CSV to TSV Converter

How to use the csv to tsv converter

1. Paste your data and confirm the detected delimiter.
2. Choose the output delimiter.
3. Copy or download the result.

About this tool

Converting between delimiters sounds like find-and-replace and is not, which is why doing it in a text editor corrupts files.

A comma inside a quoted value is data, not a separator. Replacing every comma with a tab turns that value into two fields and shifts the whole row. Here the file is parsed properly first, so the distinction is preserved: separators change and values do not.

Semicolon-delimited files are the case that brings most people here. Excel uses the list separator from the system locale, so a spreadsheet saved as CSV in much of Europe comes out semicolon-delimited — and then reads as a single column anywhere expecting commas. Converting the delimiter fixes it without touching the data.

Tab-delimited output is the safest choice for pasting into a spreadsheet directly, since tabs almost never appear inside values.

Parsing handles quoted fields properly, so a comma, quote or line break inside a value does not split it. That is the difference between this and splitting on commas, and it is why exports containing addresses or free-text notes so often arrive mangled.

Everything runs in the page. Spreadsheets are usually the most sensitive files anyone handles — customer lists, payroll, financial records — so a tool that works on them without uploading them is doing the one thing that matters most here.

Common uses

• Fixing a semicolon-delimited export from European Excel.
• Producing tab-separated data for pasting into a spreadsheet.
• Meeting a system's required delimiter.

Frequently asked questions

Why not just find and replace the delimiter?

Because a comma inside a quoted value is data, not a separator. Replacing every comma splits those values and shifts the row.

Why is my Excel CSV semicolon-delimited?

Excel uses the system locale's list separator, which is a semicolon across much of Europe. Converting the delimiter fixes it without altering values.

Which delimiter is safest?

Tab, in most cases — tabs almost never appear inside values, so quoting is rarely needed.