When you need CSV
CSV (comma-separated values) is the common language of data. Almost every system can import it: online banking and accounting tools, email marketing platforms, CRMs, databases, Python and R scripts, and Google Sheets. Excel files can only be read by spreadsheet apps, so converting to CSV is often the first step in moving data anywhere.
How to use it
- Pick the separator. Leave it on comma unless the system you’re importing into asks for semicolons or tabs.
- Choose your Excel files or drop them on the box above.
.xlsx,.xlsm, the older.xlsand LibreOffice.odsall work. - Download the CSV. A workbook with several sheets downloads as a ZIP with one CSV per sheet.
Comma or semicolon?
In countries where the decimal mark is a comma, such as Germany, France, Spain and Italy, Excel expects CSV files separated by semicolons, because commas already appear inside numbers like 12,50. If you’ll open the CSV in Excel set up for one of those regions, choose semicolon. For importing into software, the standard comma is almost always right. Text that contains the separator is wrapped in quotes automatically, so nothing gets split in the wrong place.
What the CSV contains
- Values as displayed: percentages, currency and custom date formats look the same as in the workbook. Standard short dates become
2026-01-15, which every system reads the same way. - Formula results, not the formulas themselves.
- Every row, including blank rows in the middle of the data, so row positions don’t shift. Empty rows at the end are trimmed.
- No formatting: colours, fonts, column widths and merged cells don’t exist in CSV. A merged title cell becomes text in its first cell.
- Hidden sheets are skipped, since they usually hold lookup tables rather than data you meant to export.
Privacy
Exported spreadsheets are often customer lists, payroll or financial records. The workbook is read by SheetJS, an open-source spreadsheet library, inside your browser, and the CSV is created on your device. Nothing is uploaded to xconverter or anyone else.
Questions
What happens to a workbook with several sheets?
A CSV file can only hold one table, so each sheet that contains data becomes its own CSV, named after the sheet, and they download together in a ZIP. Excel's own Save As only saves the sheet you are looking at.
Are dates and numbers kept as they look in Excel?
Yes, with one deliberate exception. Numbers, currency and percentages are written the way Excel displays them, as Excel's own CSV export does. Dates in Excel's standard short-date style are written as 2026-01-15, because a date like 03/04/2026 means different days in different countries. Dates with a custom format keep it.
Why do accented letters look wrong when I open the CSV?
They shouldn't with these files. The CSV is saved as UTF-8 with a marker that tells Excel which encoding it is. Some older programs ignore that marker; if they show odd characters, use their import option and choose UTF-8.
Are formulas kept?
No, CSV stores values only. Each formula is replaced by its last calculated result, the same as when Excel saves a CSV.
Last reviewed 3 November 2026