Export GridView to Excel

Users often post a requirement to export the data in an ASP.NET GridView to Excel. Here's a simple way to do so:

C#

protected void Button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

{

    Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", 

       "attachment;filename=FileName.xls");

    Response.Charset = String.Empty;

    Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.xls";

    System.IO.StringWriter sw = new System.IO.StringWriter();

    System.Web.UI.HtmlTextWriter hw = new HtmlTextWriter(sw);

    GridView1.RenderControl(hw);

    Response.Write(sw.ToString());

    Response.End();

}

VB.NET

    Protected Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As Object, _

     ByVal e As EventArgs)

        Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", _

         "attachment;filename=FileName.xls")

        Response.Charset = String.Empty

        Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.xls"

        Dim sw As System.IO.StringWriter = _

          New System.IO.StringWriter()

        Dim hw As System.Web.UI.HtmlTextWriter = _

            New HtmlTextWriter(sw)

        GridView1.RenderControl(hw)

        Response.Write(sw.ToString())

        Response.End()

    End Sub

To read about some more tips and tricks about the GridView, check GridView Tips and Tricks using ASP.NET 2.0