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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchYes. You can drop each new monthly Excel workbook or CSV into a dedicated folder and have Power Query append it to your history after a refresh. In Excel, use Data > Get Data > From File > From Folder, choose Combine and Transform Data, filter out files that do not belong, and load the combined result. Every refresh re-enumerates the folder and reruns the saved transformations, so a correctly structured new file becomes additional rows without copy-and-paste work.
What the automatic monthly setup actually does
A folder-based query has three moving parts:
- The Folder connector lists files in a directory.
- A generated transform function applies the same cleanup steps to each file.
- The combine operation appends the transformed results into one logical table.
When you add a file and refresh, Power Query does not permanently copy that file into the workbook. It reads the folder again, applies the saved steps, and rebuilds the output. This is why the source files must remain available in the folder whenever you refresh.
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The normal result is more rows for the new month, not a new column called January, February, or March. Power Query’s append behavior is row-oriented: columns are matched by header name, and a column missing from one file is returned as null for that file’s rows.
Prepare the monthly files and folder
Use one dedicated input folder
Create a folder solely for the historical files and future monthly files. Put all of the workbooks or CSV files that should be included in that folder. Avoid storing the query’s exported result, backups, screenshots, temporary downloads, or unrelated workbooks there. The Folder connector can see unintended files and, depending on the connector and settings, files in subfolders.
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If a shared directory cannot be kept clean, plan to filter the file list by extension, name pattern, folder path, or another metadata column before combining.
Keep the file contract stable
Before importing, decide what every month must provide. The safest contract uses:
- The same file extension, such as
.xlsxor.csv. - A predictable filename pattern.
- The same worksheet or Excel table name in every workbook.
- The same column headers, spelling, and intended meaning.
- Compatible data types for dates, identifiers, quantities, and amounts.
A consistent Excel table or worksheet name is particularly useful because the Combine Files dialog can select that object from the sample file and use it for every other file.
Build the folder query in Excel
- Create and clean the folder. Place the historical files in the dedicated folder, and leave room for future files. Remove or plan to filter out temporary and output files.
- Open the folder connector. In Excel, select Data > Get Data > From File > From Folder. Browse to the folder and select Open.
- Inspect the file preview. Check the names, extensions, dates, and folder paths. If anything unrelated appears, do not combine yet.
- Filter the file list. In the preview or Power Query Editor, filter the extension, filename, folder path, hidden-file status, or other metadata. Exclude temporary files such as lock files and exclude any workbook that contains a previously exported combined result.
- Choose the combine operation. Select Combine > Combine and Transform Data. Power Query creates supporting queries, including a sample-file query and a transform function, plus the combined result.
- Select a stable object. In the Combine Files dialog, choose the worksheet or Excel table that exists with the same name in every monthly workbook. If you are importing CSV files, confirm that the delimiter and header handling are consistent.
- Review the generated transformations. Examine the sample-file and transform steps. Remove accidental steps that depend on one month’s layout, and retain steps that should apply to every file.
- Check the combined schema. Confirm that headers, row counts, dates, IDs, and numeric columns look correct. Power Query often adds a Changed Type step automatically; edit it if the inferred type is wrong.
- Load the result. Use Close & Load or Close & Load To to send the result to an Excel table, PivotTable, or Data Model, depending on how the report will be used.
Make the transformation reliable before the first refresh
Filter before the combine step
Filtering early reduces the chance that an accidental file becomes part of the report. A common pattern is to keep only files with the expected extension and a name such as Sales_, then exclude hidden files and the workbook that contains the output. If files are in nested folders, filter the folder-path column so only the intended level is included.
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Choose an object that exists in every workbook
If the sample workbook uses a table named MonthlyData but another workbook has only a worksheet named Data, the generated function may fail or return no rows for that file. Standardize the object name, or change the navigation step so it deliberately selects the correct object. A table is often safer than a worksheet range because its boundaries expand as rows are added.
Control data types explicitly
Set dates to a date or date/time type, quantities and amounts to an appropriate numeric type, and codes that may contain leading zeroes to text. Automatic type detection can interpret a column differently when a new month contains a different sample of values. Set the type after the combine transformation, then test it with a file containing the edge cases you expect.
