How to Save a Data Frame in R (Example)

In this article, I’ll show how to save a data frame in R programming.

Table of contents:

• Introduction of Example Data
• Example: Save Data Frame in R
• Video, Further Resources & Summary

Let’s dive right into the examples…

Introduction of Example Data

In the example of this tutorial, we’ll use the following data frame in R:

data <- data.frame(x1 = 1:5,                     # Create example data
                   x2 = letters[1:5])
data                                             # Print example data
# x1 x2
#  1  a
#  2  b
#  3  c
#  4  d
#  5  e

Our example data contains two columns and five rows.

Example: Save Data Frame in R

If we want to export our example data frame to our computer, we first need to set the working directory, to which we want to save the data:

setwd("C:/Users/... Your Path .../Desktop/")     # Set working directory

Then, we can use the save function to store the data frame on our computer:

save(data, file = "my_data_frame.Rda")           # Save data frame

Run the previous R code and then have a look at your currently used working directory. You’ll find an Rda object with the name my_data_frame there.

If we want to load our data frame at a later point in time, we can use the load function:

load(file = "my_data_frame.Rda")                 # Reload data frame

Video, Further Resources & Summary

Some time ago I have published a video on my YouTube channel, which shows the R syntax of this article. Please find the video below:

In addition, you might want to read the related tutorials on this website. A selection of articles is listed below:

• Getting & Setting Working Directories
• Save & Load RData Workspace Files in R
• The R Programming Language

Summary: At this point you should have learned how to export and store a data frame in R programming. In case you have additional questions, let me know in the comments below.