How to Convert Excel to CSV Online for Free

Try it now: Excel to CSV →

Excel files carry formatting, formulas, and multiple sheets — great for working in Excel, but often exactly what breaks an import into another system. CSV strips all of that down to plain rows and columns, which is what most databases, scripts, and import tools actually expect.

When you need Excel to CSV conversion

• Importing customer, product, or contact data into a CRM, database, or SaaS tool that only accepts CSV
• Feeding a spreadsheet into a script or data pipeline that expects plain delimited text
• Sharing data with someone who doesn't have Excel installed
• Reducing a file down to just the data, without formulas, formatting, or multiple sheets

How to convert Excel to CSV, step by step

1. Open the Excel to CSV tool.
2. Upload your XLSX or XLS file.
3. Choose which sheet to export if the workbook has more than one.
4. Preview the converted rows and columns.
5. Download the CSV file.

Tips for a clean conversion

• Check for merged cells first. Merged cells in Excel don't have a CSV equivalent and can shift columns unexpectedly — unmerge them in Excel before converting if the layout looks off.
• Watch for formulas. CSV stores only the calculated values, not the formulas themselves — that's expected, not a bug.
• Convert one sheet at a time if your workbook has several, since CSV is a single flat table format.

Common questions

What happens to Excel formulas after converting? Only the current calculated result is kept — CSV has no way to store formulas, just plain values.

Can I convert a multi-sheet workbook in one go? Choose the sheet you want to export; each sheet converts to its own CSV file since CSV doesn't support multiple tabs.

Will formatting like colors or bold text carry over? No — CSV is plain text only, so all visual formatting is dropped, keeping just the underlying data.

Need your spreadsheet in a universal format? Convert Excel to CSV for free →