How to Create a Kahoot from CSV: Convert First, Then Import
You exported your questions to a CSV — from a survey tool, an LMS, a quiz app — and now you want them in a Kahoot. Here is the part most people discover late: Kahoot does not import CSV. There is no "upload CSV" button. Kahoot's only bulk path is its official .xlsx spreadsheet template with fixed columns. So the workflow is convert, then import. This guide walks the exact conversion and the two rules that otherwise drop your rows.
.xlsx) before Kahoot will read it.
Why a CSV can't be uploaded as-is
Kahoot's Spreadsheet importer only recognizes the template's exact header row: Question, Answer 1–6, Time limit, Correct answers, plus an optional Media column. A CSV that uses different headers — prompt, choice_a, key — is simply not understood. The fix is not a settings tweak; it's restructuring the data into the template's fixed fields.
The fixed columns you must produce
- Question — the question stem.
- Answer 1 – Answer 6 — the options, one per column. Blank = no option.
- Time limit — seconds per question, a plain number.
- Correct answers — the option position numbers, not letters, not text.
- Media (optional) — one image URL per question.
Two rules that silently break a CSV conversion
1. Correct answers must be position numbers
If your CSV stored the key as A/B/C or as the answer sentence, that won't map. Rewrite it as the option's position: 1, 2, 3. Multiple correct options are comma-separated, e.g. 1,3. This is the single most common reason a converted CSV imports with missing or wrong answers.
2. One image, and it must be a URL
A CSV carries no images — only text. If a question needs a figure, host it and put the URL in the Media column. Kahoot allows at most one image per question, as a URL; it cannot embed a picture from the CSV itself.
Step-by-step: CSV → Kahoot
Get the official template
In Kahoot, New kahoot → Add question → Spreadsheet → download the blank .xlsx. Keep its header row exact.
Open your CSV and map columns
Open the CSV in Excel or Google Sheets. Move your stem, options, seconds, and correct-answer position into the template's columns. Rename headers to match exactly.
Rewrite the answer key
Convert any letter-based or text-based key into position numbers (1,2,3…), comma-separated for multiple correct.
Save as .xlsx and upload
Save the file as .xlsx (not .csv) and upload it on Kahoot's Spreadsheet screen. Preview the parsed questions and check for skipped rows.
Play-test
Run a quick preview to confirm answer keys, especially rows converted from a non-standard CSV schema.
Skip the hand-mapping
When the CSV isn't already in Kahoot's shape — different headers, letter-based keys, answers buried in one column — manual reshaping is where rows vanish. ExamParser reads a CSV or .xlsx source, maps it to Kahoot's fixed column fields, rewrites the answer key as position numbers, enforces the one-image-URL rule, and outputs the official Kahoot .xlsx ready to upload. The same source can also feed Canvas, Moodle, and other platforms.
More import guides at examparser.com/blog/en.
Frequently asked questions
Can I upload a CSV file directly into Kahoot?
No. Kahoot has no CSV import. Its only bulk entry point is the official .xlsx spreadsheet template with fixed columns. To get a CSV into Kahoot, you convert the CSV into that .xlsx template first, then upload the .xlsx on the Spreadsheet screen.
What is the fastest way to convert CSV to the Kahoot template?
Open the CSV in Excel or Google Sheets, rearrange the columns to match Kahoot's template (Question, Answer 1–6, Time limit, Correct answers, optional Media URL), save as .xlsx, and upload. A converter like ExamParser does the column mapping and the one-image-URL rule for you in one step.
How are correct answers represented when converting CSV?
In Kahoot's Correct answers column, use the option's position number — 1, 2, 3 — not the letter and not the answer text. For multiple correct options, separate with a comma, e.g. 1,3. If your CSV stored answers as letters (A/B/C) or as the answer text, that column must be rewritten as position numbers before upload.
What happens to images in a CSV-to-Kahoot conversion?
A CSV holds no images, only text. If a question needs a diagram, host the image and put its URL in Kahoot's Media column — at most one URL per question. CSV cannot embed the picture itself.
Ready to convert that CSV?
Reshape your CSV into Kahoot's official .xlsx template — fixed columns, position-number answers, one image URL per question — and your export becomes a live kahoot.
Try ExamParser →