Understand missing and extra columns
Append matches columns by their header names, not by position. If one file has a misspelled header, Power Query treats it as a different column. If a file lacks a column, the combined result contains nulls for its rows. If a new column is introduced intentionally, decide whether to keep it, rename it to the established header, or update downstream reports that depend on the schema.
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Monthly operating procedure
Once the query is working, the recurring process is short:
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- Save or copy the new month’s workbook or CSV into the same input folder.
- Use the established extension, filename pattern, worksheet or table name, and headers.
- In Excel, choose Data > Refresh All, or refresh the specific query from the Queries & Connections pane.
- Wait for the query and any dependent PivotTables or Data Model objects to finish refreshing.
- Check that the new month appears and that the row count increased by the expected amount.
The transformation logic is retained in the query. You do not need to repeat the cleaning, column selection, or type-conversion steps for each month.
Why a new month may not appear
The file is filtered out
Open the folder query’s file-list step and inspect the rows that remain after each filter. Verify the extension, filename pattern, hidden-file setting, and folder path. A file saved in a nested directory may be outside the path the query includes.
The file was saved with the wrong extension
A workbook saved as .xlsm or a text export saved as .txt will not pass a filter that keeps only .xlsx or .csv. Either save the file in the established format or deliberately update the filter and transformation to support the additional format.
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The selected sheet or table is missing
Compare the object name in the new workbook with the name chosen in the Combine Files dialog. Rename the worksheet or table to the standard name, or revise the navigation step to handle the actual object. Do not silently select a different sheet simply because it happens to have a similar layout.
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Headers changed
Compare the new file’s headers character by character, including spaces, punctuation, and capitalization where relevant to your steps. Because append uses header names, a spelling change can create a second column and leave the expected column null for the new rows.
Types or formats changed
Inspect the Changed Type step and the error rows. Dates exported as text, numbers containing currency symbols, and identifiers with leading zeroes are frequent causes. Adjust the type conversion or clean the values before conversion, then refresh again.
The history is duplicated
Look for a combined output workbook inside the input folder. On the next refresh, Power Query may ingest that output along with the original monthly files. Move outputs to a separate folder or add a filter that excludes the output filename.
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The workbook is still open or incomplete
Save and close the source workbook before refreshing when possible. A partially written download or a locked file can be unreadable or can expose an incomplete table. Confirm that the file opens normally on its own, then refresh.
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Folder combine versus other designs
| Approach | Best for | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| Folder connector + Combine Files | Many recurring monthly files with a stable schema | Requires disciplined folder contents, consistent objects, and predictable structure |
| Separate monthly queries + Append Queries | A small number of sources that need materially different transformations | Each new month usually requires another query or an edit, so maintenance grows over time |
| SharePoint Folder or another cloud-folder connector | Teams that store monthly files centrally online | Authentication, permissions, and cloud-refresh behavior add setup considerations |
Use separate queries when January and February genuinely require different cleansing logic, not merely because the files arrive in different months. If the files share a schema, the folder pattern is usually easier to maintain.
SharePoint and cloud-hosted files
The same multi-file concept is available through supported cloud connectors, including the SharePoint Folder connector. Select the connector appropriate to where the files are stored rather than trying to treat a synchronized local shortcut as a universal replacement. Confirm that the account used for refresh has permission to read the folder and that scheduled or shared refreshes use credentials available to the environment performing the refresh.
Excel versions and scope
Microsoft documents the folder-import workflow for Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2024, Excel 2021, Excel 2019, and Excel 2016. Exact menu labels and cloud-refresh behavior can vary by client and update channel. If a command is not visible, check the installed Excel edition and whether Power Query is available through the Get Data experience.
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Operational safeguards for a dependable report
- Keep source files and report outputs in different folders.
- Use a naming convention that makes the month and file purpose obvious.
- Record the expected number of rows or a control total for each month.
- Refresh a copy of the report after structural changes before replacing the production workbook.
- Check query errors and the final row count, not just whether Excel displays a completed refresh.
- When a source layout changes, update the transformation deliberately and test older files as well as the new one.
Final checklist
- All intended monthly files are in one dedicated folder.
- Unrelated, hidden, temporary, and output files are filtered out.
- Every source contains the selected worksheet or table name.
- Headers and data types are compatible across months.
- The query was created with Combine and Transform Data.
- The result is loaded to the required Excel table, PivotTable, or Data Model.
- The next month can be added by saving one file and selecting Data > Refresh All.
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