CSV tools for moving tabular data between systems
CSV (comma-separated values) and TSV (tab-separated values) are the simplest way to move tables between spreadsheets, databases, analytics tools and code. They are also full of traps: commas inside quoted fields, different delimiters in different countries, byte order marks, inconsistent line endings and encoding problems. These CSV tools handle those details so you can focus on the data.
Find the right CSV tool
- Look at a file – the CSV viewer displays delimited text as a table with headers, so you can check columns before importing anything.
- Open a spreadsheet – the Excel viewer reads .xlsx, .xls and .ods files without Office.
- Feed an API or app – CSV to JSON turns rows into objects keyed by column headers.
- Load a database – CSV to SQL generates
CREATE TABLEandINSERTstatements. - Publish a table – CSV to HTML creates table markup, and the Markdown table generator produces tables for READMEs.
- Switch delimiters – CSV to TSV and TSV to CSV convert between the two with correct quoting.
- Go back to Excel – CSV to Excel and JSON to CSV help when data arrives in other shapes.
Common workflows
Importing a spreadsheet into an app: export the sheet as CSV, check it in the viewer (are the headers right, are there empty trailing rows?), then convert it to JSON or SQL. Checking first saves you from importing a column shifted by a stray comma.
Sharing data in documentation: convert a small CSV extract into a Markdown or HTML table instead of pasting a screenshot, so the values stay searchable and accessible.
Test data: the random CSV generator creates realistic fake rows for testing your import code.
When CSV is not enough
CSV has no types, no nesting and no standard for dates or encodings. When data has hierarchy, such as orders with line items, JSON or XML represents it better. When you need formulas, formatting or several sheets, keep the file in a spreadsheet format and use CSV only for the exchange step.
CSV pitfalls to watch for
- Quoted fields – values containing commas, quotes or line breaks must be wrapped in double quotes, and inner quotes doubled (RFC 4180).
- Semicolons – in many European locales, Excel saves "CSV" with semicolons because the comma is the decimal separator.
- Encoding – use UTF-8. If accented characters look garbled in Excel, import via the Data tab and choose UTF-8.
- Leading zeros – spreadsheet apps drop them from ZIP codes and IDs unless the column is imported as text.
Conversions run in your browser, so customer lists and financial exports stay on your computer.