What is a CSV file?
CSV is a table saved as plain text, one row per line. Every spreadsheet, database and reporting tool opens one, which makes it the usual way to move records between programs that share nothing else. You can convert CSV files here, both into the format and out of it.
Specification
| Full name | Comma-Separated Values |
|---|---|
| Extensions | .csv |
| Media type | text/csv |
| Compression | Uncompressed |
| Transparency | — |
| Animation | — |
| Multiple pages | — |
| Colour depth | Delimited text, RFC 4180 quoting, encoding not declared in-file |
| Size limits | — |
| Introduced | 1972 |
| Developed by | IBM Fortran conventions, later RFC 4180 |
| Standard | Open |
| Browser support | Not displayed by browsers |
What CSV is used for
- Exporting reports and query results from a database
- Moving tabular data between spreadsheets and analytics tools
- Bulk import of contacts, products or transactions into a SaaS product
- Datasets published for download by governments and researchers
Strengths and limitations
What CSV does well
- Opens in every spreadsheet, database and statistics package
- Streams row by row, so files far larger than memory can be processed
- Minimal overhead: the payload is essentially just the values
Where CSV falls short
- Only flat tables, so nested or repeated structures must be flattened
- No type information, so identifiers and dates get mangled by spreadsheets
- Delimiter and encoding vary by locale, breaking files across borders
Convert CSV to
Every target this format can be written out as, each on its own page.
Convert to CSV
Everything that can be turned into a CSV file.
Tools that accept CSV
Questions about CSV
What is a .csv file?
CSV is a table saved as plain text, one row per line. The extension .csv identifies it, and its media type is text/csv.
How do I open a CSV file?
Browsers do not display CSV natively, so you either need software that understands it or you convert it to something more common first. Converting is usually the faster route when you only need to look at the contents once.
Is CSV lossy or lossless?
Uncompressed. Nothing is discarded, so repeated saves never degrade the contents.
What is CSV good for?
Opens in every spreadsheet, database and statistics package. Streams row by row, so files far larger than memory can be processed. Minimal overhead: the payload is essentially just the values. In practice that makes it a good fit for exporting reports and query results from a database, and Moving tabular data between spreadsheets and analytics tools.
What are the drawbacks of CSV?
Only flat tables, so nested or repeated structures must be flattened. No type information, so identifiers and dates get mangled by spreadsheets. Delimiter and encoding vary by locale, breaking files across borders.