What the CSV viewer does
Paste CSV text and see it as a proper table — columns aligned, headers highlighted, quoted fields handled — instead of a wall of commas. Then convert it to JSON (an array of objects keyed by the header row) or TSV for pasting into a spreadsheet. It is for the moments when you have CSV in a log, an API response or an email and want to read or reuse it without saving a file and opening Excel. Parsing happens in your browser.
What the parser handles
| CSV feature | Handled? |
|---|---|
| Comma delimiter | Yes |
| Quoted fields containing commas | Yes — "Smith, Jane" is one cell |
| Quoted fields containing line breaks | Yes |
| Escaped quotes ("" inside a quoted field) | Yes |
| Header row | First row is treated as headers |
| Ragged rows (fewer cells than headers) | Missing cells shown empty |
| Semicolon or tab delimiters | Partially — replace with commas first, or paste TSV for tab-separated data |
id,name,city,notes
1,Ana,"Bristol, UK","Prefers email"
2,Kit,Oslo,"Said ""call me"""
→ JSON
[
{ "id": "1", "name": "Ana", "city": "Bristol, UK", "notes": "Prefers email" },
{ "id": "2", "name": "Kit", "city": "Oslo", "notes": "Said \"call me\"" }
]JSON output details
- Each row becomes an object; header names become keys exactly as written (trim spaces in the headers first if they matter).
- All values are strings, because CSV has no types. Convert numbers and booleans in your code, or post-process in the JSON tools.
- Duplicate header names collide — the last column wins. Rename duplicates before converting.
- Empty rows are skipped.
TSV output
Tab-separated values paste directly into Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers with each value landing in its own cell, which comma-separated text often does not (depending on locale settings). Convert to TSV, copy, and paste into a spreadsheet — the fastest route from a CSV snippet to a working sheet.
Common uses
- Reading a CSV export from a database query, a log line or a support ticket.
- Turning a spreadsheet export into JSON for a fixture, a config or an API request body.
- Checking that a CSV you generated has the right columns and quoting before sending it.
- Pasting tabular data from an email into a spreadsheet without import dialogs.
- Inspecting a file too large or awkward to open in Excel quickly.
CSV pitfalls worth knowing
- Excel in many European locales expects semicolons and will put a whole row in one cell when opening comma CSV; use TSV or the import wizard.
- Leading zeros (postcodes, IDs) are stripped by spreadsheets that auto-detect numbers; keep them as text on import.
- Files without a BOM may show non-Latin characters as garbage in Excel; save as UTF-8 with BOM or import explicitly.
- A CSV with a line break inside a quoted cell looks like extra rows in a text editor but is one record — the viewer shows it correctly.
Frequently asked questions
Can I upload a file instead of pasting?
This tool takes pasted text. Open the file in a text editor, select all, copy and paste. Files of a few megabytes paste fine.
My data uses semicolons. What do I do?
Replace ; with , in a text editor first (checking that no values contain commas), or paste as TSV if it is tab-separated.
How do I convert JSON back to CSV?
Use the JSON Converter page, which outputs CSV from an array of objects.
Why are numbers in quotes in the JSON?
CSV cannot indicate types, so every value is a string. Convert in code, or use a typed import in your application.
Can it convert to Excel (.xlsx)?
Not directly. TSV pasted into Excel and saved is the quickest route; libraries such as SheetJS build .xlsx files programmatically.
Is my data uploaded?
No. Parsing and conversion run in your browser.