Import Data

Next, let’s import some data so we can start using the tool. We will be using transcripts from interviews and focus groups run for a US data center study. As mentioned before, NVivo helps you get organized, so before we import in some data, let’s create some folders to organize our data.

  1. From the left menu, expand Data, then right click on Files and select New Folder. Call it “Interviews”.

    Left menu with the Data folder expanded and right click menu outlined.

    New Folder window with the name field outlined and completed.

  2. Create another folder called “Focus Groups”.

    Left Menu with a red box outlining the expanded data folder. Within it Files is also expanded, with folders Focus Groups and Interviews under it.

  3. Next, select the Import ribbon at the top left. Here you can see all the broad types of information that NVivo can import.

    Top menu with Import outlined.

  4. To start, let’s import in our interview transcripts. Make sure that the Interviews folder is selected on the left. Then select Files from the Import Ribbon.

    The interview folder in the left menu is selected and outlined. In the Import Ribbon, Files is outlined.

  5. Browse to the folder called “DCEE Focus Groups and Interviews,” which has all the study files we will use in this tutorial.

    Import Files window at the workshop folder, with the DCEE Focus Groups and Interviews folder highlighted.

  6. If you select the Supported Files drop-down menu at the bottom right of the pop-up window, you will see all the different file types that you can import into NVivo from this option. In our case, we are starting with .docx files (i.e., MS Word files), so make sure to select Document Files.

    Import Files window at the DCEE Focus Groups and Interviews folder. Supported formats drop-down menu highlighted with Document Files selected.

  7. Highlight only the files starting with “Data Center Interview” in the title in our folder by selecting the first one, holding down the Shift key, and then selecting the last one. You should have 7 files highlighted. Then select Open.

    Import Files window at the DCEE Focus Groups and Interviews folder, all Data Center Interview files highlighted and selected. Red box around the open button.

  8. Select Import to import those interview transcripts into the Interviews folder. Ignore the “Create a case” option for now. We will discuss it later.

    Import Files window with a red box around the Import Button.

  9. Let’s do something similar to import in the focus group information. Select the Focus Groups folder on the left. Then go to the Import menu and select Files.

    The Focus Groups folder in the left menu is selected and outlined. In the Import Ribbon, Files is outlined.

  10. You should still be in the same folder when you select Browse. This time highlight the files with “FG” in the title. You should have 8 files. Keep the default, Supported Files selected. This will allow you to import a combination of word files and PDFs in one go. Then select Open.

    Import Files window at the DCEE Focus Groups and Interviews folder, all NYC Data Center files highlighted and selected. Red box around the open button.

  11. Then select Import to import those focus groups files to the Focus Groups folder.

    Import Files window with a red box around the Import Button.

  12. These files are now all copied into your project file. You can see from the Import ribbon that there are many different types of information that can be imported. For example, you can connect to survey tools or reference managers to pull in your data, or from the Files option, you can import in audio files, images, or videos. Click on the small drop-down arrows beside “Survey”, “Classifications”, “Bibliography”, “Notes & Email” and “Reports” to view other types of files that NVivo can import in those areas, and hover over an item to see the associated file extensions. We won’t be covering them all in this tutorial, but be sure to explore your options later.

    The Import ribbon.

Note: If you’re interested in learning more about importing other common data sources into NVivo, check out our tutorial on importing webpages as PDFs and survey data!

Technique: Qualitative Data Analysis | Tools: NVivo

First created: November 20, 2023
Last updated: May 12, 2026

Tutorial maintained by Kelly Schultz.

Tutorial created by Kelly Schultz.

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