Export Formats: Choosing the Right One for Your Workflow

TXT Format: Simple and Universal

The TXT export creates a plain text file with one email address per line:

john@example.com
jane@company.org
contact@business.net

Best for:

• Quick email lists where you don't need metadata
• Importing into tools that accept plain text lists
• Sharing a simple list via email or messaging
• Feeding into scripts or command-line tools

CSV Format: Rich Data with Context

The CSV export includes multiple columns of data for each email:

Email;Source;Search Engine;Name
john@example.com;https://example.com/team;Google;John Smith
jane@company.org;https://company.org/about;Bing;Jane Doe

Best for:

• CRM imports (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, etc.)
• Spreadsheet analysis in Excel or Google Sheets
• When you need to know where each email was found
• Building segmented contact lists with metadata

CSV Columns Explained

When exporting to CSV, you can choose which columns to include:

• Email — The extracted email address (always included)
• Source — The URL or file path where the email was found. Useful for context and verification
• Search Engine — Which engine discovered the result (Google, DuckDuckGo, etc.)
• Name (Mail From) — The person's name, when available from email client extractions

Choosing the Right Delimiter

EmailExtractorMax supports three CSV delimiters:

• Semicolon (;) — Default. Works well with European locale settings in Excel where comma is the decimal separator
• Comma (,) — Standard CSV format. Best for US/UK locale settings and most CRM imports
• Tab — Creates a TSV (Tab-Separated Values) file. Best for pasting directly into spreadsheets

If you're not sure which to use: try comma first. If your spreadsheet mixes all data into one column, switch to semicolon. If neither works correctly, tab is usually the safest option.

Export Workflow Tips

1. Filter before exporting — Use blacklists to clean your results before export, rather than cleaning up the file afterward
2. Include the source URL — Even if you don't need it now, the source URL helps you verify emails later and understand where they came from
3. Match your CRM's format — Check what format and delimiter your CRM expects before exporting. Most CRMs document their CSV import requirements
4. Use TXT for deduplication — If you're merging results from multiple extraction sessions, TXT format makes it easy to combine and deduplicate with simple text tools

Quick Reference

Use Case	Format	Delimiter
Simple email list	TXT	—
CRM import (US)	CSV	Comma
Excel (EU locale)	CSV	Semicolon
Paste into spreadsheet	CSV	Tab