CSV to TSV, Change the CSV Delimiter

How it works

Paste CSV data into the left box; the tool works out whether it uses commas, semicolons, tabs or vertical bars and shows the data on the right with the delimiter you pick. The usual case for English-speaking users: a supplier, a bank or a colleague in Germany, France or Spain sends a CSV, and in your spreadsheet the whole line sits in column A. Their Excel wrote semicolons and decimal commas (2,50), while yours expects commas and points. Paste the data here, pick "Comma" as the new delimiter and "Comma to point" for the decimal mark, then save the result as .csv; 2,50 becomes 2.50 and your spreadsheet reads it as a number. A delimiter inside quotes is data: the cell "Notebook; lined" stays whole. If the new delimiter appears inside a cell, that cell is quoted: switching from semicolon to comma while leaving numbers alone writes a cell 1,5 as "1,5", which would otherwise split into two columns. The decimal switch only touches cells that are entirely a number; thousands separators are recognised in both styles (1.234,56 and 1,234.56), and text such as "Unit 12,5" is left alone. For quick work, keep the default tab (TSV): copy the result and paste it into a cell in Excel or Google Sheets, and the columns fall into place on their own.

This tool is also known as csv to tsv, tsv to csv, change csv delimiter, convert semicolon to comma csv, csv delimiter converter, csv to txt, convert csv to txt.

What is TSV?

TSV (tab-separated values) is a plain-text table with one record per line and cells separated by the tab character. When you copy cells in Excel or Google Sheets, what goes to the clipboard is in fact TSV, which is why TSV text pasted into a spreadsheet drops into columns by itself. Tabs almost never occur in addresses or product names, so cells rarely need quotes. The file extension is usually .tsv, sometimes .txt.

What is List separator?

The list separator is the character set in the operating system's regional settings that Excel uses to split columns when it opens or saves a CSV. In regions with a decimal point (US, UK) it is a comma; in regions with a decimal comma (Germany, France, Spain and others) it is a semicolon. This is why the same CSV opens correctly on one computer and in a single column on another. You can change it in the regional settings, but fitting the file to its destination is usually easier.

What is the difference between CSV and TSV?

Both are plain-text tables; the only difference is the character between columns. CSV uses a comma (a semicolon in European Excel), TSV uses a tab. Commas turn up often in addresses, product names and decimal numbers, so in CSV those cells must be quoted, and a reader that ignores the quotes splits the file wrongly. Tabs almost never appear in text, which makes TSV simpler and sturdier under copy and paste. Use CSV when the receiving program asks for it, and TSV when you will paste the data into a spreadsheet.

The one-column problem and the decimal mark trap

When Excel opens a CSV by double-click, it takes the column delimiter from the computer's regional settings. In regions that use a decimal comma (Germany, France, Spain and much of Europe) the list separator is a semicolon; in the US and UK it is a comma. So a semicolon CSV from a German Excel lands in one column on a US computer, and a comma CSV from a US program lands in one column in Paris. Changing the delimiter fits the file to the place it will be opened.

The decimal mark matters as much as the delimiter. A price written 2,50 can turn into text, or into 250, in US or UK software; a value written 12.5 can be read as a date or as text in European Excel. This tool changes the decimal mark only when you ask, and only in cells that are fully numeric. A number like "1.234" with no other mark is ambiguous (one thousand two hundred thirty-four, or one point two three four?), so it is never touched.

• Pencil;10;2,50 → Pencil,10,2.50 (comma + comma to point)
• "Notebook; lined" → stays one cell
• ; → , with numbers left as is: the cell 1,5 is written as "1,5"
• 1.234 (no other mark) → left alone, ambiguous

Which delimiter for which job

Tab (TSV): the safest choice when you move data into Excel or Google Sheets by copy and paste; tabs almost never appear in text, so quoting is rarely needed. Many databases and statistics programs also read TSV directly.

Comma: US and UK Excel, Python, R, Google Sheets import and most web services. Semicolon: when the file will be opened by double-click in Excel in Germany, France, Spain or another decimal-comma country; pair it with "Point to comma" so numbers stay numbers there. Vertical bar: some bank, accounting and government reports ask for it; pick whatever the receiving system specifies.

Frequently asked questions

Why does a CSV open in one column in Excel?

Excel takes the column delimiter from your regional settings: with US or UK settings it expects commas. A file separated by semicolons, the default in much of Europe, then puts each line into a single cell. Paste the data here, pick "Comma" as the new delimiter and save the result as .csv; the file now opens split into columns.

What is TSV and how is it different from CSV?

TSV is a plain-text table whose columns are separated by the tab character instead of a comma. Tabs rarely appear inside text, so quoting is seldom needed, and Excel splits the columns correctly when you paste. CSV uses a comma or a semicolon and needs quotes when a cell contains the delimiter.

How do I change decimal commas to points?

Set "Decimal mark in numbers" to "Comma to point". Only cells that are entirely a number change: 12,5 → 12.5, 1.234,56 → 1234.56. Cells containing text are left alone. This matters when comma is your new delimiter; without it, every decimal number would have to be quoted.

Is my data sent to a server?

No. Detecting the delimiter and rewriting the data both happen in your browser; the table you paste never leaves this page and is not stored.

How do I convert a CSV to TXT?

A CSV is already plain text; what usually needs to change is the delimiter. Paste the data, choose Tab as the new delimiter and download: the result opens in any text editor and pastes straight into Excel or Google Sheets. If the program you feed it to insists on a .txt extension, rename the downloaded file from .tsv to .txt — the content is identical.