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How to Convert Excel to CSV — Step by Step

Convert any Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to CSV instantly — browser-only, no upload, no account.

Step 1

Upload Your Excel File

Drag your file onto the upload zone or click to browse. Supported: .xlsx, .xls, and .csv files. The SheetJS library parses the file locally — no data is sent anywhere:

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Drag and drop: Drop any .xlsx or .xls file directly onto the upload zone
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Browse files: Click the upload zone or the Upload button in the toolbar
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Try sample data: Click "Sample" to load a built-in employee dataset and see CSV output immediately
Step 2

Select a Sheet and Preview the CSV

The CSV output appears in the editor panel immediately after upload. If your workbook has multiple sheets, click any sheet tab to switch and regenerate CSV for that sheet:

Example: CSV output from an Excel file

Excel sheet (employees.xlsx):

NameCitySalary
Lisa MartinezNew York75000
Mike JohnsonChicago65000
Sarah WilsonBoston70000

CSV output:

Name,City,Salary
Lisa Martinez,New York,75000
Mike Johnson,Chicago,65000
Sarah Wilson,Boston,70000

Follows the RFC 4180 CSV format.

Step 3

Copy or Download the CSV

Use the toolbar buttons to copy the CSV text to your clipboard or download it as a .csv file:

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Copy: Copies all CSV text to clipboard — paste directly into a database client, a script, or another tool
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Download CSV: Saves a .csv file named after your Excel file and active sheet
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Convert the CSV further: Paste the output into CSV to Table to view it as a searchable HTML table

Why Convert Excel to CSV?

Excel (.xlsx) files are ZIP-based XML archives that require a dedicated parser. CSV (RFC 4180), by contrast, is plain text that every database, text editor, shell tool, and programming language can read without additional dependencies.

Converting Excel to CSV is the standard step before importing data into relational databases such as PostgreSQL COPY, MySQL LOAD DATA, or SQLite. It is also the expected input format for data science tools — pandas read_csv() and R's read.csv() both accept CSV natively. Command-line tools like awk, cut, and csvkit also work directly on CSV files, making it the lingua franca of data processing pipelines.

Google Sheets can also export CSV, but requires uploading the file first. This tool converts .xlsx to CSV entirely in your browser — no account, no upload, no waiting.

One important limitation: CSV represents a single flat table. It cannot store multiple sheets, cell formatting, formulas, or merged cells. For multi-sheet files, switch between sheets using the tabs and download each sheet separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my file data secure?
Yes. All conversion happens locally in your browser using SheetJS. No file is ever uploaded to a server. You can disconnect from the internet and the tool will still work.
Can I convert multiple sheets?
Each sheet is converted to CSV independently. Use the sheet tabs in the toolbar to switch between sheets and download each as a separate CSV file.
What happens to Excel formulas?
Formula results (the computed values) are exported to CSV. The formulas themselves are not included since CSV is a plain-text format.
What encoding does the CSV use?
The CSV is exported as UTF-8, which is the modern standard and compatible with most tools including Excel, Google Sheets, and databases.
Does the tool handle large files?
Yes, within browser memory limits. Files up to several MB typically process instantly. Very large files (50MB+) may be slow depending on your device.

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