How to Convert Excel to MT940: Step-by-Step Tutorial
📋 Open the Excel to MT940 Converter and follow along with this tutorial.
Open Tool →Steps
This tutorial walks you through converting a Excel file to MT940 using the free FinancialDataTools.com Excel to MT940 Converter. The tool processes your file entirely inside your browser — nothing is ever sent to any server.
Try the Excel to MT940 Converter — runs entirely in your browser and never uploads your files.
Open the Converter →Step 1: Locate Your Excel File
Find the .xlsx or .xls file you want to convert. The first sheet is used. The first row must contain column headers — date, amount, description, and optionally memo and id. Subsequent rows are transaction data.
Step 2: Open the Converter
Navigate to financialdatatools.com/converters/excel-to-mt940/ in any modern desktop browser. No login, account, or installation is required.
The converter opens with two panels side by side: the Source (Excel) panel on the left and the Output (MT940) panel on the right. Both start in their empty placeholder state.
Step 3: Load Your File
There are two ways to load your Excel file:
- Click the green "Open" button in the toolbar and select your file using the system file picker.
- Drag and drop your file onto the left (Source) panel.
The file is parsed immediately. Once loaded, the file name appears in the toolbar, and the stats bar updates to show the total row count and field count. A READY TO CONVERT badge confirms the file is loaded and ready.
Step 4: Review the Source Preview
The left panel renders your transaction data as a scrollable table — field names across the top, data rows below. Use this preview to confirm your file loaded correctly before converting:
- Check that field names appear correctly in the header row
- Verify date and amount columns contain the expected values
- Confirm empty cells show as
NULL - Check the row count in the stats bar matches your expectation
For files with more than 500 rows, the preview is capped at 500 rows. A notice confirms how many rows are being previewed. The full dataset is still converted.
Step 5: Convert to MT940
Click the Convert to MT940 button in the toolbar. The converter processes your entire dataset and renders the MT940 output in the right panel. After conversion, the status badge changes from READY TO CONVERT to CONVERTED, and the Export MT940 button becomes active.
Step 6: Inspect the MT940 Output
The right panel displays the full MT940 output as plain text. Scroll through it to verify the structure looks correct:
- Each transaction from your source file should appear as a record in the output
- Dates, amounts, and descriptions should match your source data
- The overall MT940 structure and header should be complete and valid
Step 7: Export the MT940 File
Click the Export MT940 button in the toolbar. The browser downloads the MT940 file directly to your downloads folder.
The downloaded file is named to match your input file with the extension changed to .sta. A file named transactions.excel downloads as transactions.sta.
Tip: The exported MT940 file contains all converted transactions — not limited to the preview rows. All rows from your original file are included.
Step 8: Reset for Another Conversion
To convert a different file, click the Reset button in the toolbar. This clears the loaded file, the source preview, the MT940 output, and all status badges.
Alternatively, click Open again and load a new file without resetting — the new file replaces the previous one automatically.
Privacy reminder: Your file is never uploaded anywhere. All parsing and conversion happens locally inside your browser tab. Closing the tab clears all data from memory immediately.