What is CSV?

Comma Separated Values (CSV) is a format for tabular data in a plain text file. Each data value is separated by a comma. If the value contains a comma (delimiter), line break, or double-quote, then the value is enclosed by double-quotes. If the value is surrounding by double-quotes and contains a double-quote then each embedded double-quote is doubled to two double-quotes. This tool also support the popular tab-delimited (TSV) data format used by Excel, and other delimiters such a colon, semi-colon, caret, spaces, and vertical bar.

Example:



id,name,amount,Remark

1,"Johnson, Smith, and Jones Co.",345.33,Pays on time

2,"Sam ""Mad Dog"" Smith",993.44,

Is my data secure?

Yes, your data never leaves your computer and all processing occurs on your computer.

Do you have command-line tools (CLI) or Desktop Tools?

Yes - we now have both Command Line Tools and Windows Desktop software for JSON to CSV, JSON to XML, XML to CSV, YAML to CSV, and more. Products for more information.

Do you have an API?

Not yet, but coming soon in 2021.

How do I use this tool with Excel data?

You may copy cells from Excel and paste into this tool or Choose File and open the file and the first tab is used for data. All tools that output CSV also output Excel.

How do I force Excel to import a number to text?

This is a common problem in Excel when reading CSV files and not using the Import Text Wizard. When Excel determines a field is a numeric value, it automatically formats the field as numeric. Placing double-quotes around the field does not help, neither does adding spaces around the number. The only method that works is starting the field with a equal sign and then double-quoting the field. If the value has a comma though, then you must follow the CSV rules and enclose in double quotes.

Our tools will read and write fields formatted with beginning equal signs. See the CSV-to-Delimited tool to prepare your CSV files for Excel.

For developers - What is the CSV MIME type?

The quick answer is "text/csv" but for best results, use this in your web pages:

