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CSV Converter - Transform Data Files Instantly

Convert CSV files to Excel, PDF, and other formats. Import and export spreadsheet data.

Step 1: Upload your files

You can also Drag and drop files.

Step 2: Choose format
Step 3: Convert files

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What is CSV?

CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is the simplest and most universal data format. It stores tabular data as plain text with values separated by commas and rows separated by line breaks.

CSV has been used since the 1970s and remains the standard for data exchange between spreadsheets, databases, and applications. Every spreadsheet program, database, and programming language can read and write CSV files.

Because CSV is plain text, files are small, easy to read in any text editor, and work across all platforms and software without compatibility issues.

Why Convert CSV Files?

While CSV excels at data portability, conversion addresses common needs:

  • Better formatting - Convert to Excel to add colors, fonts, column widths, and formulas
  • Data analysis - XLSX format enables charts, pivot tables, and Excel functions
  • Legacy compatibility - Convert to XLS for older Excel versions
  • Database import - Some systems require specific formats from CSV
  • Creating CSV - Convert Excel files to CSV for system import or data sharing
  • Text processing - Convert to TXT for line-by-line data processing

Convert CSV to Other Formats

Transform your CSV data into richer formats:

CSV to XLSX

The most popular conversion. Upgrade CSV data to modern Excel format for full spreadsheet functionality including formulas, formatting, charts, and multiple sheets.

CSV to XLS

Convert to legacy Excel format for compatibility with Microsoft Office 2003 and earlier. Essential when sharing data with users who have older Excel versions.

CSV to TXT

Transform comma-separated data to plain text format. Useful when you need tab-delimited or custom-formatted text output.

CSV to XML

Convert tabular CSV data to structured XML format for use in web services, applications, or systems that require XML input.

CSV to PDF

Create printable PDF tables from CSV data. Useful for generating reports or sharing data in a format that preserves table layout.

CSV to HTML

Transform CSV data into HTML tables for web display. Perfect for publishing data on websites.

Convert Other Formats to CSV

Extract data as universally compatible CSV:

XLSX to CSV

Export modern Excel spreadsheets to CSV for database import, data processing, or sharing with systems that require plain text data.

XLS to CSV

Convert legacy Excel files to CSV. Essential for extracting data from old spreadsheets for use in modern applications.

XML to CSV

Transform structured XML data into flat CSV tables. Makes XML data accessible to spreadsheet and database applications.

DBF to CSV

Convert dBASE database files to CSV format. Important for migrating data from legacy database systems.

TXT to CSV

Transform text data into proper CSV format with correct comma delimiting for spreadsheet import.

PDF to CSV

Extract tabular data from PDF documents to CSV format. Useful for recovering data locked in PDF tables.

CSV Technical Specifications

  • Full name: Comma-Separated Values
  • Developer: No single developer (universal standard)
  • First used: 1970s (early computer era)
  • File extension: .csv
  • MIME type: text/csv
  • Structure: Plain text with comma delimiters
  • Row separator: Line break (CRLF or LF)
  • Encoding: Usually UTF-8 or ASCII
  • Limitations: No formatting, single sheet only

CSV Compatibility

Software That Opens CSV Files

  • Microsoft Excel (all versions)
  • Google Sheets (web-based, free)
  • LibreOffice Calc
  • Apple Numbers
  • Any text editor (Notepad, VS Code)
  • All database applications
  • All programming languages

CSV Advantages

  • Universal compatibility across all platforms
  • Small file sizes (no formatting overhead)
  • Human-readable in any text editor
  • Standard for data import/export
  • Works with any programming language

How to Convert CSV Files

  1. Upload your CSV file - Drag and drop your data file or click to browse. We handle files with any delimiter.
  2. Choose your output format - Select XLSX for Excel work, XLS for legacy Office, or other formats for specific needs.
  3. Download your converted file - Conversion is instant. Download your data in the new format.

Pro Tip

When converting CSV with special characters or non-English text, ensure UTF-8 encoding. If Excel displays garbled characters, the encoding was wrong. Convert with our tool to automatically handle encoding correctly.

Common Mistake

Opening CSV directly in Excel by double-clicking. Excel may guess wrong about delimiters or encoding. Import using Data > From Text for control, or convert to XLSX for guaranteed proper display.

Best For

CSV is ideal for data portability, database import/export, data processing with code, and exchanging data between different applications. It's the universal data format that works everywhere.

Not Recommended

Avoid CSV when you need multiple sheets, formulas, formatting, or charts. CSV only stores raw data values. Convert to XLSX for anything beyond basic data storage.

Frequently Asked Questions

CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is a simple text format for storing tabular data. Each line is a row, and values are separated by commas. CSV files can be opened in Excel, Google Sheets, or any text editor.

Upload your CSV file to ChangeMyFile and select XLSX as the output format. The conversion creates an Excel file with your data properly formatted in columns, ready for formulas and formatting.

Yes, upload your XLSX or XLS file and select CSV as output. This extracts the data from the first sheet as comma-separated values, which works with any database or application.

Excel sometimes misinterprets delimiters or encoding. Try importing the CSV using Excel's Data > From Text feature instead of double-clicking, or convert to XLSX format for proper Excel display.

CSV is plain text with just data values separated by commas. XLSX is a full Excel format that includes formatting, formulas, charts, and multiple sheets. CSV is smaller and more compatible; XLSX is more feature-rich.

Yes, ChangeMyFile supports batch conversion. Upload multiple CSV files and convert them all to your chosen format simultaneously.

Double-click to open in your default spreadsheet app (usually Excel). You can also open CSV files in any text editor to see the raw data, or import into Google Sheets by uploading to Google Drive.

The data may contain commas within values. Properly formatted CSV uses quotes around values containing commas. Our converter handles this correctly when converting to Excel.

CSV files cannot contain formatting. To add colors, fonts, or column widths, convert to XLSX format first, then add your formatting in Excel or your preferred spreadsheet application.

CSV is better for data portability, backup, and processing with code. Excel (XLSX) is better for data analysis, visualization, and documents that need formatting. Use CSV for raw data, XLSX for working with data.

CSV Conversions & Related Converters

Quick access to the most commonly used file conversions.