Excel to org chart
Create an org chart from Excel
Put one person per row in a spreadsheet, with a column for each person’s manager. Upload the .xlsx or .csv file, check how the columns were matched, and mivochart draws the whole chart for you with automatic layout. Most lists are done in a few minutes, and you never drag a box into place by hand.
Download the org chart template for Excel
The template is a small staff list for a fictional company: 14 people in three departments, one open position and one part-time employee. The column names are ones the importer recognises, so you can upload the file unchanged to see how it works, then overwrite the rows with your own people.
14 sample people · 3 departments · 1 open position · 1 part-time
The CSV is saved as UTF-8 with commas, which Excel and Google Sheets open directly. Prefer the .xlsx if your names contain accents and you edit in older versions of Excel.
Which columns does the spreadsheet need?
Only a name is required. A manager column is what turns a list into a chart: without it everyone lands at the top level. Column order does not matter, extra columns are fine, and capitals, spaces and punctuation in the headers are ignored. These header names are matched automatically:
| Field | Recognised column names | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Namerequired |
| Required, unless you use separate first and last name columns. |
| First and last name |
| Joined into one name, as HR exports often split it. |
| Job title |
| Shown under the name on each card. |
| Department |
| Each department gets its own colour. |
| Optional, but the most reliable way to tell people apart. | |
| Manager |
| The manager’s full name or email address, exactly as in their own row. |
| Working time (FTE) |
| 0.5, 0,5 or 50 %. Hours are not converted. |
| Open position |
| yes, 1, x or true marks the row as an open position. |
From spreadsheet to org chart, step by step
1. Prepare the list
Start from the template or from your own sheet. Keep one person per row and the header names in the first row. Write each manager the same way they appear in their own row: “Daniel Reyes” in the manager column only works if there is a row called “Daniel Reyes”. If two people share a name, use email addresses in the manager column instead.
Open positions can sit in the chart too: give the row a placeholder name such as “Open Role”, a job title and a manager, and put “yes” in the open-position column.
2. Upload the file
Open the import page and choose your .xlsx or .csv file (up to 5 MB and 5,000 rows). Inside the editor, the same import sits behind the “Import list” button. Comma, semicolon and tab-separated CSV files are detected automatically, so a file saved by a German or French Excel works as well.
3. Check the column matching
The importer shows which column it picked for each field. Anything it guessed wrong can be changed from a drop-down, and columns that are not one of the fixed fields can be kept as custom fields on each person, such as a phone number or a start date.
4. Read the report and fix what it finds
Before anything is added you see a plain-language report. It flags rows without a name, managers that are not in the list or that match more than one person, people listed as their own manager, reporting loops (A reports to B, B reports to A), duplicate email addresses and names, invalid email addresses, FTE values that are not a share or a percentage, and more than one person at the top of the chart.
None of these stop the import: the report tells you what was done, for example that someone without a known manager was placed at the top. You can fix the spreadsheet and upload it again, or fix the chart afterwards in the editor.
5. Get the chart
The preview shows who will be imported. Create the chart and the layout is calculated for you, with department colours, open positions and part-time shares already in place. Charts are free up to 25 people.
6. Update it later from a newer list
When the staff list changes, import the new version into the same chart. People are matched by email address first, then by name, and you get a summary such as “2 joined, 1 left, 1 moved” with every change listed. Untick anything you do not want, then apply the rest. Empty cells never wipe out details you already have in the chart.
Coming from Personio, BambooHR or another HR tool?
Most HR systems can export the employee list as a spreadsheet. Export it as .xlsx or .csv, then import that file here. Typical export headers such as “First name”, “Last name”, “Job title”, “Department”, “Supervisor” or “Reporting to” are recognised; whatever is not recognised you can match by hand in the column step.
There is no live connection to HR systems: the chart is updated when you import a newer export, and the re-import summary shows exactly what changed since last time.
Why not just use SmartArt in Excel?
Excel’s SmartArt hierarchy is fine for a handful of boxes. For a real staff list it has some practical limits:
| Excel SmartArt | Import into mivochart | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting people in | Type or paste each name into the text pane; there is no import from your rows. | Upload the sheet; names, titles and reporting lines are read from the columns. |
| Larger teams | In our experience it becomes hard to read and rearrange somewhere past 30 boxes. | Automatic layout as tree, list or grid, with search and collapsible teams. |
| Changes | Edit the diagram by hand every time someone joins, leaves or moves. | Re-import the list and review who joined, left or moved before applying. |
| Vacancies and part-time | Only as text you format yourself. | Open positions and FTE come straight from columns and are shown on the cards. |
SmartArt still makes sense for a small diagram inside a document. If the chart should follow your staff list, import the list instead.
Questions about Excel import
Can I create an org chart directly from Excel?
Yes. Save your staff list as .xlsx or .csv with one person per row and a manager column, upload it on the import page, check the column matching and create the chart. The layout is drawn automatically.
What should the manager column contain?
The manager’s full name exactly as it appears in their own row, or their email address. Email addresses are safer when two people have the same name.
Does it work with a German or French Excel file?
Yes. Semicolon-separated CSV files and German and French column names such as “Vorgesetzte(r)”, “Abteilung”, “Responsable” or “Service” are recognised. The template is also available in German and French on those language versions of this page.
Is there a limit on the number of people?
Files can have up to 5,000 rows. The free plan covers charts with up to 25 people; larger charts need a paid plan.
What happens to columns the importer does not know?
You decide: tick a column to keep it as a custom field on each person (the type, such as date or link, is detected), or leave it out.
Can I export the chart back to Excel?
You can export the people as a CSV file, which opens in Excel, and the chart itself as PNG, SVG or PDF.
Ready to try it with your own list?
Upload your spreadsheet, or start with the template and replace the sample people with yours.