Why convert Excel to CSV
Many systems only accept CSV: bulk load, data platforms, legacy ERP imports, version-controlled config tables. xlsx is binary and awkward to diff; CSV is plain text. ComTools Excel to CSV (Tools/Excel/ToCsv) uploads a workbook and downloads UTF-8 .csv.
Conversion rules
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Input | .xlsx, .xlsm, .xltx, .xltm, .csv (re-export normalized) |
| Worksheet | First sheet only |
| Encoding | UTF-8 output |
| Delimiter | Comma , |
| Special chars | Fields with , or " are quoted; " → "" |
| Cell values | Display text as shown in Excel |
Example
Header Name,City, row Alice,NYC:
Name,City
Alice,NYC
Field with comma: "Acme, Inc",Boston
Steps
- Open Excel to CSV.
- Upload Excel or CSV.
- Click Convert.
- Download the
.csv.
To go back to xlsx, use CSV to Excel.
Common scenarios
| Scenario | Notes |
|---|---|
| SQL import | With Excel to SQL or LOAD DATA |
| Python pandas | pd.read_csv(..., encoding='utf-8') |
| Git diff | Text CSV diffs better than xlsx |
| One sheet only | Split or move sheet first |
| Clean first | Dedup, format |
Encoding
- Output is UTF-8—see CSV import tips if Excel desktop garbles on double-click.
- Use Excel “From Text/CSV” with UTF-8, or CSV to Excel for a workbook.
Notes
- First worksheet only—other sheets are omitted.
- Values not formulas—formatted display text is exported.
- Dates follow cell format; standardize before export.
- Complex quoted fields—verify unusual multiline cells in Excel first.
- Large files—filter columns in Excel if needed.
Related tools
| Direction | Tool |
|---|---|
| Excel → CSV | Excel to CSV |
| CSV → Excel | CSV to Excel |
| Excel → JSON | Excel to JSON |
| CSV text → JSON | CSV to JSON (local) |
Workflow
Edit Excel → CSV → third-party upload
└→ SQL → database
FAQ
All sheets?
Split to separate xlsx files, then convert each.
Tab-separated TSV?
Comma only here; save TSV in Excel or use text format.
CSV in merge?
Merge needs xlsx—CSV to Excel first.
vs Save As CSV in Excel?
No install; consistent UTF-8 and quoting for server workflows.