Formatomat

Convert Excel to CSV

Turn your Excel workbooks into CSV files in seconds. Conversion happens in your browser, so your files are never uploaded to a server.

  • Files never uploaded
  • Free, no sign-up
  • No queue

or drop them here. You can also paste an image (Ctrl+V).

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How to convert Excel to CSV

  1. 01

    Add your Excel files

    Click “Choose Excel files” or drop them on the page. You can add several at once.

  2. 02

    Check the CSV format

    CSV is already selected. Choose the separator: comma, or semicolon for European versions of Excel.

  3. 03

    Convert and download

    Click “Convert”, then download your CSV file. With several files, grab everything at once as a ZIP.

Excel to CSV: what to know

CSV is the format most software expects for importing data: an online shop’s product catalogue, accounting software, a contact list, a database. Values are written as they are stored: 25% becomes 0.25 and an amount loses its currency symbol, which a message points out, and its thousands separator (a CSV writes the bare number), but keeps the decimals its format shows (€1,234.50 is written 1234.50), while dates switch to the 2024-03-15 format. Leading zeros of a code stay as displayed (01000), without the spaces or dashes a format adds between the digits (06 12 34 56 78 is written 0612345678), and a time on its own is written 10:30:00. With a comma or tab separator decimals use a point; with a semicolon, a comma. The file is UTF-8 with a BOM and Windows line endings (CRLF), so Excel reads its accented letters correctly.

For formulas, the last result saved in the workbook is used, so a file generated by a program and never opened in a spreadsheet app can give empty cells, which the conversion points out; opening and saving it once fixes that. That result is written with at most 15 significant digits, as the spreadsheet shows it (0.1 + 0.2 gives 0.3), whereas a number stored with 16 or 17 digits keeps them all. A merged cell keeps its value in its first cell only; whatever a covered cell still holds, invisible in the workbook, is left out, and a message says so. Codes stored as text, such as a code like 02134, stay intact, but Excel may strip the leading zero if it reopens the CSV directly.

Excel vs CSV: what’s the difference?

XLSXMicrosoft Excel (Office Open XML)

The Microsoft Excel workbook format since 2007. It holds one or more sheets with their numbers, dates, text and formulas.

CSVComma-Separated Values

A plain text file where each line is a table row, with values separated by commas or semicolons. It is the most universal data exchange format.

Excel to CSV: frequently asked questions

How do I export just one sheet of my workbook to CSV?

Every sheet is converted, each into its own CSV file named after it (workbook - Sheet1.csv…), all bundled in a ZIP, so keep the one you need. A workbook with a single sheet gives a CSV file directly, with no ZIP. Two sheets that would give the same file name are told apart with “(2)”, and a chart sheet, which has no cells, is left out; a message says so. A name too long for a file system (over 255 bytes) is shortened, without splitting a character or losing the extension.

Do hidden sheets and rows end up in the CSV?

Yes. Hidden sheets are exported like the others, and hidden rows or columns appear in the file; a message lists them. Values hidden by their format (;;;) are exported too, and a message names their cells. If they hold working calculations or data you don’t want to share, delete them from the workbook, rather than just hiding them, before you convert.

Are my Excel files uploaded to the internet?

No. The file is read and converted by your browser, on your device. Nothing is sent to a server, and nothing is kept after you close the page.

Does converting Excel to CSV reduce quality?

Values, numbers and dates are kept. Formulas are replaced by their results, and formatting (colours, column widths) disappears, since a CSV has none.

How many Excel files can I convert?

As many as you like, for free and without signing up. Add them all, then download the results one by one or in a single ZIP. The maximum size depends on your device and browser, with a few caps that protect its memory (for example 20,000 files per archive or 5 million filled cells per workbook: see the home page FAQ); a file over one of them is not converted, and a message says so.

Does it work on iPhone and Android?

Formatomat is designed for recent browsers on computers, iPhone and Android, with no app to install. A conversion the browser cannot do (a format it cannot read or write) is refused with a message that says so.