Excel to CSV converter

Get a plain CSV out of a workbook for an import screen, database or script that needs one. Choose the sheet and the separator, and we write the file.

Processed on our server Free, no account needed

Drop files or a folder

    Updated

    To convert Excel to CSV, drop the workbook, pick the sheet and the separator, and download a UTF-8 CSV in which every formula has become its value. We accept .xlsx and .xlsm workbooks, legacy .xls files and OpenDocument spreadsheets saved as .ods.

    Online shops, newsletter tools, bookkeeping software and databases often ask for CSV on import. The format is plain text in a grid, which is why so many programs accept it.

    Which sheet ends up in the file

    You choose the sheet by its number, and the default is sheet 1, the leftmost tab. Enter 3 for the third tab counting from the left. Hidden sheets are part of that count, so count in the order the workbook stores its sheets, hidden ones included.

    Picking a separator

    • Comma, the default, is what most import screens and scripts look for.
    • Semicolon fits software and spreadsheets running with European regional settings, such as German, French or Dutch, since a comma marks decimals there.
    • Tab suits data that already contains plenty of commas and semicolons, for example street addresses or free-text notes.

    Whichever you choose, a value that contains the separator, a quotation mark or a line break is wrapped in quotes under standard CSV rules, so the columns stay aligned.

    What makes it through

    A CSV stores text in a grid and nothing else. Charts, merged cells, fonts, colors and formulas do not survive. For each formula, the CSV holds the result Excel calculated and saved the last time the workbook was stored. Workbooks written by other programs, which have never been through an open-and-save cycle in Excel, can contain formulas without a stored result, and those cells come out blank. Opening the workbook in Excel and saving it once solves that. Whole numbers are written plainly, so a cell holding 12 appears as 12, not 12.0.

    We add a byte order mark to the UTF-8 file. Excel looks for that marker, so names like José and Zoë display properly when the CSV is opened with a double-click.

    Converting a stack of workbooks

    Drop several workbooks or a folder of them. Without an account a batch takes up to 5 files of up to 50 MB each, within 20 server jobs a day. A free account allows 10 files per batch and 50 jobs a day. Pro takes 500 files of up to 500 MB and has no daily allowance. Download the CSV files one by one or together as a ZIP.

    When each branch office sends in its own workbook every month, the pipeline builder converts the whole set in one run and can pass the results straight on to CSV to JSON when the receiving system wants JSON. Pipelines are free to try on up to 3 files.

    The work happens on our servers in Germany, not in your browser. Uploads are encrypted, and we delete the workbook and the CSV automatically within two hours.

    How to export a sheet as CSV

    1. Drop your .xlsx, .xlsm, .xls or .ods files onto the page.
    2. Enter a sheet number if the sheet you need is not the first.
    3. Pick the separator the receiving program expects.
    4. Press Convert, then save the CSV or a ZIP of all of them.

    FAQ

    Can I export every sheet in one go?

    No. A CSV holds a single table, so each run exports one sheet. Run the conversion once for every sheet you need.

    My ZIP codes lost their leading zeros. Can the converter bring them back?

    No. If Excel stored those cells as numbers, the zeros disappeared inside Excel, before any conversion took place. Cells stored as text keep them.

    How do I get the CSV back into Excel?

    Use CSV to Excel.