Lead';
  }
});
final List<int> bytes = workbook.saveAsStream();

Customize cells based on the column

Customize cell styling by column using the cellExport callback. Access the column name via details.columnName to apply styles to specific columns.

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final Workbook workbook = key.currentState!.exportToExcelWorkbook(
    cellExport: (DataGridCellExcelExportDetails details) {
  if (details.cellType == DataGridExportCellType.row &&
      details.columnName == 'Name') {
    details.excelRange.cellStyle
      ..bold = true
      ..fontColor = '#F44336';
  }
});
final List<int> bytes = workbook.saveAsStream();

Customize Exporting Behavior

Customize export behavior by extending the DataGridToExcelConverter class and overriding specific methods. Pass your custom converter to the converter parameter in the exportToExcelWorksheet or exportToExcelWorkbook method.

Note: Use getCellValue to transform cell data before export. Override exportColumnHeader, exportRow, or other export methods for advanced customization of specific row/column types.

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class CustomDataGridToExcelConverter extends DataGridToExcelConverter {
  /// Customize export of individual column header cells
  @override
  void exportColumnHeader(SfDataGrid dataGrid, GridColumn column,
      String columnName, Worksheet worksheet) {
    super.exportColumnHeader(dataGrid, column, columnName, worksheet);
  }

  /// Customize export of all column headers
  @override
  void exportColumnHeaders(SfDataGrid dataGrid, Worksheet worksheet) {
    super.exportColumnHeaders(dataGrid, worksheet);
  }

  /// Customize export of individual row cells for each column
  @override
  void exportRow(SfDataGrid dataGrid, DataGridRow row, GridColumn column,
      Worksheet worksheet) {
    super.exportRow(dataGrid, row, column, worksheet);
  }

  /// Customize export of all data rows
  @override
  void exportRows(
      SfDataGrid dataGrid, List<DataGridRow> rows, Worksheet worksheet) {
    super.exportRows(dataGrid, rows, worksheet);
  }

  /// Customize export of individual stacked header rows
  @override
  void exportStackedHeaderRow(SfDataGrid dataGrid,
      StackedHeaderRow stackedHeaderRow, Worksheet worksheet) {
    super.exportStackedHeaderRow(dataGrid, stackedHeaderRow, worksheet);
  }

  /// Customize export of all stacked header rows
  @override
  void exportStackedHeaderRows(SfDataGrid dataGrid, Worksheet worksheet) {
    super.exportStackedHeaderRows(dataGrid, worksheet);
  }

  /// Customize export of individual table summary rows
  @override
  void exportTableSummaryRow(SfDataGrid dataGrid,
      GridTableSummaryRow summaryRow, Worksheet worksheet) {
    super.exportTableSummaryRow(dataGrid, summaryRow, worksheet);
  }

  /// Customize export of all table summary rows at specified positions
  @override
  void exportTableSummaryRows(SfDataGrid dataGrid,
      GridTableSummaryRowPosition position, Worksheet worksheet) {
    super.exportTableSummaryRows(dataGrid, position, worksheet);
  }

  /// Transform cell values before export (e.g., formatting, type conversion)
  @override
  Object? getCellValue(DataGridRow row, GridColumn column) {
    return super.getCellValue(row, column);
  }
}

The following code sample illustrates how to create an instance of the CustomDataGridToExcelConverter class and set the instance to the converter parameter in the exportToExcelWorksheet or exportToExcelWorkbook method.

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CustomDataGridToExcelConverter converter = CustomDataGridToExcelConverter();
Workbook workbook = key.currentState!.exportToExcelWorkbook(converter: converter);
final List<int> bytes = workbook.saveAsStream();